The secret to traveling Cape Breton Island

When folks look at a map of Cape Breton Island, chances are they are planning a vacation, a honeymoon, a hiking trip, an outdoors trip to maybe  fish or kayak, or maybe just to experience the Island , the fiddle music , or just to relax with nature, especially  during the fall colours.
The secret to enjoying a trip "around the Island" or "to the Island" is to understand the opportunity to just enjoy another world . You take the time to  travel  side trail routes and loops  within larger trail routes and loops , and these loops mean little repetition. Be brave, travel the highlands forestry roads too.
The main larger  loop is the Cabot Trail or a combination of the Ceilidh Trail with the Cabot Trail or you can reach as far as the Fleur des Lis Trail.
Now, you really want you to experience the  sort of "local" loop routes we call the "Margaree Trail". These can take a day but can also be a base location for 2-3 days because so much is within reach of the "Margaree Trail".
The "Margaree" is just not one village, it is 15 villages . There are two major rivers , two major lakes, and four fabulous beaches. So much water .

Have your map? Try Google street view !! The main "Margaree Trail" would begin from the South East travelling along the Cabot Trail at a location called Lake O'Law ( the Irish settlement Stone ) then through the Margaree River Valley ( Scotch and British settlements) through to the ocean and beaches at Margaree Harbour and Belle Cote,  and then coastal Cap Lemoine ( French (Acadian) settlements).
Another route is that you may travel towards the "Margaree Trail" by leaving  the Trans Canada Route 105 and roam  along Lake Ainslie and alongside the South West Margaree River Valley to the Route 19 and then to Margaree Forks and again the Cabot Trail.
There are several side trails and side loops that connect all these Margaree river valley and coastal villages.This is where the fun begins, as this is where you'll find the fishing pools, the waterfalls, the hikes, maybe our world renowned Pottery store , or our world renowned " quilt lady" , or a barn filled with musicians and their  celtic CB music,  a real country church hall with great dances, or maybe that cottage by the ocean.  The same applies when you travel along the coastline from say "Dunvegan to Margaree Harbour to Belle Cote to Cap Lemoine" as here again you have side trails to several beaches, look offs,  and wharves. This is the West side of Cape Breton, so that means the sunsets are on the horizon, a unique sight in itself, as no two sunsets are the same, and the sky colours against the ocean colours are always just so amazing.