A Day Trip to Peggy's Cove and Lunenburg

One of my favorite days of our entire vacation to Halifax and Prince Edward Island was the one we spent driving the Lighthouse Route of Nova Scotia, along the South Shore from Halifax to Lunenburg.

This drive takes about 3 or 4 hours following the scenic coastline, and maybe twice as long if you want to stop at a few of the little villages or viewpoints. The drive via highway from Lunenburg back to Halifax was about an hour. All in all, it was a full-day trip: we were gone about 9 hours.

The first (and in my view, the best) stop was 40 minutes from Halifax, at Peggy's Cove. It's a popular destination for buses and tourists, but there were only a few dozen people on the rocks around the lighthouse when we got there. By the time we left, however, the parking lot was full.

The lighthouse with the waves crashing white against the rocky shore made for lovely views, accentuated by the blue sky and even bluer water.

Peggy's Cove from a scenic viewpoint -- the lighthouse is directly above the rock sculpture.

Besides the stop at Peggy's Cove, most of the day was spent in the car. But we did stop at:

• a small beach so Paul could get his feet wet
• the village of Chester for a short walk and snack
• the tiny town of Mahone Bay to sit in a gazebo and take in the waterfront views
• Lunenburg, where we ended the trip with ice cream cones, a walk along the water and a quick visit into a quaint store or two

Paul jokes that all fishing villages are interchangeable -- brightly colored buildings against a shore. That was true here too, but it didn't make the views any less picturesque.

It was a long day, but pleasant. Especially since Paul was the one driving and maneuvering through the up-and-down roadway curves instead of me.

Lunenburg

Lunenburg