Welcome to NESR! Most features of this site require registration, including replying to threads, sending private messages, starting new threads, and uploading files. Click here to register.

Results 1 to 17 of 17

10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

  1. #1
    Lifer oVTo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North of Boston
    Age
    63
    Posts
    1,369

    10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    My wife and I are planning ten days in late July/early August for Nova Scotia and if there's time, Newfoundland. To save time, ferry both ways. Advice?

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    DanG
    People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.
    - Blaise Pascal

  2. #2

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    I drove there and ferried back... but that's when they had the high speed cat.

    The drive there was OK... I think I'm glad we did it that way rather than two ferry trips.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Tony
    Trackdays in CT, NY, and NH
    www.TonysTrackDays.com



    Pirelli Track Tires - www.goMTAG.com


  3. #3
    Lifer bbhzx10's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    North shore
    Age
    46
    Posts
    1,003

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    617 miles one way to the cabin we rented, the ferry was to much $$ for us.
    1 week is not enough for Nova Scotia; I suspect 10 days won't be enough for both.... depending what you want to see of course.
    The ferry only saves time if your planning on staying in or close to Yarmouth, or south of Yarmouth, I believe.
    Cape Bretton is beautiful, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum is great. PEI.... was ok. I'd do Newfoundland before PEI next time.
    Plan on some rough roads, and be careful. One road follows the coat of PEI and just as you crest the hill, looking at the quaint lighthouse on the right, the road ends. ENDS. Guardrail and ocean.
    Just sayin'

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    2001 Silver ZX-12R... RIP
    2005 KDX 200

  4. #4
    Dictionary quoting knob stoinkythepig's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    Raymond NH
    Age
    57
    Posts
    4,686

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    I've been to both by car (never on a bike, sad to say) several times and was rather fond of Cape Bretton Island on NS, and Newfoundland in general. The rest of NS was nothing special to me, but I may have missed some good stuff since I was there for business. NS feels pretty much just like traveling in New England while Newfoundland is VERY different, IMO. It feels quite foreign, like a cross between Iceland (I assume, never been there, but stared at lots of pictures) and Montana.

    Newfoundland has very large expanses of wilderness with few services, so take advantage of fuel and food stops when you can, they are few and far between. The Newfoundland coastal towns are not very touristy, and they can be a bit rough looking, but they have tremendous character. I would NEVER ride in Newfoundland at night, moose collisions are a real danger. The roads in both provinces are perfect for a bike with some suspension travel.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  5. #5
    Lifer markbvt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Georgia, VT
    Posts
    3,716

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Nova Scotia is nice but not mind-blowing. The northeastern section from Halifax up to Canso is pretty good riding (especially once you get past Sherbrooke on Rt 211 and Rt 316), and of course the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island is excellent.

    Newfoundland, on the other hand, is pretty mind-blowing.

    I would recommend just blowing through NS to get to North Sydney and take the ferry over to Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland, spend the bulk of your time riding across the island, then take the other ferry from Placentia back to North Sydney and head back home. Save exploring NS for another trip. Or alternatively, spend this one riding around NS and Prince Edward Island (with 10 days you'll have enough time for both), and plan a followup trip to Newfoundland.

    --mark

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    '20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
    My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
    Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021

  6. #6
    Lifer oVTo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North of Boston
    Age
    63
    Posts
    1,369

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Thanks for the replies. We were wondering whether it would be worth trying to ride both in 10 days. We're leaning toward following mark's advice and either just riding NS or get to Newfoundland as quickly as we can and see NS another time. We're taking the ferry both ways to save time. 12 hours to Yarmouth and we arrive fresh and ready to ride. We're both from Maine, so its coast is nothing new and we can see it another time. We plan to mix camping and hotel stays, may cook some meals

    If we stay on NS, are there any 'must see' places? We'll definitely do the Cabot Trail.
    If we go to Newfoundland, same thing - anything we shouldn't miss?

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    DanG
    People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.
    - Blaise Pascal

  7. #7
    Lifer bbhzx10's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    North shore
    Age
    46
    Posts
    1,003

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Good plan, I'd shoot for Newfoundland too. Cabot trail is already on your list, there is a campground on a cliff overlooking the ocean. I'll look for the name of it, just don't have 1 too many at the campfire, it's a crummy walk back up!

