THE CAPE BRETON SOUTHEAST COAST

The destination for our 15th Annual Alumna Expedition is the East Coast of Cape Breton Island. We begin our journey on the Grand River by the village of the same name. Here the rapidly moving stream slows, and widens into a drowned estuary leading us to the ocean

from there we make our way north along one of the most remote coastlines in Nova Scotia. Underlain by dark volcanic bedrock, the loose sand and cobble left by ancient glaciers thousands of years ago have been distributed along the shores forming impressive spits along the mouths of rivers and bays. This has created a maze of inland waterways where we can paddle next to the coast if the ocean is too rough and enjoy the contrast between the marine and freshwater environments.

Other highlights of our journey include a large grey seal colony, spectacular drumlin cliffs - the highest in the province, the idyllic St. Esprit Island, the abandoned light station on Guyon Island, and the deserted fishing village of Gull Cove.

If time and weather permit, we will end the tour in Louisbourg, the largest historical reconstruction in North America which commemorates a pivotal period in Canadian history when the British defeated the French and gained control of what was to become Nova Scotia.