K & L's Travel Blog

18 Sept 2025

The northernmost section of Cape Breton lies outside of the National Forest, and I’m eager to see what it’s like. I find it is notably sparse in population with a boreal forest is full of spruce & birches (two of my favorites). The roads get windier and windier the farther north one goes. Bay St. Lawrence is lovely and picturesque, small and well-protected, though stunningly remote. There is a large fishing co-op (Victoria Seafood Cooperative) and a few boats, but little activity and just a few homes about. We follow signs up the hill to the Oshan Whale Watch where they have a small office & nearby food truck (closed). Mary checks us in and we join the other folks wandering down the hill to the boat.

The Oshan is a fishing boat that has been repurposed (e.g. a bin of life vests and benches on each side). We end up with a full tour. Several folks are from the states, and a young family who may be Scandinavian. The captain is congenial and makes easy jokes. His daughter is the first mate. We head out of the quiet bay into the windy, choppy waters and track down a friendly pod of pilot whales in no time. They swim quite near the boat, seemingly curious, or perhaps just familiar. They feed, roving back and forth around the boat & emerging in a regular pattern. His daughter sits astride the bimini and describes the whales.

The boat is small and the bay is choppy. From time to time, the water splashes into the boat and everyone laughs. The coastline is fantastic. We look for more whales to no avail, so the boat heads to a rough spot right under the cliffs. We come so close with such dramatic rocking that everyone is either nervous or terrified. I move between the two emotions, all the time trying to take pictures and not tumble over. The water is churning. Kitty calls it “The Washing Machine.” I had seen videos of this boat ride and remembered there was an arch somewhere on the coast. Suddenly, we are upon it, seemingly within a matter of feet. Then the first mate heads us between two rocks, and I think “No, she’s not going between those two rocks….” My Scylla & Charybdis moment. The thrill of near-death offsets any disappointment passengers might have felt about the limited whale sightings has deepened our sense of community. I think we all were relieved to be back in the quiet harbor, safely on land and not up against that awesome, beautiful, rocky coast.

Before we left the bay we went to look for the Seafood Cooperative We drove up the hill and around the front, but there is nobody in sight. I get out and walk around to a door in the back and knock. A window opens on the floor above me and a man sticks out his head and tells me we had passed the buying station on the other side. We make it up there to find the entrance to what looks like a hardware store, but one that also has flash-frozen lobster and crab. We spend 70 USD on the seafood, and then head off to Meat Cove.

Kitty is driving and grows anxious as the road narrows and degrades, winding along the top of the steep cliffs, alternating between gravel and paved, with very few signs of civilization along the way. There are apple trees loaded with red and yellow fruit, and the ever-present wildflowers. We pass a few homes perched on the cliffs that we had seen from our whale watch, and try to imagine so isolated a life.

Meat Cove is a dramatic site. It’s called Meat Cove because it was a favorite place for 18th century hunters to come ashore, procure their pelts, and leave what they would behind. These days the beach is pristine with no carcasses in sight. A campground dominates the top, with some staying in tents and others in campers. There are cottages for rent. I’d call it a “bald” if I were in North Carolina. The cliffs are steep and textured, and the beach below is covered in cairns, creating an almost other-worldly landscape. We eat our sandwiches at the top and then Star & I walk down to the beach in search of fossils. We could see some patterns that had formed on a slab of slate, indicating a wavy surface that once been on the sea floor. The combination of granite and slate–I’d seen on a video even coal–told a story of dramatic geological transition.

On the way back Mary & Star tried some of the apples, but they didn’t live up to their promise. Maybe that is why the moose left them alone? We stopped a couple of times on the way home for photos. There was a refurbished general store that is now an inn. We pulled into the drive so I could get a shot. A man was in the yard and walked right over. I was aware we were trespassing, so was feeling nervous and apologetic. But no. We are in Canada. He was just curious to meet us and chat. It is as though everyone we meet is a potential friend.

Kitty cooks a stand-out meal of lobster and rice with a buerre monté sauce and a lightly dressed arugula salad. The perfect end to a great day.