Pleasant Cove, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia

Following the Cabot Trail I exited the park at Pleasant Cove and rather than continuing back into the highlands I decided to take a local road out to the coast. I had seen the cove from the mountain pass above and was intrigued by the gorgeous shades of blue but I was unprepared for how absolutely stunning the water color was up close. I had been witness to the spectacular colors of the Gulf of St. Lawrence as I made my way north on Cape Breton Island, but the clarity and the bright turquoises of the water in Pleasant Cove were on a different scale. I immediately decided to stay the night even though it was only early afternoon when I arrived.

While the crystal clear water looked inviting, it was definitely one of the coldest swims I’ve had. I use the term “swim” loosely since my less than 60 seconds in the water involved a lot of vocal resistance, splashing, and some very fast, vigorous scrubbing. Upon exiting I made a mad dash back to my car and into long pants and a couple layers of fleece. I would have loved to have been able to capture the phenomenal crystal clear underwater views for you all but the water was so cold I didn’t bother bringing my camera, which would have prolonged my immersion unbearably. I will try harder next time.

Once I warmed up I ventured back out to – of course – check out all the beautiful rocks. It was then, walking along the beach that I saw a road winding up the mountain to the north and so I decided to drive up that way after my walk. The views from the road onto a series of coves were all incredible. At the end of the road about five miles north of the cove there was a monastery which had welcome sign so I parked but when I walked closer there was another sign that said closed for tours. There wasn’t anyone I could see out by the buildings and I definitely didn’t want to barge in and disturb anyone so I just put it one my to-see list for next time.

I returned the Pleasant Cove and parked near the wharf. The wind had picked up quite a bit in the short time I was gone so much so that I actually had to struggle to walk against it when I got out to take some sunset pictures. But it was a quiet, peaceful night in a beautiful place.