Our Adventure – Ingonish Beach, Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia

A Fictional Short Story by Mel Dawn 

Last March we had to put ourselves into lockdown which can be stressful when you’re dealing with an irate spouse. Now it’s months later and we knew we had to give up our summer trip to the USA. But where to go? It had to be somewhere within driving distance from Ontario. Neither me nor my husband have ever been to Nova Scotia. But where? We wanted to avoid hoards of tourists. We finally settled on Ingonish, Cape Breton at the northern end of Nova Scotia. 

Often when you travel you must make sacrifices in comfort and in activities, particularly when you’re on a tight budget. Our car is small though, so we could only fit a few pieces of luggage and a cooler in the back. 

Ingonish is a harbour on the northeast part of Cape Breton Island. Before we even reached our hotel we got distracted by a ton of activities. We would definitely not be bored here.

But after driving several hours, both me and my husband were grumpy. That’s what happens when you get older. You just can’t tolerate things as well as you did when you were younger. You get tired more easily, and muscles start to ache. 

Nova Scotia is definitely unique. Coming from Ontario, we do have plenty of lakes, but aren’t close to the sea where you can smell the salt air. Nova Scotia also feels more like a community where people can slow down. People actually chat to strangers on the street, though wearing their masks of course.

Really, I wouldn’t have been able to think of a better vacation spot, unless we’d been able to get away to Portland, Maine this year, but we couldn’t. 

We were both exhausted, so decided to check into our accommodation first. I had expected some rundown motel where we’d have to bring our own towels and soap, but was pleasantly surprised.

And if you tire of hanging out in your room, there’s a spa where you can get the best services, and also a golf course where you can get fresh air and exercise at the same time.

Since we were here for a week, we didn’t try to rush around and do all the things in one day. After all, the point of a vacation is to relax and enjoy yourself. Surprisingly, my husband even agreed!

We spent the rest of the day wandering around. There were some wonderful views of the sea from here. 

Usually you stay at a motel and get stressed out, but the sheets and pillows were comfy, and our room was quiet so we got plenty of sleep.

By the end of the week we actually decided to stay a few more days. After all, it wasn’t like there was anything pressing back at home. It was great to actually spend some time with my husband, without all those stressors of life in the way. By the time we returned home we felt like newlyweds once again!