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Sunday, September 08, 2002

By Richard Pennick

PICTOU, Nova Scotia - The communities of Pictou, Pugwash and Tatamagouche on Nova Scotia's Sunrise Trail are as interesting as their early settler and Micmac native names convey.

The coastline straddles Pictou and Colchester counties of this Atlantic Canadian province, providing many hours of exploration and beach time.

Tatamagouche Bay on the Nova Scotia's north shore overlooks the Northumberland Strait, and on a clear day Prince Edward Island may be seen in the distance. The region is barely an hour and a half from Halifax International Airport. Although it's off the beaten track, it is worth visiting.

The charm of these communities is centered around their harbors, where colorful lobster boats line the quays. Lobstermen will sell you fresh catch right off the boat for about seven dollars a pound and a dollar more if cooked. Artists and writers are drawn to these towns because of their charm, seafaring lore, old Victorian homes and timber churches built strong by shipwrights in the New England style of the late 1800s. The fertile land attracted Dutch and German farmers, mingling their cultures with the Acadian, Scottish and New England Yankee influences already there.

The undulating countryside, dotted with small villages, forested backcountry and coastline, is steeped in the history of Colonial settlement. Old farmhouses and wind-bent barns, general stores, community newspapers and courthouses, antique shops and eclectic accommodation, humor and local accents. "Not bad! You?" is a bewildering greeting from locals when approached with a question. Subsequent conversations will enlighten and amuse.

The Sunrise Trail runs the length of Nova Scotia's north shore. Pictou, the county seat was landfall for 189 Scottish settlers on board the "dutch flute" Hector in 1773, and is heralded as the "Birthplace of New Scotland" in Canada. A replica of the old ship sits at The Hector Heritage Quay interpretative center and museum, central to the annual Hector landing re-enactment in mid-August and New Scotland Days festival in mid-September.

Distances along rural country roads between these towns are measured in minutes, and west along the coast is Tatamagouche, a village of old Victorian homes and stores built in the late 1800s. It also has an Acadian and native heritage museum as well as an art gallery. Set in a scenic location, the Balmoral Grist Mill and museum, built in the 1870s, operates in much the same way as it always has. The millers still use the original granite grinding wheels brought over from Scotland and small quantities of flour and oatmeal are still produced on site. Their freshly baked oatmeal cookies are like you've never tasted before -- perfect with that cuppa.

Recent German immigrants have opened smoke houses and meat shops, two of which are located in the small village of "Denmark." They season pork and sausages for sale and are purveyors to a very popular "Oktoberfest" organized by the locals and held annually in Tatamagouche.

The quiet community of Pugwash was the home of Cyrus Eaton, a native son, who hosted the first modern "thinktank" bringing together Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell and Dr. Joseph Rotblat for the "Thinkers" conference in 1957. These great minds met to confer on nuclear disarmament, and Pugwash is still the only location to win the prestigious Nobel Prize. Every July 1, Pugwash celebrates the annual Gathering of the Clans Scottish Festival with Highland games competitions, crafts, pipe music and highland dancing, lobster and clam chowder dinners.

The many uncrowded beaches along the Sunrise Trail enjoy waters warmed by incoming tides over sunbaked sand -- perfect for swimming. There is nothing more memorable than a few quiet days at an old beach cottage, with lobster dinners, wine from the local Jost vineyard and the lingering sunsets of Tatamagouche Bay.

Holiday accommodation is varied, from beach cottages or farm stays to bed and breakfasts in old Victorian houses. By far the most original repose is the century old Tatamagouche Train Station Inn, which offers a bed-and-breakfast experience in spacious train cabooses dating from 1911 to 1978. Each features queen-size beds, fireplaces, air-conditioning, railway memorabilia and private baths. Rates for two people with continental breakfast range from C$98 to C$149.50; call 1-902-657-3222 for information.

Atlantic Tours Gray Line of Halifax offers escorted and self-drive tours of Atlantic Canada and Nova Scotia including Waterfront Cottages by the Week. 1-800-565-7173 or www.atlantictours.com.

Nova Scotia information: www.novascotia.com.

Canadian Tourism Commission: www.travelcanada.ca.

Richard Pennick writes for the Canadian Tourism Commission.