Travel: Peggy’s Cove

Dear Readers,

This week I was lucky enough to head back to Nova Scotia (for technically the third time since I have been home). I’m sure some of you know that I was born in Nova Scotia and moved to New Brunswick in 2002, so Nova Scotia has always held a special place in my heart, even though New Brunswick feels more like home to me now.

My Swedish friend Axel made a request that we visit Peggy’s Cove. According to my parents we went when I was little but I don’t remember it at all, so this felt more like the first time visiting Peggy’s Cove, and I was impressed. The South Shore of Nova Scotia has always been one of my favourite places in the world, but Peggy’s Cove I thought was “almost” as beautiful as Mahone Bay, Lunenburg and Chester.

We travelled to Peggy’s Cove straight from New Brunswick, before going downtown Halifax. However, Peggy’s Cove is a short 50 minute drive from Halifax, so if you are ever visiting Halifax I recommend taking an afternoon and visiting Peggy’s Cove.

Before we ventured down to the Peggys Cove Light House we wandered through the quaint little town. The familiar smell of sea salt and the ocean breeze really made me feel at home. Living in Glasgow (which has two rivers running through it) did make me miss the ocean, especially that in small towns like Wolfville, St Andrews or Mahone Bay where I have always spent so much time!

The town of Peggy’s Cove was established in 1811 as a small rural fishing village. The community still fishes for lobster and still maintains the persona of a fishing village, but now it is a top Nova Scotian tourist destination! There are lots of little restaurants, cafes, and shops around. Axel was even stopped and asked if he wanted to hold a lobster from a local fisherman.

After stopping in the little town we headed towards the iconic Peggys Point Lighthouse. The first lighthouse was constructed in 1868, and the current lighthouse was built in 1915. Heading up to the lighthouse there are various “Danger Signs” advising people to be wary of the rogue waves that can come up over the black rocks surrounding the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was definitely as picturesque as I imagined it would be, and very East Coast. The rocks were great to climb on and explore. Axel commented on how similar the rocks and the coast line was to Sweden, which I had never thought about! The geology of the coastal region of Sweden is very similar to that in Nova Scotia. The smooth grey rocks the lighthouse sits on look identical to the fishing villages in Sweden!

My visit to Peggy’s Cove was great, and I will certainly be returning. It was so great this past week to adventure around the Maritimes. It really opened my eyes to how beautiful home is, and I don’t always need to travel to different countries to appreciate beautiful places.