regions

Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia)

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Overview

Wikivoyage guide · 10 sections

▸Introduction351 chars

The Eastern Shore is a region on the northeastern coast of Nova Scotia. It is less populated and less touristy than the nearby South Shore, with fewer attractions. It's not without it charm though, with its many small villages and often empty beaches and coastline standing watch over the Atlantic swell. It is home to Acadian and Mi'kmaq communities.

▸Cities611 chars

1 Canso — a small community on the southern shore of Chedabucto Bay

2 Guysborough — home to the Alder Grounds, Boggy Lake, Bonnett Lake Barrens, and Canso Coastal Barrens Wilderness Areas

3 Sherbrooke — site of an open-air museum called "Sherbrooke Village" which depicts life in the later 1800s in the wake of the gold rush era

4 Musquodobit Harbour — where you'll find the longest sandy beach in Nova Scotia (5 km)

5 Porters Lake — a bedroom community of the Halifax region

6 Sheet Harbour — a small community, with interesting visitor centre and museum, and two hydroelectric power dams operated by NS power.

▸Other destinations117 chars

1 Sable Island — an unpopulated island 300 km offshore in the Atlantic Ocean, known for its population of wild horses

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage

Media

From Wikipedia1,302 words

Introduction

Region of Nova Scotia For the provincial electoral district, see Eastern Shore (electoral district). Economic Region in Nova Scotia, CanadaEastern ShoreEconomic RegionInteractive map of Eastern ShoreCountryCanadaProvince Nova ScotiaTime zoneUTC-4 (AST) • Summer (DST)UTC-3 (ADT)Area codes782, 902 The Eastern Shore is a region of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. It is the Atlantic coast running northeast from Halifax Harbour to the eastern end of the peninsula at the Strait of Canso.

History

[edit] Canso, along with Annapolis Royal, Halifax, and Lunenburg, are some of North America's earliest settlements. The Battle at Jeddore (1722) is one of the many historic events to occur along the shore. A railway had been proposed during the 1880s to run east from Dartmouth, however the sparse settlement and lack of industrial economic activity saw the railway line swing north up the Musquodoboit River at Musquodoboit Harbour to access the fertile agricultural district of the Musquodoboit Valley. Another railway project was proposed to run between Pictou and the village of Guysborough and on to Canso during the age of sail, when Canso rivalled Halifax as the most important first port of call in Nova Scotia for westbound trans-Atlantic vessels, as Canso was roughly the same distance by rail from the New Brunswick–Nova Scotia border as Halifax. A rail line was eventually graded and bridges constructed between Pictou and Guysborough during the 1930s, however, tracks were never laid and the project was abandoned, leaving most of the Eastern Shore without rail service. During the post-World War II period, the provincial government upgraded local roads, that resulted in the present alignment of Trunk 7. During the 1980s-90s, when the rail line was abandoned, the controlled-access Nova Scotia Highway 107 was built from the Burnside Industrial Park in Dartmouth to Musquodoboit Harbour, to assist commuters and truck-traffic that travels to rural Municipal Halifax and to Highway 102 via Highway 118. A 1990s regional development project saw the port of Sheet Harbour redeveloped into an important regional deep-water port. The facility is most heavily used during the winter months, when the Northumberland Strait port of Pictou is iced-in and industrial shippers from Pictou County truck shipments to Sheet Harbour. A large industrial greenhouse, sawmill operation, and wharf, are also located on site. Beaver Harbour was home to a trans-Atlantic cable station which was operated by Teleglobe, but is now decommissioned.

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The Eastern Shore is a scenic, yet sparsely settled area, hosting dozens of small fishing harbours and communities; the region has become home to many cottages and recreational properties, given the amount of unspoiled sand beaches and dramatic coastlines. The shore also hosts the majority of Nova Scotia's small islands.

Most of the economy along the Eastern Shore is based on fishing, forestry and tourism. The tourism industry is concentrated near popular beaches and provincial parks such as Lawrencetown, Clam Harbour, and Martinique, as well as the centrally-located service communities of Musquodoboit Harbour, Sheet Harbour, Sherbrooke, Canso, Guysborough and Mulgrave. Popular tourist attractions include the Liscombe Lodge resort and conference centre in Liscomb Mills and the Historic Sherbrooke Village in Sherbrooke.

▸Get in400 chars

Highway 7 covers the western and central parts of the Eastern Shore, connecting it with Dartmouth to the west and Antigonish to the north. Highway 16, on the east coast, connects Guysborough and Canso with the Trans-Canada Highway.

