07/20 Coastal Drive

 07/20 Coastal Drive


The rain has stopped and the sunshine is back. We are expecting temperatures into the 30s over the next couple of days. Today we did a coastal drive from Halifax to Peggy’s Cove.


Our first stop was at an interpretation centre that focussed on maritime Disaster of the SS Atlantic. It was a very tiny visitor centre but one of best presentations we have encountered on this trip. The young lady working at the centre was both knowledgable and enthusiastic. She did a great job conveying the history and the impacts of the SS Atlantic.


It is located in the village of Terrence, the Scotia. Terrence is also home to the design of the Nova Scotia tartan. So with that in mind, I could not resist purchasing a scarf.

We took a short walk outside past the remains of the church and down to the shore. Here, we viewed the area where the mass grave was placed for the victims of the SS Atlantic.


 It was an interesting story as we learned that none of the women survived. This was predominantly due to their clothing being multi layered and very heavy as well as the fact that new immigrants often sewed their more prized possessions into their skirts which would have acted as  weights pulling them down in the water. Coupled with the fact that many people of the period would not have been strong swimmers and that they found themselves in the ocean at 3am. Our drive continued along the coast and brought us to the village on Peggy’s Cove. We had not been here in a number of years and we were shocked to find how the tourist industry has impacted this tiny village. There are now giant parking lots, a visitor centre, boardwalks and public bathroom buildings strewn amongst the small shops.


We thoroughly enjoyed the view and the eclectic music played on the rocks, and we also took time to have lunch at the restaurant overlooking Peggy’s Cove. While we were expecting a lunch which targeted tourists, we were pleasantly surprised to find very good food and well priced meals. Of particular note for anyone planning to go to Peggy’s Cove you should definitely try the Indian dal, it was absolutely fantastic and a true surprise on the menu. So definitely check out the Sou’ Western restaurant! Oir evening finished up at the campground. We went for a short walk to buy some firwood and ended up also buying a bug smoker. It is a tiny smoke oven that operates off of egg cartons or trays from Tim Hortons . An egg carton or a drink tray can burn for about one hour to create a fine smoke. It was a fun purchase and I think it will be well used at home. 


On our walk we met two couples and we stopped to chat because they had dogs. It turned out that both of the men were a part of the Armed Forces and we had a lovely conversation and a good visit. We promised to stop with snacks tomorrow.

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