The Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia must be one of the most scenic bicycle rides in all of Canada, if not the world.
For a taste of the experiences that await you on this 300 kilometer road, set your mind on breathtaking sea vistas, framed by dramatic cliffs; curvy roads through timeless fishing villages; old-growth forests in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park and some truly epic climbs.
On a recent trip around the Cabot Trail, we picked up a few tips that may be helpful to anyone planning to ride this classic route.
#1. Prepare For Wind
We camped for a week in mid-August and experienced stiff winds every day, blowing clockwise around the trail. It’s true that the views are better if you travel anti-clockwise (with the sea on your right) but on balance we would recommend going with the wind. This was also the choice of most cyclists we saw during our visit.
The strong winds also meant that our camp stove quickly burnt through fuel, even though we used firewood and stones to build a wind break around our stove. Keep your fuel bottles topped up, and preferably take a stove that uses either white gas or fuel from gas stations. We could not find gas canisters anywhere on the trail.
Our stove surrounded by a make-shift windbreak.
#2. Pack Lightly
It almost goes without saying that when the hills are steep, it pays to travel as lightly as possible. We wouldn’t normally recommend dehydrated campers meals as they’re fairly expensive but it might be worth carrying a few on the Cabot Trail to save weight. Remember, sustained climbs at grades above 10% are common. Some grades even reach 15%. Ideally, you’ll get a bike with thin tires and a couple back bags. The exception is Meat Cove (see tip #7). In that case, you’ll want more robust tires for the dirt roads.
Rest stop on French Mountain. Photo by Bobcatnorth (flickr).
#3. Not All Campsites Have Water
There are campsites dotted regularly around the trail, including several in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Of the six main campsites in the national park, however, only those at Cheticamp, Broad Cove and Ingonish have water. The private campsites around the trail have all the services you’d expect (eg. wi-fi, water, showers). Expect to pay $25-30 Canadian a night for camping. Firewood and ice is usually available at campsites, for an extra charge.
#4. Reserve If You Plan To Stay In Hotels
Nearly every B&B, hotel and hostel we passed had a ‘no vacancy’ sign outside. If you don’t plan to bring a tent, you’d better reserve a room.
#5. There’s A Bike Shop In Cheticamp
We saw one good bike shop along the trail: Velo Max in Cheticamp. The owner does plenty of work preparing bikes for tour groups and should be able to help with any mechanical problems.
#6. Take Hiking Boots
Most cyclists breeze around the Cabot Trail in 3-4 days but there are so many world-class hiking tracks on the Cabot Trail it almost seems criminal to pass them by. If you can, lengthen your stay by a few days and stop to explore on foot. You’ll see a side of Cape Breton that isn’t revealed until you walk away from the road. You could easily spend 10-14 days doing a mixture of cycling and hiking on the trail.
We do realize that hiking boots are a heavy addition to your panniers. If the weather isn’t too hot, you might consider using your boots both for cycling and walking. We personally find hiking boots very comfortable for both activities.
Ready to walk the trails of Cape Breton.
#7. Meat Cove Makes An Amazing Side Trip
The most northerly community in Cape Breton is Meat Cove. It’s literally perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a sheltered bay.
Meat Cove view. Photo by Kaymoshusband (flickr).
Don’t kid yourself: this is a tough side trip. You’ll travel 30km off the Cabot Trail. The hills in the 15km leading up to Meat Cove are steep and relentless and the final 8km are on a rough dirt road. Still, your hard work will be rewarded by the stunning views and you can treat yourself to a bowl of chowder and a cold beer at the campground restaurant. There are also several hiking trails that lead up the hills and to hidden bays.
For an easier option, cycle the relatively easy (and entirely paved) 18km to the picturesque fishing community of Bay St. Lawrence. There you’ll find a campground, grocery store and delicious fish ‘n’ chips at the harbour.
#8. Be Aware of Bears And Coyotes
This is wild country, particularly in the national park. Bears and coyotes call the forests home, so if you are hiking or plan to wild camp, take appropriate precautions. Don’t eat near your tent or keep any food inside. More information is available on the national park website.
Lobster Supper with all the trimmings in Baddeck.
#9. Celebrate With An All-You-Can-Eat Lobster Supper
When you’ve completed the Cabot Trail, you deserve a treat! We very much enjoyed our meal at the Baddeck Lobster Suppers. With unlimited chowder, mussels, salads and desserts it’s the perfect place to fill up your hungry cyclist’s belly. If you don’t fancy lobster, they also roast salmon on a maple plank. Delicious!
