We needed to go for a walk. Really we did. We have been in lockdown for almost a month and haven’t done much walking since it started. Lock down currently means Do Not Leave Your Community! Or in our case our region or zone. Lucky for us, the trails are only a five minute drive from our house.
The Atlantic View Trail begins where The Salt Marsh Trail ends. I wrote about The Salt Marsh Trail last fall. If you’re interested, you can read about it here. We walked part of the Salt Marsh Trial a couple of weeks ago to celebrate the end of our two-week quarantine period after JT arrived. Today, The Doc bowed out so it was just JT and I heading east. The Atlantic View Trail weaves in and out along the shore of Lawrencetown Nova Scotia. The Lawrencetown next to Cole Harbour (home of Sidney Crosby), Nova Scotia. I have to be specific because there is more than one Lawrencetown in this province. It is part of the Trans Canada Trail System and, like many trails in this area, was once the railway line.
Our first stop was what I call the duck cove, which is often full of ducks but not so much today. We did see a few elsewhere. As we continue, we walk next to a sheltered ocean cove. The smell of salt air surrounds us and we breathe it in. It is a smell we love. Just past the cove is the horse ranch and a smell that we are less fond of, but it is always a joy to see the horses.
The trail curves inland a bit and we walk through an area banked with evergreens. I like to imagine how trains once travelled through these passageways with branches within reach of their windows. Then once again, we are strolling next to the sheltered and calm ocean water.
In the distance, we see one of our favourite places. The Macdonald House sits on the hill overlooking the beach on the far side. For many years (at least eight) this was where JT and I celebrated his last day of school. It was once the home of The Heron’s Nest Tea Room where tea and scones were JT’s lunch of choice every time. Although The Heron’s Nest is no longer there, there is a cozy coffee shop/cafe that is worth stopping at. The views will take your breath away.
We end our walk at Lawrencetown beach. Another place I have written about in the past. You can read about it here. It is a place we love. When I was younger, this beach was all sand, but the years and storms have changed the terrain so that it now has an abundance of beautiful beach stones, which by the way are protected so it is illegal to remove any from the beach. If it wasn’t, you would see, pickup trucks and open trunks being filled to appease gardeners and landscapers.
The trail continues past the beach quite a ways, as indicated on the map, so we decide to turn around and head back to the car with plans to cover the rest of it on our next walk.
The eastern shore of Nova Scotia is the shore less travelled by tourists and locals alike. The province is trying to promote the area more, which leaves me torn because I am not sure I am ready to share this part of my province. It is not the sharing I mind exactly, it is the changes that will come when it gets discovered and crowded and over used and possibly abused. When change rooms and showers become more important than the natural beauty. It is a fragile, rugged and magnificent area that holds a large place in my heart. I would like it to stay that way forever.
Thanks you for reading.
Photos: Jenn Stone
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Looks like an amazing place (oh, how I miss the ocean…). I struggle with the same dilemma when I write about little-known gems. Is it going to be spoiled by hordes of tourists in the future? I then conclude that not that many people read my blog and I don’t have to worry about it 🙂
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IIt is a wonderful place. I should go more often. Especially since it won’t be such a hidden gem in the near future..and that has nothing to do with the few people who read my blog.
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Gorgeous spot! Walking is the number one thing I’ve done during the pandemic to help keep my sanity. I just headed back to my gym last week, but it is tough to work out with a mask. By the time I’m done, I literally can wring it out. Masks are still mandatory, which I think is a good thing.
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Walking is great. Up until a month ago, I was going 3 or 4 times a week with a friend but our covid numbers started going up and tighter restrictions were put in place. I don’t mind walking alone. It just seemed like we were busy with other things. It was quite nice to have the company of my son who also enjoys the beauty of this particular spot.
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Beautiful. Now, how do you tell teenagers who have been cruelly locked down for 15 months in Ontario to go for a walk in the park? They have completely, totally lost any and all interest.
But I’m happy to read this message. I will continue to walk.
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Good luck with the teenagers.
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what a wonderful place to have so close to you. I also love the smell of salt in the air. That coffeehouse sounds like a ownderful place to just sit and have a coffee and snack and enjoy the views. I hope the area stays the way it is…
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It is wonderful so I am crossing my fingers that it remains mostly the way it is.
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🤞
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I love the ocean! There is nothing like breathing sea air — that salty, briny tang that fills your body with vitality with every inhalation! I live near the Pacific Ocean and I can’t imagine living away from the sea. I hear that the Atlantic Ocean is much wilder than our Westcoast ocean — someday I would love to see it for myself. Love your photos — so scenic!
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I know what you mean. I left home and lived in the Toronto area for 17 years. I was so happy to get back when we came. The ocean has a way of putting life in perspective. We are so lucky to be so close to it.
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Lawrencetown Beach is my favorite. I always love seeing the surfers. 🏄♂️🏄♀️ love your photos.
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Yes it’s a beautiful beach. It is constantly changing with the tides and the seasons. The surfers are fun to watch.
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Beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing this part of your world. Walking is so therapeutic. A simple joy.
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Thank you. I believe walking in a beautiful area is twice as therapeutic.
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Your last paragraph really strikes a chord with me as that’s what’s happened here.
I live in the English Lake District which was always fairly busy in the main areas but bearable. Since COVID and people not being able to go abroad or to the gym, the whole world (well, probably the whole country) now come to our hills – even the formerly quiet hill areas – and the place is just filled with masses of people all the time. I started going walking in the evenings instead of in the day but now they’re still full in the evenings too. You just can’t get any peace any more and, to me, that’s what the hills are about.
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Yes change is inevitable. I am not looking forward to what the area will become. I am hoping it will happen slowly.
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Ours happened very quickly indeed – straight after the first lockdown ended last year. It’s been awful ever since
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