Highway 344, connects Guysborough and Canso with the Trans-Canada Highway at Aulds Cove and the Canso Causeway, connecting it to Cape Breton Island and Port Hawksbury.

▸See1,809 chars

The Marine Drive is a continuous series of coastal routes that wind their way along the unspoiled coast of the Eastern Shore passing through quaint fishing villages and offering unparalleled views of the natural beauty that makes up the Eastern Shore.

The Eastern Shore is made up of many picturesque beaches and, unlike other parts of the province, the beaches tend to be quieter with fewer people, especially the ones that are further from the Halifax region. Due to the cold waters of the North Atlantic, August and September tend to have the warmest water temperatures, after the summer sun has had a chance to warm it up. Nova Scotia can have fog all year round. The best days for going to a coastal beach is when the wind is not from the ocean, which can keep a heavy bank of fog covering a beach even when it is quite hot inland.

Black Duck Cove

Clam Harbour Beach has pristine sand ideal for sand castle building and hosts the annual sand castle competition.

Conrad's Beach is an undeveloped beach accessible by boardwalk, with limited parking, that is home to the endangered species the piping plover. Conrad's Beach does not have change rooms or washrooms and may not be accessible for people with restricted mobility.

Martinique is the longest sandy beach in Nova Scotia.

Taylorhead has hiking trails and beaches along a peninsula looking out onto the Atlantic Ocean.

Tor Bay

The Fisherman's Life Museum, in Salmon River Bridge, is a traditional house and garden depicting the everyday life of the fishermen who made the Eastern Shore their home.

Heritage Village in Lake Charlotte, depicts life along the Eastern Shore in the 1940s.

Sherbrooke Village is a heritage village depicting the village life in Nova Scotia at the turn of the 19th century. It is Nova Scotia's largest provincial museum.

▸Activities485 chars

Go surfing at Lawrencetown beach. Within a 30-minute drive of Dartmouth, Lawrencetown beach is a popular local beach for surfers with some of the largest waves in the province. As a provincial beach the location is always free and there is plenty of parking. Equipment can be rented on site through Happy Dudes Surf Emporium.

Take a short scenic boat tour excursion at Murphy's Cove. Experience the Eastern Shore from the water onboard a local fishing boat.

Go sea kayaking in Tangier.

▸Trails570 chars

The Eastern Shore has a variety of trails, of varying skill levels, located through out the natural wilderness areas, including Crowbar Trail, and Porters Lake. The Trans-Canada Trail, connecting Dartmouth with the Eastern Shore, is a multi-purpose trail running along the old railway line. It is relatively flat and provides an easy walking, hiking or biking adventure. The trail is broken up into a number of segments of varying lengths and makes a great excursion or day trip from Dartmouth. The Myra Road Trail at Porters Lake is an old logging road to Porters Lake.

▸Events158 chars

The International Sandcastle Contest, held in mid-August on Clam Harbour Beach, has been attracting thousands of people to the Eastern Shore since about 1980.

▸Go next39 chars

Antigonish

Dartmouth

Cape Breton Island

Geography

[edit] See also: Geography of Nova Scotia A map of east and west Eastern Shore planning areas in Halifax, Nova Scotia Most of the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia consists of sandstone and shale bedrock, forming rolling hills, which are up to 75 metres (246 ft) in elevation and many offshore islands, of which two of the largest are Wolfes Island and Barren Island. The Eastern Shore is heavily forested. Approximately 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) inland from the coast is the Eastern Shore Granite Ridge. This is an expansive area of 350-million-year-old granite bedrock. Waterways[edit] Several major rivers flow into the coast along the Eastern Shore, including the Musquodoboit River, which flows into the Musquodoboit Harbour, Jeddore Harbour, Tangier River, which flows from Tangier Grand Lake to the Atlantic, West River Sheet Harbour, which flows into the Northwest Arm of Sheet Harbour, as well as East River Sheet Harbour into the Northeast Arm. The St. Mary's River also flows into the Atlantic, passing through the community of Sherbrooke. There are many lakes, ponds, flowages and other types of freshwater bodies along the Eastern Shore. The largest of which are Porters Lake, which flows almost directly into the Atlantic Ocean, Lake Charlotte, which flows into Ship Harbour via the Ship Harbour River and Tangier Grand Lake, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean via the Tangier River. The largest water formation by far is the Chedabucto Bay, at the eastern end of the Eastern Shore. There also numerous, albeit much smaller, bays, harbours and other coastal features along the Eastern Shore, including but not limited to: Musquodoboit Harbour, Jeddore Harbour, Ship Harbour, Sheet Harbour, Country Harbour, Tor Bay and Guysborough Harbour. The Eastern Shore is a scenic, yet sparsely settled area, hosting dozens of small fishing harbours and communities; in recent decades the region has become home to a growing number of cottages and recreational properties, given the number of unspoiled sandy beaches and dramatic coastlines. The shore also hosts the majority of Nova Scotia's small islands. The tourism industry is concentrated near popular beaches and provincial parks such as Lawrencetown, Clam Harbour, and Martinique, as well as the centrally located service communities of Musquodoboit Harbour, Sheet Harbour, Sherbrooke, Canso, Guysborough and Mulgrave. Popular tourist attractions include the Liscombe Lodge resort and conference centre in Liscomb Mills and the Historic Sherbrooke Village in Sherbrooke.