These articles provide further tips and advice:
- Cabot Trail: Worth The Wait
- Cycling Nova Scotia’s Cabot Trail
- Around Cape Breton And The Cabot Trail
31st August 2013 at 2:57 pm #
Great tips. If your interested in trying the crazy hills without load, Atlantic Cycling does a trip every year on labour day long weekend, coincidently that would be starting today. Don’t underestimate the steepness of the hills for cycling. I’ve ridden the Rockies and figured that the Cabot Trail would be no big deal, and I was very wrong. The up hills are a little less steep if you ride clockwise.
12th December 2014 at 2:24 am #
Hello Rebecca,
What a great accomplishment. I’m planning a trip in 2016/2017 and would like to speak with someone who experienced the ride.
Would you mind sharing contact numbers? I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan area and have family in Porthood, Cape Breton that I will visit.
My cell number is (734) 474-6416
Cheers…
14th February 2016 at 6:27 am #
Me too!! I’d love to talk to someone who has cycled the trail, and did some wild camping!
WAYNE, did you end up doing the trip??
14th August 2017 at 6:15 pm #
Hi strum,
I am going to do the trail in early September this year and am also really keen on doing wild camping along the way. I dont suppose you ended up doing this and would mind sharing some tips/info. I am even wondering if I could get away with just a bivvy bag to make the load on the bike lighter?
Thanks in advance!
Georgia
15th October 2015 at 8:38 pm #
Hi avry one i m a hole men 80 years i bike my 1000 KM this summer all by my self fard away from my home I m planing to bike from home to Halifax nex summer aroung 600 KM and from their on my way to Cabot Trail I would like to talk to some one who all ready go a roung the Cabot trail on bike they are taking about hills up there here is my Iphone 581 886. 2772
20th August 2016 at 2:10 pm #
Thank You so much for all the info on Cabot Trail. Can you please tell me if their is a bike path? Is it safe to take my teenagers. Is there a lot of traffic?
19th November 2016 at 10:20 am #
No there isn’t a bike path, and the hills can be quite steep. Traffic would be fairly steady in the high tourist season, I imagine (it’s a very popular route). That said, there are also plenty of cyclists so people are used to seeing them on the roads.
4th June 2017 at 6:36 pm #
This is a great write-up! What is the typical tourist season time? May-September?
Also, how did you get from Sydney to the Cabot Trail route? Cycle out of Sydney or take a shuttle?
4th July 2017 at 4:42 am #
Hi 🙂 We live fairly close to the trail and would love to bike it someday. Weve been biking everywhere lately and I pull my kids in a trolly behind my bike everywhere so I am used to pulling a load and dealing with wind (the trolly makes an awawesome sail when goimg with the wind but terrible against it lol) How many kms a day dobyou think would be the average? Id like to start training at home and would an idea of what kind of daily goal to shoot for. Cheers 🙂
11th November 2021 at 10:17 pm #
18th November 2021 at 3:27 am #
chloroquine phosphate online aralen hcl
18th November 2021 at 3:27 am #
https://chloroquinemil.com/ buy chloroquine singapore
18th November 2021 at 9:17 am #
chloroquine pills hydro chloroquine
20th November 2021 at 4:10 pm #
20th November 2021 at 9:46 pm #
https://chloroquinesop.com/
21st November 2021 at 5:52 pm #
22nd November 2021 at 1:36 am #
plaquenil over the counter chloroquine buy on line
30th December 2021 at 1:51 am #
Gorod.top
16th January 2022 at 10:44 pm #
nakrutka
19th January 2022 at 11:32 am #
uletay.net
21st January 2022 at 9:34 am #
Город Топ
4th February 2022 at 4:35 pm #
накрутка зрителей твич
19th May 2022 at 11:48 am #
erythromycin for fish erythromycin family
27th May 2022 at 5:12 am #
How do I put rss feeds on a classic blogger template?
4th June 2022 at 2:37 am #
d12jl
f1uoi
2765
5th June 2022 at 7:16 pm #
mq1hr
g7rik
u4gp
9th June 2022 at 8:41 pm #
rntf7
fwvx8
90fw
4th July 2022 at 9:39 am #
Накрутка зрителей трово
17th July 2022 at 9:30 am #
I wish to show my passion for your kindness giving support to people who absolutely need help with this matter. Your special commitment to getting the message around had become exceptionally important and has constantly made men and women much like me to get to their objectives. Your own helpful guideline implies a great deal a person like me and extremely more to my mates. With thanks; from all of us.
17th July 2022 at 9:31 am #
I must express my admiration for your kindness supporting men who really need help on this important topic. Your real dedication to passing the solution all around had become amazingly significant and has continually made employees much like me to get to their dreams. Your own warm and helpful information can mean a great deal to me and especially to my colleagues. Thanks a ton; from all of us.
