IIn which we are all itching to go for at least a short bike ride to keep our legs going (us old folk stiffen up quickly!) but are banned from our bikes
We had breakfast at the cafe across the street, High Wheelin’ cafe, which unfortunately had pretty dismal coffee albeit decent food. The bakery stuff was rated pretty highly though, apple strudel and oatcakes covered with chocolate and sandwiched with peanut butter (I gave that a miss, preferring to have my oatcakes as a savoury entry). No internet, nor charges able to be put through as the internet was needed for that, apparently. Likely won’t be fixed until Monday, the day we leave.
Coffee at highwheelers with the hotel, Telegraph House Hotel, in the background (grey building)
Attractive Cape Cod house in Baddeck.
After breakfast most of us headed over to the Alexander Graham Bell museum, which had free entry this summer. It was well laid out and I learned a lot – I had no idea he started as a teacher of the deaf, influential in Helen Keller’s treatment, and invented many more things including the hydrofoil on top of the telephone (which patent he apparently had to defend in court for many years). They had a lovely house and grounds in Beddeck and his wife, a former student, was very influential in her own right. It was a good thing we got there early, as it got quite busy with tour buses as the morning progressed. Nice grounds as well; the original house and extensive acreage is still occupied by descendants so not open to the public.
Next stop was the Co-op grocery store, which had limited hours today being Sunday, to get lunch (salad) and then Jill, Henry, Jean and I caught the Lions ferry over to Kidston Island, across the harbour. It advertised a beach for swimming but it turned out to be a very tiny sandy area – we have been very spoiled in PEI! We walked out to the lighthouse there and then went for a hike around the island after a picnic lunch at a lovely spot on higher ground on the point.
ferry dock – it seemed like the kid driving the boat must have been in high school but he was very fastidious and we donned flotation devices for the short trip across the harbour.
harbour on Kidston Island from lighthouse point
I’ve never seen such enormouse rose hips!
Baddeck from lighthouse point
It was a lovely day, not too hot out of the direct sun and few insects on Kidston Island because of the breeze. We did a loop walk around the island and saw snakes, inchworms, and chipmunks. We queued for the ferry back as there are only 6 allowed on the ferry at a time so included the ferry operator leaving only 5 spaces! There was still a queue to come over; lots of tourists in town.
Beer on the upper of the Yacht club (cash only, still no internet services) in the early evening with Coady, Dale (the tour guides) and fellow traveller Kit and then headed back to the other side of town with the intent to have a cheap dinner of a couple slices of pizza from the pizza shop across from the hotel. Alas it was closed on Sunday so had a repeat performance of haddock in the hotel, with a group from the tour I espied sitting in the dining room as I was queing for admission. Popular place! Good food again, and the bill was signed to the room with a promise to sort it out tomorrow morning as we left. Packing and organizing occupied the rest of the evening.
Today’s highlight: Alexander Graham Bell museum