IT’S hard to describe the emotions that hit me as I set eyes on the rugged coastline and emerald-green landscape of Canada’s east coast for the first time.
Nova Scotia is the ancestral home of the Mi’Kmaq people and the homeland of my wonderful grandmother Eileen, who passed away when I was 13.
8
8
Getting to finally step into her shoes after all the childhood stories she shared is a special moment.
Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, is located almost exactly halfway between the Equator and the North Pole, and just over a six-hour flight from the UK.
It’s a captivating blend of historic naval charm and modern architecture.
I’m bedding down for my first night at royal favourite the Westin Nova Scotian, built in 1928 by the Canadian National Railways.
Princess Diana stayed here, as did the late Queen Elizabeth II, twice!
Double rooms cost from £204 per night (Marriott.com).
From here, it’s just a five-minute stroll to the harbour’s wooden waterfront, where centuries-old buildings sit alongside cool sculptures like the drunken lamp posts.
Halifax boasts the world’s second-largest ice-free natural harbour after Sydney, and I weave my way through the colourful food shacks, cafes and shops lining the boardwalk, before popping into the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.
It’s fascinating to learn about the capital’s history, including the devastating explosion of 1917, and heartbreaking to see the poignant items recovered from the Titanic.
Tickets cost from £3 per adult (Maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca).
At dinner, Drift restaurant serves up a host of treats – I try the Oxford Tango (Aperol, lemon, and blueberry lavender kombucha with East Coast Gin and blueberry liqueur), £11, and devour Atlantic salmon fillet, £22, with risotto and sea lettuce (Drifthalifax.com).
8
Craving an adrenalin kick, my next stop is Shubenacadie’s Tidal Bore Rafting Resort, an hour’s drive from downtown Halifax and on the Bay of Fundy – home to the highest tides in the world.
Twice a day, 100 billion tonnes of seawater flow in and out of the bay in just one tide cycle.
Hopping into a raft to ride this natural phenomenon isn’t for the faint-hearted, but it is so much fun and I’m soon completely soaked.
A 2.5-hour rafting trip costs £44 per person (Raftingcanada.ca).
After a quick change of clothes and yearning for the experience of a traditional fishing village – like the one my grandmother grew up in and where she picnicked on rocks with a flask of her mum’s fish chowder – I head to Nova Scotia’s southern shores and picturesque Peggy’s Cove.
The drive takes me along the winding road of the Lighthouse Route, past stunning shorelines, lush marshland and granite rock.
Once there, among the grey, shingle-clad fishing sheds, colourful houses and boutique art galleries, I instantly feel zen.
A little further down the Lighthouse Route, I reach the UNESCO World Heritage coastal town of Lunenburg and my home for the night – the bright-red-painted Rum Runner Inn in the heart of the old town.
Double rooms cost from £130 per night (Rumrunnerinn.com).
8
The best meal of my entire adventure comes at Beach Pea Kitchen & Bar.
Local tuna tartare, £12.50, and lobster pappardelle, £23, taste as good as they look, and the raw scallops couldn’t be any fresher, as they’re straight off the boat (Beachpeakitchen.com).
The next day, I set off on a walking tour of the town to learn about its history – the highlight is the magnificent St John’s Anglican Church, with its striking black and white facade and painted starry ceiling inside.
A one-hour tour costs from £15 per person (Lunenburgwalkingtours.com).
A little later, I make my way to Ironworks Distillery for a 45-minute tour and tasting of its artisan vodka made from apples grown in nearby Annapolis Valley.
Vodka isn’t my usual tipple, but the raspberry liqueur slips down very nicely.
Tours cost £14.50 per person (Ironworksdistillery.com).
Twenty minutes drive away, and a hop on the free ferry, is the small town of LaHave.
I trade in my Canadian dollars for goods from LaHave Bakery, set in an old pharmacy-style building.
Everything is locally sourced: we’re talking a range of delights, from pastries and jams to melt-in-the-mouth fudge brownies – and even second-hand books.
8
It’s an Aladdin’s cave of deliciousness (Lahavebakery.com).
Continuing the foodie theme, I drive north to Hall’s Harbour village and Lobster Pound’s cook shack, where the lobster poutine – warm fries with the eatery’s signature creamy namesake sauce, £13.50 – is served with a bib, which proves essential when I slurp the tender meat right out of the shell (Hallsharbourlobster.com).
I wash it down with a glass of white Benjamin Bridge’s Nova 7 wine, £6.20, from a vineyard just 35 minutes away.
And Domaine de Grand Pre Winery is a neighbour and its Le Caveau Restaurant offers mouth-watering Hamilton’s Farm trout with wild rice and charred cauliflower, £22 (Grandprewines.com).
I retire to my pretty room at The August House in Windsor, just 40 minutes from the airport, where I’m headed the next day.
Although I’m sad to leave, the home-made muesli is welcome come morning.
Double rooms cost from £148 per night (Theaugusthouse.ca).
My grandmother was right, Nova Scotia is magical.
8
8
Nova Scotia is the world’s largest exporter of both Christmas trees and lobster.
Plan your trip at Atlanticcanadaholiday.co.uk.
Flights to Halifax from London Heathrow cost from £555 return with Air Canada (Aircanada.com).