Demographics

[edit] The area between Cape Breton-and-Dartmouth is sparsely populated, however, there are more than 300 communities along the Eastern Shore, which vary in size. The decline in the fishing industry has meant an outflow of people to larger urban areas and other fishing villages in the province. Guysborough and Canso, with populations of 922 and 820 respectively, are the largest communities. Communities[edit] Although these are not all of the communities in the Eastern Shore, these are some of the most populated. Canso Guysborough Head of Chezzetcook Head of Jeddore Musquodobout Harbour Port Dufferin Sheet Harbour Ship Harbour Spanish Ship Bay Tangier Porters Lake, Nova Scotia Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia Preston, Nova Scotia Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia Municipalities[edit] Eastern Municipality of Halifax Guysborough St. Mary's

Economy

[edit] Most of the economy along the Eastern Shore is based around fishing, forestry and tourism, with an industrial port in Sheet Harbour as well. Numerous lumber mills operated here during the early 1900s as Nova Scotia entered the industrial revolution. Tourism[edit] Main article: Tourism on the Eastern Shore (Nova Scotia) Tourism is becoming an increasingly active industry along the Eastern Shore. Duncan MacMillan High School Sherbrooke Village There is a Fisherman's Life Museum in Jeddore Oyster Ponds. There is trout fishing and Atlantic salmon serves as a sport in rivers along the coast. In Eastern Passage, there is a Fishermen's Cove tourist attraction with a few stores. There is an interactive museum located in Sherbrooke, Nova Scotia. It is called the Historic Sherbrooke Village and it depicts life around the 1900s in the village. The longest beaches on the Eastern Shore are Lawrencetown Beach, in Lawrencetown, Martinique Beach, near Musquodoboit Harbour and Taylor Head Beach, located in Spry Bay, within the boundaries of Taylor Head Provincial Park.

Transportation

[edit] Roads Highway 107 Route 211 Route 224 Route 316 Route 344 Route 357 Route 374 Trunk 7 Trunk 16

Education

[edit] All schools within the Eastern Shore, except St. Mary's Education Centre, are administered by the Halifax Regional Centre for Education. St. Mary's Education Centre is administered by the Strait Regional School Board. Elementary Schools O'Connell Drive Elementary School (Porter's Lake) Porters Lake Elementary (Porter's Lake) Sheet Harbour Consolidated School (Sheet Harbour) St. Mary's Education Centre (Sherbrooke) High Schools Duncan MacMillan High School (Sheet Harbour) Eastern Shore District High School (Musquodoboit Harbour) Junior High Schools Gaetz Brook Junior High School (Gaetz Brook) Oyster Pond Academy (Jeddore Oyster Ponds) There are nine schools along the Eastern Shore. Most are located in the larger communities. and Saint Mary's Education Centre/Academy (SMECA), in Sherbrooke. A new school in Sheet Harbour is currently being built in the former site of Duncan MacMillan High School and Sheet Harbour Consolidated School. It is a merge of the schools Duncan MacMillan High School, Sheet Harbour Consolidated School, Lakefront Consolidated Elementary and Eastern Consolidated School.There is a possibility that both schools in Sheet Harbour, as well as Lakefront Consolidated School in Tangier, will be closed and merged into one P-12 school in the next few years.

Gallery

[edit] Lawrencetown West Chezzetcook Musquodoboit Harbour Jeddore Oyster Ponds Rural Halifax Regional Municipality Sheet Harbour Tangier Moser River Guysborough County Ecum Secum Sherbrooke Canso Guysborough Mulgrave