Day 8: Baddeck to Ingonish

September 6, 2003

At the motel I spent a lot of time cleaning the bike and panniers, oiling the 258-link chain, and fiddling with the rear brake. Skies were mostly sunny when I got on the road at 9:40. The speed sensor started working after 10km when I got to Baddeck. I stocked up on groceries at Baddeck and enjoyed the mostly sunny views of Bras d'Or Lakes.

Then I continued east on Hwy 205 along the lake shore. For a while the road stays within 10 meters of the shore and sometimes I could see the bottom of the lake through the clear water.

Highway along Bras d'Or Lake, the inland sea.

Then I left the lake behind and rejoined the Trans Canada Highway for 10 km until the turnoff for English Harbor Ferry. On that stretch I stopped for an early lunch at a nice touristy restaurant at the mouth of St. Ann's Bay where I got my first glimpse of the distant Cape Breton Highlands to the north. I'm glad I ate lunch there because I never saw another restaurant later. The ferry ride is very short because a causeway goes most of the way across the bay. Then I continued north along the east shore heading towards the Cape Breton Highlands. The road stays about 1 km inland most of the time, and there aren't very many views of the ocean. I took a long break at a Provincial Picnic Park which has a trail going down to the ocean. To my surprise there was a beautiful beach and rock formations. I walked barefoot on the beach for a while.

Deserted beach behind a roadside picnic park.

Then I continued up the coast. There were few ocean views and not very many big hills. But things started to get much more scenic north of Wreck Cove. The road gets closer to the water and much hillier. Then all of a sudden I could see the road ahead climbs up a huge headland. Smokey Mountain!

Approaching Smokey Mountain, the first big climb of the Cape Breton highlands.

This is the steepest climb on the Cabot Trail - by far the steepest climb on this tour. It's only a 273m (902 ft) climb but the grade is about 10%. I stopped a few times on the climb to take pictures. The views were outstanding.

At the summit I stopped at a Provincial Picnic Park to admire the views. There I met 3 unloaded German cyclists who were biking the Cabot Trail with a rented motor home to carry all their gear. To the north I could see huge rocky headlands.

I couldn't stop for long because it was still a long way to the next campground. The descent from Smokey Mountain is long and gradual. The sky became totally sunny.

The road wraps around a scenic bay, climbs a big hill, and enters Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Just after the park entrance is the town of Ingonish Beach and the famous Keltic Lodge. I didn't have time to go see the lodge up close. The road passes by a Catholic Church where people were leaving after Saturday evening Mass.

The priest was greeting his parishioners after mass.

Cemetery next to the church in Ingonish Beach.

I continued on to the town of Ingonish which is outside the National Park. On the way to Ingonish I met another touring cyclist named Philip, from Quebec City. This was his first day of a 5-day tour of the Cabot Trail. He took the picture of me.

Philip and I shared a $22 National Park campsite just past the town of Ingonish. We arrived just a few minutes before sunset.

I shared a campsite with Philip from Quebec City.

Overall it was a great day with a high temperature of about 21C (70F) and very light wind. Quite a contrast to yesterday's nonstop rain. After dinner and a shower I walked out to the beach to listen to the waves and watch the stars.

Pink beach near the campground at Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Distance: 108.7 km (67.9 mi) (1km on gravel)

Average speed: 17.7 km/h (11.0 mph)

Maximum speed: 68.3 km/h (42.7 mph)

Climbing: 892m (2944 ft)

Today's ride: 109 km (68 miles)
Total: 680 km (422 miles)

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