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    2001 Silver ZX-12R... RIP
    2005 KDX 200

  8. #8
    Lifer bbhzx10's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    North shore
    Age
    46
    Posts
    1,003

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?


    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    2001 Silver ZX-12R... RIP
    2005 KDX 200

  9. #9
    Rider. Just a rider... DucDave's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Southern NH
    Age
    73
    Posts
    8,825

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Are you guys riding? Camping? Are you all about head down behind the bars and whipping it up or do you lift your head, look around, and stop whenever something plucks are your imagination or heart...?

    10 Days is barely enough time it you want to do justice to Newfoundland. And it's more about perfect if you want to do justice to Nova Scotia, including PEI. And I think there is a lot of Nova Scotia and PEI worth exploring. The Annapolis Valley is lovely. Peggys Cove and the whole south/east coast is stunning. Halifax is a very cool city with a world class Maritime Museum. PEI isn't the 'adventure ride' that a lot of folks seem to need but if you stayed a day or two at Shaws Hotel you'll discover a beautiful beach, some great food and quite possibly some fun fiddle music. Cape Breton has The Cabot Trail and as others mentioned, Meat Cove. And just south of North Sydney is Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site which is absolutely worth a day.

    As pointed out earlier, the Fast Cat is no more. The current Ferry leaves at 8:00pm from Portland and gets into Yarmouth at 8:00am. Yes...from there you can shoot directly to North Sydney where the ferry leaves for Newfoundland. (I haven't looked at that schedule this year...) That will likely take another day so by the time you get to Newfoundland you're already on day 3 or maybe 4. Coming back will be the same. So, best case, you leave 6 or 7 days for Newfoundland. A day to L'ans Aux Meadows - the northeast tip. Another day to explore the Viking museum and maybe look for Icebergs - yes, I've seen icebergs in Newfoundland in August. A day back to Deer Lake of so. Then a full day to St. Johns which is one of the most picturesque and fun little cities you'll ever see! If you leave the next morning and head to Argentia and catch the ferry back to North Sydney you're already nearly at day 10. You can get back to the Boston area from there in a day if you're willing to ride about 1000 miles.

    But 10 days to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland is really really rushed. I'd add 4 days to the trip if you want to do both. Otherwise I'd savor NovaScotia and Cape Breton.

    Here's an itinerary I've put together for a trip this summer. It doesn't include PEI. In 10 days you could easily add PEI.

    • Monday - Portland Ferry departs 8:00pm
    • Tuesday - Ferry arrives in Yarmouth at 8:00am. We ride the coast to OceanStones just south of Peggy's Cove.
    • Wednesday - We can tour the Annapolis Valley, Atlantic Motorsports Track at Shubenacadie, Back to OceanStones for Weds night.
    • Thursday - Head to Cape Breton and our lodging at the Glenora Distillery.
    • Friday - Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail to Meat Cove. We spend the night in some primitive cabins. (No electricity...) We'll need to have sleeping bags and at least a couple of us should have pads to sleep on the floor.
    If the weather is nice this should be a stunning afternoon and evening. (I've at least made contact with them but am still awaiting confirmation...)
    • Saturday - Cabot Trail and back to Glenora Distillery!
    • Sunday - Cape Breton to Nova Scotia and on down to Digby where I have reservations for 7 at Digby Pines.
    • Monday - We'll take the Ferry from Digby to St. John, New Brunswick. From this point forward I've decided to play it by ear and forge ahead as far we we like. If we leave early enough we could push on to Bar Harbor.
    • Tuesday - We strike out for home!

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
    Muhammad Ali.

  10. #10
    Lifer markbvt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Georgia, VT
    Posts
    3,716

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Quote Originally Posted by oVTo View Post
    If we stay on NS, are there any 'must see' places? We'll definitely do the Cabot Trail.
    If we go to Newfoundland, same thing - anything we shouldn't miss?
    Since you're from Maine, I would choose the Newfoundland option. Depending on ferry schedule between North Sydney and Newfoundland, you can probably work in enough time to ride the Cabot Trail, which is by far the best riding in Nova Scotia anyway.

    Things not to miss in Newfoundland: Gros Morne National Park (the Green Point campground is a great place to camp), L'Anse aux Meadows, Twillingate, the Avalon Peninsula.

