Maine, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island

We met Stephen and Vivienne in Boston and on the 6 September and headed up to Maine. 

They have a new RV ( Motorhome ) and we were following behind in a rented SUV. Camping is an ideal way to see the National Parks and before we realised it Neil and I had done 12 consecutive nights in a tent! Stephen was fantastic about helping us pitch each day and providing us with an electric light, a heater and a very big inflatable mattress with electric pump.

The braais and campfires were a welcome change after months of restaurants. It was pretty cold so we stopped at a Walmart to buy leggings and long t-shirts to cope with the winter weather.

We camped at Bar Harbor National Park for 3 nights. There's hiking in the mountains and walks on the beaches and Stephen and Vivienne did some cycling. We are not "tick the bucket list items" types but we did celebrate having travelled in all the 48 contiguous states of the USA. And spent at least a night in all but 3.

Maine Lobster Roll

The road border between the US and Canada was a breeze; no need to even get out of the car. We drove through New Brunswick. We camped a night in Alma and the following night in Picton with a view of the estuary.

We did 2 nights in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. It's a nice little city with a small waterfront development. We toured the Fort and enjoyed traditional live music at the Irish pub. In a city of microbreweries the original a Alexander Keith's isn't bad and the brewery is worth a visit.

One day we did a road trip to Pictou and Lunenberg. It's a pretty coast but Pictou was very touristy and full of tour busses. Of course, you can get the quintessential fishing boat shot. And enjoy a hot chocolate with a view.

We spent 2 nights in Cape Breton National Park.

On Friday 13th we stayed at Fox Harbour. For Saturday we managed to get tickets to a music festival at Jost vineyards; great music and an insightful day into the lives of locals.

We crossed on to Prince Edward Island to camp at Prince Edward Island National Park. If you remember the Anne of Green Gables books from when you were a child, you might like the rather sappy museum in the original house where the author based her book.

Most restaurants we found to be pretty mediocre but we are giving a real shout out to Carr's Oyster Bar, a fantastic waterfront seafood place with good South African wine on the menu. Charlottetown has it's fair share of hipster bars and coffee shops to while away some time.