Type: Road, Loop
Difficulty: 7 / 10
Filed Under: Cycling
The Cabot Trail is rated as one of the best road trips by National Geographic, although they were referring to travel by car.
There are no bicycle paths or lanes on the Cabot Trail, but during the off season, traffic is relatively light. The scenery is absoluetely spectacular and if you go, you have to take the "Alternate Scenic Route" from Neil's Harbour to Smelt Brook.
Optimum time is the first week of October because the hurricane season is mostly over and the temps are mild but not cold. Many bed & breakfast, motels, and restaurants remain open and offer end of season, reduced rates.
Here is a link for you to see pictures that I took when I did the trail in October 1, 2005
http://www.terrymulcahy.smugmug.com/gallery/994489
For those who choose to stay in motels,B&Bs, etc, you should reserve accomadation in advance. Try 1-800-565-000 for the Nova Scotia tourist industry's help line.
Many bicycle groups choose to start at the Gaelic College, St. Ann's Bay, Nova Scotia. The preferred route is to do the trail clockwise to avoid having to ride up Cape Smokey.
The Gaelic College's website offer maps and instructions on how to get there:
http://www.gaeliccollege.edu/travel.html
You can rent bicycles in Sydney, Nova Scotia and ride to the Cabot Trail (approxiamately 50 kilometres). Here is the website for a local bicycle shop that offers full sales, service, and rentals of bicycles:
http://www.frameworkfitness.com/
To get to Cape Breton, you can drive (see travel details on Gaelic College's website above), fly to Sydney, Nova Scotia and rent a bicycle. Alternatively, you can take the train to Truro, Nova Scotia and take the bus to Sydney, Nova Sotia.
Here are links for train and bus info:
http://www.viarail.ca/en_index.html
http://www.smtbus.com/
Posted by: n1dlpi05 and last modified on Aug 22, 2006 by thoos
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