Beaches, marshes, estuaries, capes, points, and headlands... there's water everywhere along this meandering shoreline highway. Between Pictou and Tidnish are hundreds of easily accessible stretches of sand, from tiny two-person enclaves to long, wide crescents. Their shallow depths permit wading out to great distances.

The water is warm, in fact, more so than anywhere as far south as Carolina How can this be? There are shallow depths for long distances into the Northumberland Strait from both Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Over the summer it in turn, considerably warms the water. It is, surprisingly, at its peak in early September because the water temperature, there are far less days of fog than the other coasts.

The area is not nearly as populated, nor as developed as you would expect along such a warm stretch of water. Not one community surpasses the status of a village the entire distance between Pictou and Amherst Although your route will be slightly rolling, gradients are not too steep. This route of the Nova Scotia Bicycle Book is therefore suitable for casual cyclists. Just as easily cycled in either direction, here it will be done east to west, for the "along the shore " factor. This direction however may have a small degree of headwinds. We begin in the old Scottish landing place of Pictou.

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

 

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