It takes you via Mahone Bay and Peggy's Cove on the Lighthouse Trail between Lunenburg and Halifax
When I visited Lunenburg for the first time, it was enough to whet my appetite and offer me some ideas for things to see when I return. After saying my goodbyes to the Lunenburg Inn's innkeepers, I continued on my journey to the Lighthouse Trail's junction. I arrived on Nova Scotia's South Shore to a beautiful blue sky and the first hints of autumn's color on the narrow rural roads that snake in and out of the indented coastline.
On the Lighthouse Route, Mahone Bay is one of the most beautiful towns I've ever seen. A total of 365 islands may be found in the region, one for each day of the year. In addition to being a popular weekend getaway spot, the sheltered bayside setting of Mahone Bay attracts watersports enthusiasts. I pulled into a parking spot and went for a walk around the town, which had been done up for Halloween in advance. In the hamlet, frightful crows of all shapes and sizes decorated the streets, and a crew of firemen comprised solely of straw puppets saved a home from destruction. The historic village of Mahone Bay, which dates back more than two centuries, is home to a plethora of unique boutiques, restaurants, and art galleries.
First inhabited in 1754 by "foreign protestant" pioneers, mostly German Lutheran immigrants sent over by the British Crown in the mid-to-late 1700s, this town was known as "foreign protestant." Many of the gravestones at Bayview Cemetery include German inscriptions, lending credence to the cemetery's German roots.
"Mahone" is a slang word for a low-lying watercraft used by pirates in France. On the East Coast, these were the heydays of privateering, when the government sanctioned pirate operations. Mahone Bay, a little village on the coast of Nova Scotia, is now a popular destination for artists, tourists, and environmental enthusiasts. Mahone Bay has been named as one of Canada's top ten greatest little towns to live in by Harrowsmith Magazine, and many individuals are seriously considering making the move permanently. Without a doubt, it's the most picturesque.
Located near the harbor, three churches form one of the country's most iconic photo ops: one of the city's most recognizable monuments. As part of Canada's most renowned church trifecta, Trinity United Church (1861), St. John's Lutheran Church (1903), and St. James Anglican Cathedral (1887), St. John's Lutheran Church, and St. James Anglican Cathedral are all located in Toronto. It's a popular summer destination for music lovers, and Mahone Bay is home to a number of events throughout each season.
On the way back to the car, I made one more pit stop for ice cream before continuing on the Lighthouse Trail. Halifax, Nova Scotia's main city, is a two-hour drive away, so I had to keep an eye on the clock as I neared the end of my journey.
The monument to Swiss Air Flight 111, which crashed into St. Margaret's Bay, approximately 8 kilometers out to sea, just outside the famed Peggy's Cove, was a must-see. When Swiss Air 111 went down in the Atlantic early in September, it was on its route from New York to Geneva, Switzerland, carrying 229 people, including children.
The victims' sacrifice is commemorated with a stone monument approximately a kilometer away from Peggy's Cove. The digits 111 are represented by the three notches on the Whalesback monument. Swissair 111's crash into Peggy's Cove still reverberates in my mind, and gazing out into the calm waters of the Atlantic reminded me that life can change in a split second.
From a scenic perspective, the St. Margaret's Bay region is a world apart from Mahone Bay. Mahone Bay, on the other hand, has a far more mountainous and bleak landscape than Mahone Bay. Peggy's Cove is dominated by enormous granite boulders that were left behind from the previous ice age. One of Nova Scotia's most popular tourist attractions was only a short drive away.
Only roughly 120 people make Peggy's Cove their permanent residence. Nova Scotia's government gave land concessions to German immigrants in 1811, which led to the creation of the town. Their main source of income was fishing, but they also cultivated rich land and grazed cattle in the surrounding regions. In the early 1900s, the town had a population of roughly 300 people. For decades, Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia has been a popular tourist destination, thanks in no small part to its iconic lighthouse. After World War II, tourism replaced the fishing sector as the town's primary source of revenue, although lobster fishing is still commonplace.
Hiking, kayaking, bird watching, and relaxing on the area's magnificent beaches are just a few of the activities available in the immediate vicinity. Whale-watching and golf are popular pastimes in this part of the country. In addition, the region is home to a variety of eateries, cafés, galleries, and artisan stores.
"Peggy's Cove" is based on the name of a nearby cove. While St. Margaret's Bay may have given its name to a nickname for "Margaret," other local legends claim that Peggy was an early resident and that she was the lone survivor of a vessel that went aground and sank in 1800. This woman's surname became synonymous with the settlement of Peggy's Cove because of the popular legend that she was named Margaret.
Peggy Cove's initial lighthouse was constructed of wood in 1868, and the present octagonal building was completed in 1914. The lighthouse served as a radio station for the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II. After Hurricane Edna devastated the lighthouse keeper's previous home in 1954, it was demolished and replaced. In 1958, the lighthouse's automation was completed.
The lighthouse's lower level now houses a Canada Post office, which also functions as the community's post office. The iconic lighthouse is surrounded by rounded granite cliffs that are popular with tourists. As unfortunate as it may be, the unpredictable surf often causes a number of guests to get into difficulty and drown. As a result, you must use extreme caution in this area.
The well-known Sou'wester Restaurant, with its souvenir store and stunning views of the coastline, is just a few feet away from the lighthouse. Soup and salad were just what I needed to get me through the last few hours of my road journey after my thrilling discoveries in Lunenburg and along the Lighthouse Trail, so I sat down in the Sou'wester for a late lunch. After a quick pit stop, I was ready to continue my journey to Halifax, my ultimate destination in Nova Scotia.