Please make your way to our centrally-located Halifax accommodation (contact information provided with final documents), and spend the rest of your day exploring Nova Scotia’s vibrant capital. Highlights include the imposing Halifax Citadel, the Harbour Walk, and a trip to the Maritime Museum to learn about the city’s vital role during the Titanic saga. Halifax has the most bars per capita in Canada, so you won’t have to look far to find a welcoming watering hole. Experience fine seafood restaurants, great shopping, and if there’s time, one of the city’s historic walking tours. Overnight B&B.

Meals:  Nil

Picking you up at your accommodation, we’ll soon get you geared up with a modern performance bicycle, ideally suited for the trail surface ahead. You can’t visit the region and miss iconic Peggy’s Cove, so we’ll shuttle you to this small yet world-famous Atlantic fishing village. Scramble over the smooth, wave-washed boulders beneath Peggy’s Point Lighthouse, and feel the great might of the unpredictable Atlantic (but please take care to avoid slipping on any wet black rocks). From here, we’ll drive to your trailhead, where you can enjoy lunch, and make any final adjustments before your first forgiving hours on the saddle. Take your time, enjoy the views from raised sections on the trail, or park the bikes to explore a windswept beach. You’ll peddle right to your charming inn on the Hubbards Waterfront, where a hot shower and your luggage is waiting. Enjoy a relaxing dinner on the inn’s waterfront patio, or call ahead to inquire about reserving a famous Shore Club Lobster supper.

Meals:  B

A short distance from the inn are several great breakfast options (detailed in the route notes), or you can arrange with the inn to get you fuelled up bright and early. Today’s ride follows the former railway’s crush gravel bed through a sheltered forest and provides ample time for an afternoon excursion to the small lobster-fishing and artisan community of Big Tancock Island. Bring your bike onto the small passenger ferry so you can explore the quiet roadways and coastal tracks, adding about 10km/6.2mi (+/- 60m/200ft elevation) to the day’s ride. Note there are little to no dining options on Big Tancock Island, so we recommend grabbing a packed lunch in Chester before hopping on the ferry. Alternatively, eager cyclists can extend the day’s ride with a loop around the Aspotogan Peninsula, which traces a hilly road with no shoulder. This adds an additional 30km/18.6mi (480m/1575ft elevation) to the day’s ride. Re-group at the cozy B&B in Chester and discover a number of fantastic little restaurants in this popular sailing community.

Meals:  Nil

We continue on the trail through tranquil woodland, crossing a fetching trestle bridge over Martin’s River as we enter a section known as the Dynamite Trail. Interpretative boards along the route explain the history of the area, including the communal farming lands that were developed for the use of all settlers. You’ll pass the sparkling Oakland Lake before reaching picturesque Mahone Bay, with its rich legacy of shipbuilding and forestry. Popular with artists, Mahone Bay is frequently named among Canada’s most beautiful communities. Enjoy lunch in a colourful cafe, wash it down with a local craft beer, and if you need any gear, pop in for a complimentary candy at Sweet Rides bike shop. From Mahone Bay, you have the option to bike the scenic yet hilly road route to Lunenburg/Blue Rocks, although bikers should be comfortable riding with traffic. Alternatively, continue along the rail-trail for the remaining few kilometers to the old train station, and your B&B in Old Town Lunenburg. You’ll definitely want to walk or peddle around the town, admiring the many colourful heritage buildings, and learning about its UNESCO World Heritage history. We’ll enjoy two nights in this famous seaside destination – established as a British colonial settlement in 1753 – allowing plenty of time to explore its attractions.

Meals:  B

With Lunenburg as a base, you have plenty of options to explore on bike or foot. If you didn’t do it yesterday, peddle to the fishing village at Bluerocks (12km/7.4mi round trip) and then take the loop road and ferry to the artsy community of La Have (35km/21.mi). Alternatively, enjoy your time discovering Lunenburg’s various attractions. Learn all about the region’s rum-running history and cod-fishing industry at the excellent Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic, located on the waterfront. There are various historic walking tours available, as well as kayaking excursions, and even an opportunity to sail aboard the striking Bluenose II. Other attractions include the Knaut-Rhuland House, a late 18th century National Historic Site with Victorian-era artifacts, the Ironworks Distillery, and various stores and galleries.

Meals:  B

You've got one more glorious morning in Lunenburg, as your pickup will be scheduled for just after lunch (departing at 2pm). Services end upon arrival in Halifax. Additional nights can be added upon request.

Meals:  B