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| Meat Cove from he end of the trail |
I knew where Meat Cove was, and drove
by the sign for the road to Meat Cove, but in 50 years of living in
Nova Scotia I have never made that turn and actually drove to Meat
Cove. This year while spending a week in Cape Breton, I finally
visited this community.
According to Wikipedia, Meat Cove is a
fishing community located at the most northern tip of Nova Scotia. I
discovered that this is partially true . . . .
The road to Meat Cove branches off from
the Cabot Trail at Cape North and is very much a “Secondary Road”.
It twists and turns up and down through the highlands along the
coast. Starting out paved it becomes dirt than paved then dirt then
paved and finally dirt into the community. In places there is a shear
drop off the hillside with no guardrail on the side of the road.
Although the road does not actually “end" in Meat Cove, it
deteriorates into a rutted washed out track requiring more ground
clearance than my Camary provided.
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| Beer & Seafood at the Chowder House |
Although Wikipedia called this a
“Fishing” community I would say this was more history than
current fact. There was no fishing wharf, no boats and no fishermen.
There is a campground perched on a cliff and a restaurant along with
a few houses and that is about it. There is actually little evidence
that there was ever much more there; if fact, the cove is so small
there is not room for much more. Listings say there are 65 residents,
but that must include people living on the road into Meat Cove.
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| Regis taking in the views |
The fact that there is little here did
not seem to matter on the day we drive to Meat Cove; arriving at the
end of the road we had a difficult time finding a place to park to
have lunch at the little Chowder House restaurant across from the
campground, there were that many people here.
After a delicious lunch, we took the
server's advice and followed a unmarked but well used hiking trail to
an elevated headland which gave a wonderful view back over the area
as well as both the Atlantic Ocean and The Gulf of St Laurence.
Then we walked down into the cove
itself to discover a beach covered with Inukshuks. It looked like all
these little statues I saw on this summer's drive to Lac Seul had
been magically transported here to Meat Cove. Leaving the cove I
discovered another hike this one a boardwalk along the river leading
down to the cove. I took the hike while Regis went to retrieve the
car.
BUT, I'm still not sure why it is
called Meat Cove?
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| Wow Inukshuks Here in Cape Breton |
