Annapolis Basin, Nova Scotia (part 1)

Previously I’ve shown some of my adventures in one area around the Annapolis Basin in Nova Scotia this past summer. And also one a little further afield.

I thought I would show off some more photos I took in this beautiful area.  (And as always, clicking on the pics will bring up a much larger version.)

My brother and his wife live in the bucolic village of Smiths Cove, which is a ways to the east and south of Digby. 

This is the view they enjoy. Looking across the Annapolis Basin towards the Digby Gap.

And this is what it looks like at dusk.

I went with Phyllis to her job at the Home Hardware in Digby one morning to wander around and take in the sights. Absolutely spectacular morning. Blue, blue skies, bright sunshine, reflecting off the water, clean air. Wow.

This is at the south end of Digby, looking south-east towards Smiths Cove.

Looking south across the Joggins.

Looking south-east towards Smiths Cove and Bear Island.

Strolling a little further up the beach.

The view to the south and east.

Just north of Digby. The fishing wharf on the right, with its scallop trawlers.

On the northern edges of Digby is a little cove called the Raquette.

The castle like building on the end of the point there is called The Pines. (Or the Digby Pines Golf Resort and Spa more correctly.) Originally built by a local businessman in 1905, it was bought by Canadian Pacific Railway, and become one of their hotels in a chain of famous ones that dotted the country, including (but not limited to) Château Frontenac in Quebec City, Royal York in Toronto, Hotel Vancouver, Empress Hotel in Victoria and the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies. CP sold the hotel off in the fifties and it is now operated by the Nova Scotia government.

Having walked around the Raquette, this now looks back in the direction of Digby.

Just past the Pines is Annapolis Basin Look-Off Provincial Park. More like Parking Lot than Park. That’s about all it is. Space for a few cars to park and a railing that denotes the “look-off” part. While the facilities aren’t so impressive, the view certainly is. Way off in the distance is Annapolis Royal, the oldest (still inhabited) European settlement in Canada.

On the walk back I strolled through Digby some more, got some food for my upcoming adventures, stopped in to say hi to Phyllis again, and then strolled back to Smiths Cove. The trail that took me there was at one point the Canadian Pacific Railway track that would have carried passengers to the Pines. Sadly it’s no longer a railway track, but it is a very nicely maintained walking trail now.

The trail loops around the Joggins. (those Scova Notians sure give some odd names to their inlets and coves. The Joggins, the Raquette.) This looks north, back towards Digby and the Digby Gap.

A little bit further along the trail and another view of Digby.

The Big Joggins, which is pretty much the mouth of the Acacia Brook as it flows into the Annapolis Valley. The abandoned railway bridge is what divides the Big Joggins from the regular Joggins. While the trail is nicely maintained, I guess the money isn’t there to maintain the bridges, so they’re in a state of disrepair. You can still cross them on foot if you’re feeling adventurous, but it’s recommended you use the nice new road bridge instead. I of course, crossed the railway bridge.

Great day, great weather, great hike.