17th July 2022 at 9:31 am #
I simply wanted to compose a simple word to be able to express gratitude to you for the fantastic techniques you are placing on this site. My considerable internet look up has at the end been compensated with really good information to write about with my family and friends. I would state that that we visitors are very much blessed to exist in a perfect site with very many wonderful people with good plans. I feel somewhat privileged to have discovered the website and look forward to many more fabulous times reading here. Thank you once again for all the details.
10th August 2022 at 11:36 am #
There are many different kinds of darknet markets, some are specialized for particular types of products, such as counterfeit currency, or stolen credit card information in Sweden. The most biggest example of a darknet market directory is darkcatalog.
11th August 2022 at 5:04 am #
ointment for infant rash
18th August 2022 at 11:16 am #
http://landentkap93603.yomoblog.com/16170045/the-greatest-guide-to-booking-car-rental
/s</
19th August 2022 at 2:51 am #
I want to convey my passion for your kind-heartedness in support of individuals who should have help on in this question. Your personal commitment to getting the message up and down appears to be exceptionally beneficial and have specifically helped workers much like me to get to their goals. Your useful recommendations signifies a great deal to me and especially to my mates. Many thanks; from everyone of us.
19th August 2022 at 6:25 am #
The darknet marketplace has been a good place for those who like to change deepwebstuff banknotes stories.
25th August 2022 at 2:34 am #
assignment writer hiring ghostwriters free writing help
26th August 2022 at 1:58 am #
argument essay thesis euthanasia thesis statement what is thesis in essay
27th August 2022 at 8:05 am #
thesis statement apa format cause and effect thesis statement argument thesis
29th August 2022 at 9:22 am #
rate my essay appendix essay thesis essay example
30th August 2022 at 9:10 am #
how to put a quote in an essay essay conclusion template how to cite an article in an essay
31st August 2022 at 3:46 pm #
argumentative essay ways to start an essay essay generator
5th September 2022 at 8:17 pm #
chicago style essay compare contrast essay why umich essay
17th September 2022 at 7:26 pm #
cialis 5 mg tablet buy cialis paypal cialis copay card
20th September 2022 at 10:29 am #
cialis tolerance cialis for sale nz how to take cialis
29th September 2022 at 1:32 am #
metformin fetma stop using metformin metformin y clomifeno
3rd October 2022 at 2:04 am #
bactrim bula ev generico del bactrim side effects from bactrim in children
9th October 2022 at 7:10 pm #
folliculitis and bactrim flank pain bactrim bactrim crushable
12th October 2022 at 2:08 pm #
lyrica drug interactions lyrica garrett instagram lyrica side effects weight gain
14th October 2022 at 1:30 am #
a1 lyrica lyrica alcohol safaree and lyrica
18th October 2022 at 2:33 pm #
synthroid causing chest pain weight gain water retention synthroid walmart synthroid price
25th October 2022 at 1:45 pm #
https://boardgameslv.com/2013/12/26/eldritch-horror-first-play/?replytocom=32120
6th November 2022 at 12:22 pm #
spain 2008 kit
elzapata http://www.elzapata.net/
11th November 2022 at 1:22 am #
time and tru long sleeve t shirts front slit maxi dress childeren hunting cap blue ganni short dress turnlock clutch 20 with quilting gemina reiss dress
liorrey http://www.liorrey.com/
2nd December 2022 at 3:33 pm #
Very interesting information!Perfect just what I was searching for! «The only gift is a portion of thyself.» by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
4th December 2022 at 10:00 am #
Hey, you used to write fantastic, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your great writings. Past several posts are just a bit out of track! come on!
5th December 2022 at 10:38 am #
I quite like reading an article that can make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment.
17th December 2022 at 3:45 pm #
Enjoyed every bit of your blog.Much thanks again. Much obliged.
20th December 2022 at 12:15 am #
Is anyone here in a position to recommend Dresses & Jumpsuits? Thanks xx
25th December 2022 at 4:42 pm #
Hello. magnificent job. I did not anticipate this. This is a splendid story. Thanks!
12th January 2023 at 10:08 am #
dior rosa kleid 2018 h眉lle galaxy a6 tutti nero nike cappello uomo tn violette homme ladies nero canvas pumps gant sneaker damen avona
dudukner https://www.dudukner.net/
12th January 2023 at 10:09 am #
virginia tech golf chapeau firmung kleid dunkelblau au脽ergew枚hnliche handyh眉llen marrone adidas berretto pale azul wide fit zapatillas samsung a51 case waterproof
workyourpassion https://www.workyourpassion.net/
13th January 2023 at 2:23 pm #
Herzlichen Glückwunsch Bravo weiter so !! tolle Arbeit Danke !!
28th March 2023 at 6:32 pm #
ivermectin online ivermectin india Loading…