Going the Glooscap Trail

Having enjoyed all but a few wet hours on PEI we took one last coastal road that gave us an optimal view of the stunning Confederation Bridge before we paid the $17 toll (half price for motorcycles) and departed the island. Northumberland Strait is very calm, the morning is bright after overnight rain, and the coast of New Brunswick looks very green and inviting. But we have no time to stop as we zip across the cape to Nova Scotia and stop at the outstanding Welcome Centre at the provincial border near Amherst. This particular information centre is not only well designed and depictive of Nova Scotia, it is also located on top of a hill and has an expansive view of the landscape in all directions.
We haven’t seen any of the Fundy shore yet on this trip so we’re looking forward to this tidally awesome coastline where the highest tides in the world have shaped both the coastline and the culture. At Amherst we take Hwy 302 and then 242 to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, which are across the bay from the Hopewell Rocks. Joggins, a once thriving coal town like neighbouring Springhill, has fossilized trees, more than 300 million years old (Carboniferous Period), still visible in its shoreline cliffs. The Joggins Fossil Cliffs, inscribed on the World Heritage site list in 2008, are a very impressive sight.
There is a wonderful brand new ecologically-sensitive interpretive centre at the cliffs which is both informative and protects access to this important but dangerous shoreline where the fossils of the first reptile to inhabit land were found. As the Fundy tides continue to erode the cliffs, fossils on the beach are continually replenished and while anyone may explore the area, one must have a permit to hunt for fossils. The centre also offers a variety of scheduled guided tours of the cliffs, one of which Marlene participates in.
From Joggins we ride the Glooscap trail to Parrsboro, home to the Fundy Geological Museum which is another place to learn about natural history and some of the oldest dinosaur bones in North America. Here we are staying at the Gillespie House Inn, an historic home built in 1890 when Parrsboro was a ship building and lumbering centre. It is a gracious house with seven guestrooms all with ensuite bathrooms and antique furnishings. It is quite the loveliest accommodation we’ve enjoyed on this trip and we spend some of the evening sitting on the expansive veranda chatting with other guests.
Glooscap is a mythical Mi’kmaw hero who controlled the tides with his magical powers and helped shape the landscape as it is today. There are many Glooscap legends in this part of Nova Scotia and therefore the roads that border Chignecto Bay and Cobequid Bay are called the Glooscap Trail in his honour.