Read the first three chapters of Nadine & Mark’s epic Maritime cycling adventure here (1), here (2) and here (3)!

There couldn’t have been a more perfect day for cycling. The weather cooperated, and we had a nice long stretch of almost perfect road (and by this I mean that it had been paved within the last couple of years and was smooth and pothole free – perfect). Let’s just say that this isn’t a characteristic of most of the roads we traveled on in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

A must-ride if you’re ever in Nova Scotia.

The day
Start: Amherst, Nova Scotia
End: Spencer Island, Nova Scotia
Distance: 97 KM
Weather: Cloudy, high of 22C

The handouts:

Here’s an example of the day’s maps. They also list (not shown here) the supported grocery pickup for the day and recommended stops for lunch. We get these handouts the night before and try to plan how much stuff we need to carry with us – pack a lunch or will we luck into finding some little hidden treasure along the way.

Notice the distance on the map? It’s off by almost 10km. Not a big deal, but when you get yourself ready for an 86 km ride and are suddenly faced with an extra 10km …. it’s all part of the adventure!

It was a pretty quiet day, with very little map reading – there was bound to be a least one perfect day! We rode past Joggins – a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site – my words can’t do it justice….check out the site.

Some scenery along the way:

In the coming days, we’ll have biked all the way around to the other side!

This is a pretty remote area of Nova Scotia, with hardly any traffic or houses for miles on end – not even a telephone pole – just a road and 24 cyclists making their way to the next campsite.

The campsite was at the bottom of a hill – RIGHT ON the beach! I thought this was the greatest thing (and it was). Except, as the tide came in through the night – it was surprisingly loud (washing over the rocky beach)….aye! I spent most of the night worrying about washing out to sea!

Along the same lines.....

• October 2, 2008 -- Cycling – Maritime Adventure – Day 5 – Spencer Island, Nova Scotia to Hilden, Nova Scotia
• September 2, 2008 -- Cycling – New Brunswick Adventure – Day 3 – Fundy National Park, NB to Amherst, NS (160km, 110km or 50k)
• August 19, 2008 -- Cycling – New Brunswick Adventure – Day 1 – St. Martins to Fundy National Park – 108 km
• August 12, 2008 -- Cycling – New Brunswick Adventure – Pre-Tour – Day 1 – Saint John to St Martins
• April 17, 2010 -- Philanthropic Pedaling – Cyclists to Bike Through Italy to Aid a Rural Village in Namibia
• June 29, 2009 -- Prince Edward County – Cycling in and Around Picton Ontario
• June 8, 2009 -- Rideau Lakes Cycling Tour – Ottawa to Kingston
• September 26, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 12 – Kinderdijk – Dutch Windmills
• September 25, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 11 – Utrecht to Gouda
• September 24, 2008 -- Cycling – Netherlands Bicycle Tour – Day 10 – Groningen & Drenthe Day Trip