    If you end up leaving that for another time and doing Nova Scotia this time, things not to miss are the Cabot Trail, of course; Meat Cove (awesome spot to camp); the easternmost corner of Nova Scotia between Sherbrooke and Canso; and if you like scotch, the Glenora Distillery.

    --mark

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    '20 Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro / '19 Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE / '11 Triumph Tiger 800 XC / '01 Triumph Bonneville cafe
    My ride reports: Missile silos, Labrador, twisties, and more
    Bennington Triumph Bash, Oct 1-3, 2021

  11. #11
    Member Kawi Ken's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Bridgewater Ma.
    Age
    65
    Posts
    128

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Some pics to wet your appetite from my 10 day trip up there last summer start on pg. 2-
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/126198078@N07/page2

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  12. #12
    Lifer oVTo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North of Boston
    Age
    63
    Posts
    1,369

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Thanks for all the replies. This is the first draft of our plan. We've expanded it to 11 or maybe 12 days, and we'll spend about half the time in Newfoundland and save exploring Nova Scotia for another trip. We'll mix camping with hotels but probably won't cook much, usually just most breakfast. The two spots we plan on spending a day+ in are Gros Morne and St. Johns. The longest day is less than 300 miles and most are less than 200, so we'll have time to take in a view or two.

    Questions -

    Is there a better place to spend the first night than Port Hawkesbury? We didn't want to push all the way to North Sydney, but wanted it to be a short ride so we could catch the noon ferry on Day 3.

    Is Gros Morne a good place to spend a whole day?

    We chose St. John's over the Great Northern Peninsula. No way we can do both. Good idea/bad idea?

    Are we missing anything important?

    Day 1: 100 miles - Ride to Portland, get dinner and catch the ferry
    Day 2: 190 miles - Yarmouth to Port Hawkesbury, NS
    Day 3: 280 miles - Port Hawkesbury, NS to North Sydney, ferry to Channel Port Aux Basques, NL, ride to Gros Morne National Park, Norris Point, NL
    Day 4: 0ish miles - Explore the park
    Day 5: 260 miles - Gros Morne to Terra Nova National Park, Sandringham, NL
    Day 6: 160 miles - Terra Nova to St John's, NL
    Day 7: 0 miles - Explore St. John's
    Day 8: 80 miles - St. John's to Placentia, NL, ferry back to North Sydney, NS
    Day 9: 190 miles - North Sydney to Truro
    Day 10: 250 miles - Truro to Yarmouth
    Day 11: 100 miles - Yarmouth to Home

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    DanG
    People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.
    - Blaise Pascal

  13. #13
    Rider. Just a rider... DucDave's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Southern NH
    Age
    73
    Posts
    8,825

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    If the weather is decent you should take the boat tour of the fiord at Gros Morne....

    1 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    "A man who views the world the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”
    Muhammad Ali.

  14. #14
    Lifer oVTo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North of Boston
    Age
    63
    Posts
    1,369

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Quote Originally Posted by DucDave View Post
    If the weather is decent you should take the boat tour of the fiord at Gros Morne....
    Thanks, we'll do that!

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    DanG
    People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.
    - Blaise Pascal

  15. #15
    Lifer oVTo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2003
    Location
    North of Boston
    Age
    63
    Posts
    1,369

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    A wrap-up: our trip was ten days, from July 27 to August 6. We considered it a 'scouting' trip, a chance to see a little bit of a lot of places. We planned to ride about 1,900 miles, but the odometer said 2,350 when we were done. This was our first long trip 2-up in a very long time, and it was a fantastic vacation. We're planning to return to Newfoundland at least a couple of times. One trip for the west coast, with more time to hike at Gros Morne and ride up the Viking Trail on the Great Northern Peninsula. The second trip we'd spend more time at Terra Nova and St. John's on the eastern side of the island. We'll also go back to Nova Scotia, but that will be a separate trip or trips.

    We took ferries from Portland to Yarmouth, and North Sydney NS to Port aux Basques NL, then back from Argentia NL to North Sydney, and Yarmouth to Portland. We usually paid the extra $ for cabins to be fresh for the long rides we had planned after each boat ride. The exception was the 6 hour ferry ride from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland.

