Tour 5 West Valley

The exact spot where the battle for North America unfolded is where the Nova Scotia Bicycle Book starts you on this tour of the western half of the Annapolis Valley. Religion, literature, language, agriculture, industry- the future of North American civilization was guided from the events which unfolded here. The town of Annapolis Royal lies at the end of the Annapolis Basin, overlooked by the forests of both the North and South Mountain ridges. It is here that the Annapolis Valley begins.

This ride attempts to offer you the advantage of prevalent southwest winds along the Fundy shore, guiding your return in the more protected valley.
Being a long, narrow loop, you can easily make a ride to suit tiding style. The various crossroads are outlined. Staying at Annapolis Royal, Bridgetown, or Valleyview Provincial Park, Middleton, or Kingston, you can do half the loop. Staying at midpoint, you can set up a base, to cycle this route on two smaller day loops.

The cool ocean breezes of the shore are in contrast that of the part of the tour in the valley. Only an hour's ride away. While it can be hot and humid in the valley, on the shore, at Hampton or Port George you may need a jacket! A far different environment from the valley floor lies in hiding on the other side. The villages sit in solitude, visited daily by the world's highest tides.

Cycling the Annapolis Valley could keep you busy for an entire summer! This is a description of the primary route presented in The Nova Scotia Bicycle Book. It is a selected through-route, which brings you across the region. It samples a few of the prime areas. If your time is limited, perhaps this through-route could be supplemented with one of the smaller day tours out of Wolfville.

Tour 5 follows the western half of the ride. On the eastern side, Tour 8 outlines details on the Starr's Point area, and Tour 10 describes Wolfville information. Small communities lie every few kilometers, except for the stretch along the shore. You have a comfort not found in other regions of Nova Scotia. In most places of the province, stores and sheltered stopping places are limited. Here you have many villages, with their general stores. In addition, Highway #1 is not far off-route, which is a continuous stretch of communities.

The guide outlines two options, a high road , and a low road ". The first option is a far different environment from the valley. Here villages are connected by roller coaster shore roads. A few hide, alone at the end of dead-ends. They each sit in solitude, visited daily by the world's highest tides.

Low Road Options : This will take you on a much flatter route and rejoin the High Road Option just north of Kingston.

Nova Scotia Bicycle Book
Gary Conrod
308 pages, 5 1/2 x 8, paper
ISBN 0-920890-80-8

 

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