The Margaree Trail information center

We have a lovely Visitor Information/Tourist Bureau at Margaree Forks , just a wee bit past the  intersection of Route 19 and the  Cabot Trail.  
Anyone travelling the Cabot Trail should stop in here to get good advice on just what you can do in the Margarees, advice on where to find the "crafters" and quilters , the best home made meals , the best music , the best beaches and hiking , and anything local.

The Margaree area is really a rather unique destination, every village has something to offer . It's a great location for extended stays, staycations , especially for those who like to get back to nature and the  out doors.  Your kids can roam and play and swim in the river or the ocean while you rest all day long .

A campfire by the river ,the lake or the ocean will be a lovely memory event .

Practically every accommodation and dining    location is ON THE WATER. 

Either on the ocean at Margaree Harbour and Belle Cote , on the river at East Margaree ,Margaree Forks , North East Margaree , Margaree Center or on the three known as Lake O'law.

The various villages along this Margaree Trail all have uniqueness. There are a variety of B&B's cottages, inns, motels and resort like facilities. History buffs can find their family roots and traces of Scottish, Irish, British   and French  ( Acadian) history by just walking several historic cemeteries dating back to the  1700's.

          The website MargareeNS.com has all the details .

This area happens to have several things that are rather world famous . The Margaree River is known throughout the  world for its trout and salmon fishing . The "fathers" of the  cooperative movement ,priests known as Father Coady and Father Tompkins grew up in the Margaree and there  is a library ,and a bit of a history collection, in their name. We also have ladies that have a world audience for their quilts or their clay pottery , or their hooked rugs.  

Music , that Cape Breton fast fiddle style , is found at several venues and several family names have had a history of producing musicians , names like Chisholm, a new generation of that same family, named  Crowley.  

The seagull side of the Margaree Trail

When people travel around Nova Scotia , we often notice that they are just going through our many seaside villages  far too fast . Maybe they  just don't have the time to take to explore , but then they'll  miss many little gems. 


One gem many miss is taking the 5-15 minutes to "drive down to the wharf" or "stop at the lighthouse".
Now, all wharves may look the same , but in real life every one is different . 
It's a bit like our light houses, every one is different .


Anyway, on the Margaree Trail , it is the Margaree River that is a focal point and next  where the river joins the ocean. 
Now , don't get confused here by place names . At the mouth of  the harbour, on the South side  is the  village of Margaree Harbour ; 
 then on the  North side is the village of Belle Cote. 
The wharf is actually located  in Belle Cote but when referred to on maps and tide charts  and in travel articles it is often call the "Margaree wharf "   or the "Margaree Harbour wharf "  , seldom the "Belle Cote wharf". Odd , because usually the wharf name matches the  village location .
Anyway, you just  remember , to get to this lovely wharf and see these gulls  , you travel on  the Belle Cote Beach Road,off the Cabot Trail , opposite the Old Belle Cote Road .

                                                  Chicks at about 4-5 days

A nest of three  

                                                  A chick less than a week old 

                                                   Chicks at about 7 days 


Now at this wharf, there  is a large seagull nesting area. So every year in early June , the chicks are born and in just a week or so they grow from a little fluffy ball to about the  size of a robin . There are also terns and geese that  nest in the same area .

                                                            A bit of history 




Now , here is a photo of how this wharf area used to look in the early 1950's  showing what some would call the "fishermen's village" .

These are the fishermen's shanties .

These  buildings were about 10 to 12 feet wide and maybe 16-20 feet long . these would have had  had bunks for two people  at least , a wood stove , table and chairs , maybe a sink .
At one time , in the 1800's to early 190's , in the horse and buggy era , the village of Belle Cote was on the hillside over two miles away , so the fishermen basically left home for the week and lived in these shanties at the wharf .