    The weather was pretty good except the first day, which was a cool and wet 350 miles, some heavy rain for just a few miles on the second day, and a few light showers at the start of the fourth day. Other than that, it was sometimes overcast/foggy but more than a few days were perfect, with temps in 70s and brilliant sunshine.

    We originally planned to camp, but changed to hotels when we realized there were a few days with a lot of riding, and we didn't know if the weather would cooperate. We had reservations well in advance of the trip and that was a good move - we met quite a few people who didn't have them and had to travel hours to find places to stay.

    The highlights were Gros Morne National Park, especially the 'fjord' boat tour, seeing an iceberg at King's Point, walking around St. John's, and the Cabot Trail. The Cove Motel and Restaurant is a great place to stay, just across the causeway from Cape Breton (the restaurant is excellent), and breakfast was amazing at Jane's in North Sydney - great food and huge portions.

    A few pics -

    Rocky Harbour, in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland


    A waterfall on the fjord boat tour in Gros Morne. A moose tested the Multistrada's brakes on the ride to the lake. It passed. No picture of the moose unfortunately.


    The Old Man in the Mountain did not fall down. He moved to Gros Morne, where he's napping -


    We were told that Gros Morne is one of six places on earth where the mantel pushed up through the crust, creating some very interesting landscapes -


    Rocky Harbour again, after dinner -


    The rumor was that there were no icebergs left in the area. We didn't want to ride an hour out of our way just to see cold water. When we stopped for breakfast about an hour away from King's Point, we asked the waitress. She called a friend who told her that she was looking out her window at one right that minute. We're really glad we asked.


    What it really looked like, with the Mutli in the foreground (gotta have at least one bike pic) -



    The channel into the harbor at St. John's, taken from Signal Hill. If you like Portland and/or Burlington, you'll love St. John's.


    Sunset on the ferry between Argentia and North Sydney. When we arrived in Newfoundland about a week earlier, we passed a weigh station with 20-30 RCMP cars in it. We were wondering WTF is that about? On the news that night we learned they were waiting for a large group of Hell's Angels visiting from the mainland. There were about a dozen arrests. We saw more than a few 1% patches while in Newfoundland and shared this ferry ride with about a dozen of them.


    We got back to Nova Scotia about mid-morning, rode the Cabot Trail, then south to the Cove Motel and Restaurant. That was a long day. While on the trail, we rode out to Meat Cove (not the pic below), and agreed it would be a great place to camp on a future trip.



    We got home around 10 Thursday night, and flew to the midwest the next morning at 5am. But that's a different thread.


    It was a pretty good couple of weeks.

    3 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    DanG
    People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.
    - Blaise Pascal

  16. #16
    Member Kawi Ken's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Bridgewater Ma.
    Age
    65
    Posts
    128

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Congrats on a great trip !
    Great RR also.

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!

  17. #17
    Lifer nt650hawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Rockland, Assachusetts U Know South Shore
    Age
    50
    Posts
    7,551

    Re: 10 days, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland?

    Planning an and of August 10 daytrip with the other 1/2. picking up notes here:

    planning to stay:
    somewhere in Saint John on the way up and back (i'll take recommendations)
    2 nights @ Glenora Inn and Distillery
    2 nights @ Keltic Lodge Resort & Spa
    2 nights @ Halifax
    2 nights at the cabin

    0 Not allowed! Not allowed!
    Gino
    HAWK GT Racer Expert #929
    2012 CCS LRRS ULSB Champion
    2012 CCS LRRS P89 Champion
    2008 CCS ULSB National Champion
    ECKRACING Bridgestone Street & Competition Woodcraft MOTUL On Track Media Pine Motorparts Vanson Leathers

Similar Threads

  1. Trip to Nova Scotia
    By mirage2k6 in forum Rides & Events
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 08-07-13, 11:47 AM
  2. Nova Scotia Rental
    By DesmoTull in forum General Bike Related
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 09-01-09, 12:59 PM
  3. Nova Scotia!!!
    By DucDave in forum Rides & Events
    Replies: 27
    Last Post: 08-17-09, 01:02 PM
  4. Nova Scotia ???
    By Sbk12rs in forum Rides & Events
    Replies: 15
    Last Post: 01-09-06, 06:13 PM
  5. Nova Scotia
    By jsven007 in forum Rides & Events
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 08-12-03, 11:33 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •