Nova Scotia

Been researching this for some time and will finally do the ride this year. June weather looks nice, on the cool side which I don't mind. Has anybody done this trip? Would enjoy hearing about your experience and any tips you may have.

thanks in advance!

My wife and I drove up there about 8 years ago with our popup and stayed not in NS but in New Brunswick in a village by the name of St. Martins at a family campground on the water for ten days. Very pretty country, the roads in NB were not the best and speed limits are low.

Hey, Joe A.
Funny... I wa just about to start planning the Cabot trail trip from NJ.
I am sure you've done the research and made a route
Would you mind sharing your stuff? I'd appreciate it! If not - no problem! Enjoy your trip and be safe!
Thanks.

I was planning a trip there to do the Cabot Trail with my wife on the bikes but alas just couldn't get the time frame to work due to not wanting to push her to travel too far in one day. However during my research I found there is an overnight ferry from Portland ME that looked to offer a nice respite from at least one leg (or two if one wanted to take it both ways) of the trip. Not sure if that's of interest to you but here's the link. Maine to Nova Scotia Ferry with service between Portland, ME and Yarmouth, NS | Nova Star Cruises

The trip from Portland to NS is the overnight leg so you could dine and sleep and still be making progress which is what attracted me to it. The trip back is during the day so you'd be burning good riding daylight so...not so appealing. Anyhow, just a suggestion. This year we will just be going as far as the Bar Harbor/Acadia area in Maine. Perhaps next year I can work out the logistics for NS. Hope you get there and enjoy the ride.

Hey, Silver!
That ferry is nor running anymore... They closed it a year or two ago... Was not making money

So, now it's a long way around...

Some pics of my tour of the Cabot Trail last July. If in NS it is a must do!

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/touring-traveling/7954-tour-nova-scotia-canada-cabot-trail.html

I rode my NT700V to NS several years ago with a group of MSTA riding pals. From OH, we crossed the corner of western PA, across NY, then into the New England states. We crossed from Maine into New Brunswick at Calais. We found a hotel at the bottom end of the Cabot Trail and used it for 2-nights before heading home via a slightly different route which included Prince Edward Island. It was a great trip!

With the US dollar stronger than its been in a long time, prices in Canada will be lower.

NCer said:

Hey, Silver!
That ferry is nor running anymore... They closed it a year or two ago... Was not making money

So, now it's a long way around...

Click to expand...

Strange,
Their web page is still up and says taking reservations for 2015 season?

NCer said:

Hey, Silver!
That ferry is nor running anymore... They closed it a year or two ago... Was not making money

So, now it's a long way around...

Click to expand...

You are correct that it was closed for several years...But it has been running since 2014 and will be running again in 2015. It is still losing $$$ but the Canadian Government is helping out.

I took it from Nova Scotia to Bar Harbor, ME a bunch of years ago. Was a fun trip.


Maine to Nova Scotia Ferry with service between Portland, ME and Yarmouth, NS | Nova Star Cruises

NCer said:

Hey, Silver!
That ferry is nor running anymore... They closed it a year or two ago... Was not making money

So, now it's a long way around...

Click to expand...

Well it seems that several others have already jumped to my rescue but I double checked also before posting the link that they were running and taking reservations for 2015. Hopefully it will still be in business in 2016!

The price for motorcycles is cheap. I had to pay $75 in Mexico to go across the Sea of Cortez, and that is about a 8 hour trip.

Thank you all for the responses. Here are some websites I've been checking out. Meat Cove looks like a great place to camp, the ride looks semi challenging for this 99% pavement rider
Planning Your Trip | Riding the Cabot Trail, Nova Scotia

27 Motorcycle Rides in Nova Scotia / Prince Edwa..., Canada

Motorcycle Tour Guide Nova Scotia - Motorcycle touring Canada - Motorcycle travel Nova Scotia - Motorbike tours Nova Scotia - Motorbike travel Canada - Biker art - Motorcycle art - Biker paintings - Motorcycle paintings - Discount Travel Card - 10% D

Motorcycle Tour of Nova Scotia - Review of Nova Scotia, Canada - TripAdvisor

Nova Scotia- Motorcycle Paradise | Canada Motorcycle Rides and Motorcycle Roads

https://www.google.com/search?q=meat+cove&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-aEeVZjpCOu0sASa-IHQAQ&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1422&bih=751

Meat Cove (Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia): Address, Neighborhood Reviews - TripAdvisor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6RoqZeM3oE

Meat Cove Campground | novascotia.com

YES! It is running indeed!!!

Just checked via Google map - Portland to Baddeck:

By land - approx. 650 miles (10 hrs)
By Ferry - Portland to Yarmouth - approx 12 hours on board
Yarmouth to Baddeck - approx. 650 miles

So, it seems that riding by land should save 1 day.

Agree?

NCer said:

YES! It is running indeed!!!

Just checked via Google map - Portland to Baddeck:

By land - approx. 650 miles (10 hrs)
By Ferry - Portland to Yarmouth - approx 12 hours on board
Yarmouth to Baddeck - approx. 650 miles

So, it seems that riding by land should save 1 day.

Agree?

Click to expand...

Well no, not exactly...it's actually only about 400 miles from Yarmouth to Baddeck (650 Km). You could probably do the 650 miles from Portland in 10 hours if you didn't stop and maintained a 65 MPH average but realistically that would be a 12-14 hour trip at best. Finally, the ferry travels from Portland to Yarmouth at night so you could get 200 miles closer to Baddeck while eating, drinking and sleeping so it would all depend on when you arrived in/near the Portland area as to whether the ferry would make you lose a day and whether you were planning on riding all night.

Good points, Silver!
I stand corrected

NCer said:

Good points, Silver!
I stand corrected

Click to expand...

WHAT! That was disappointing. You're from Jersey (I am also from Jersey originally) and I thought we were supposed to argue regardless of right/wrong or good/bad point. I'm going to go stir things up on the "what's the best oil" thread now.

Silver,
Don't you remember that we only do it on the road, preferably at the traffic light. The best is when it already turned green and everybody is screaming, honking... but we are at it!
Then, we make sure that we carry on until it changes to Red, and we get a crush course on cussing in many dialects

NCer said:

Silver,
Don't you remember that we only do it on the road, preferably at the traffic light. The best is when it already turned green and everybody is screaming, honking... but we are at it!
Then, we make sure that we carry on until it changes to Red, and we get a crush course on cussing in many dialects

Click to expand...

Now I know why Jersey is so strict with their gun laws.

Here is a great link to the Cabot Trail: http://www.girafxmedia.com/NovaScotia/?p=4970

Rennie said:

Here is a great link to the Cabot Trail: http://www.girafxmedia.com/NovaScotia/?p=4970

Click to expand...

Nice link, thnks Rennie!