There weren’t many positives in 2020 due to Covid 19. But if we were to look for a silver lining it might be that many of us enjoyed more local travel. Some revisiting past haunts and others exploring parts of the province for the first time.
The Eastern Shore has always been a little off the beaten track. Just referencing it can bring a blank stare followed by “where exactly is that?”. Tourism agencies have been known to suggest visitors bypass the Eastern Shore because “there’s nothing there”. For some though that’s just the point! Travelling along the #7 you won’t find a lot of restaurants or gift shops or even gas stations but you will see trees and water, beaches, seabirds, eagles and osprey. And if you have time to explore you can see seals and mink, foxes and deer and on occasion perhaps a whales or two. And that sort of “nothing” is increasingly in demand.
The 150 km stretch between Musquodoboit Harbour and Sherbrooke on the Eastern Shore is home to 3 Provincial Parks with beautiful long sandy beaches as well as Nova Scotia’s largest Coastal Island wilderness; an archipelago known as The Wild Islands!
The Provincial Parks are:
Taylors Head Provincial Park https://parks.novascotia.ca/park/taylor-head
Clam Harbour Provincial Park https://parks.novascotia.ca/park/clam-harbour-beach
Martinique Provincial Park https://parks.novascotia.ca/park/martinique-beach
The Wild Islands is a series of islands dotted with sand beaches, windswept headlands, boreal forests and thriving swamps and bogland and is home to a diverse range of wildlife. This area includes over 700 islands ranging in size from 1/10 acre to 1000 acres and of these, 85% are now protected by Nova Scotia The Nature Trust.
The Nature Trust is a charity dedicated to protecting Nova Scotia’s most unique and outstanding natural areas in perpetuity so they may be enjoyed for generations to come. Currently 70% of all land in Nova Scotia is privately owned including 85% of our coast. The Nature Trust is not part of government or an activist environmental group but was created to help landowner interested in protecting nature on their lands.
So how are the Islands protected? Some lands have been donated or purchased by The Nature Trust, some islands have been protected through conservation easements which allow the land to stay in family ownership but the natural values of the islands are protected, forever, and the owner receives tax benefits in recognition of their conservation gift for the benefit of all Nova Scotians. About 4,000 acres are owned by the Province. In 2015, all of the Crown-owned Islands within the Wild Islands focus area were designated as part of the Eastern Shore Wilderness Area. These islands remain in government ownership but can never be sold, subdivided or the natural values of the islands be changed. Visit the Nova Scotia Nature Trust at: https://nsnt.ca/
Here is a short video of the Wild Island Archipelago . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvDsqqAVUNU
This area is obviously well known to us. Seven (7) generations of Murphy’s have been fortunate to call Murphy Cove home. Our mission at Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean is to find ways to share this beautiful coastal wilderness with others.
Brian Murphy offers fabulous scenic boat tours and charters and Ryan Murphy offers some incredible island adventures. So come for a visit, pitch your tent or park your RV and let us share some of our “nothing”. See you soon!
Murphy’s Camping on the Ocean Experiences
Scenic Boat tours https://www.murphyscamping.ca/boat-tours/
100 islands in 100 minutes https://www.murphyscamping.ca/100-islands-100-minutes/
Island day trip adventures https://www.murphyscamping.ca/island-adventures/
Island camping adventures https://www.murphyscamping.ca/island-adventures/
Kayak rentals https://www.murphyscamping.ca/kayaking/
Cole Harbour native gives $3.5 million to protect Eastern Shore Islands
CBC article, “The secret Caribbean vistas right off Nova Scotia’s coast”
CBC Radio: Nick Hawkins and the 100 Wild Islands