The morning started off well with an apple pancake breakfast followed by a short walk on a trail along the shoreline. After that we sadly prepared to leave Cape Breton Island. A last brief visit at the information center helped us find some points of interest on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia on the way to Halifax. Our first stop would be the Canso Islands and Grassy Island Fort National Historic site. A short boat ride brings you to Grassy Island.

Archaeological evidence suggests that the Mi’kmaw and their trading partners had been coming to these islands for over 2000 years. The first European fishermen came in the 1500s and in the 17th and 18th centuries, France and Britain fought for control of the area. Today one can tour the island and see wells and faint outlines of where building once stood, but the vegetation hides most of the ruins. In fact, one of the information panels stated that remains of a large house was still visible, but all we could find were the lawn chairs for weary tourists.

The highest of the day was certainly the swim at Tor Bay. We had an entire sandy beach with crystal clear water to ourselves. The water was refreshing and we swam for at least 20 minutes with Pepsi tired to a rock on the beach watching out for us. The rocks on the beach and the dark clouds made for a dramatic scenery. Unfortunately, the sign in the parking lot said “No Camping” so we had to move on.

About 10km down the road was a short gravel road that lead down to a municipal beach. The parking lot is our home for the night.

During the rising tide, quite a number of people came to the beach in search of sea glass and one couple had found a large handful, including some pieces of china. It turns out that one of the women searching for glass works at Sherbrooke Village, a pioneer village from the 1800s which we will be visiting tomorrow and she will be demonstrating how to make ice cream starting at 2:30pm. We will definitely be there.