Itinerary

Day 1: Marble Mountain to Glenora Distillery.

After the morning meet and greet, we load up in the support vehicle for a short transfer from Halifax to the small village of Marble Mountain, to start this remarkable week-long cycling tour.
Day 1’s route is a gentle warm-up for the upcoming week, so the climbing will be minimal as we ride across the width of Cape Breton island to our destination of Glenora Inn & Distillery.
Distance: 49 miles/78 kilometers with up to 1,920 feet/585 meters of climbing

Day 2: Glenora Distillery to Chéticamp.

Today is a longer day, so we will depart early from the Glenora Inn & Distillery making our way southeast around inland Lake Ainslie and then turn north towards the Gulf of St. Lawrence. We then follow the rugged coastline all the way to our destination of Chéticamp, our home for this evening.
Distance: 69 miles/110 kilometers with up to 2,940 feet/896 meters of climbing

Day 3: Chéticamp to Ingonish..

Today offers perhaps the most magnificent route for the entire week! We depart from Chéticamp and soon find ourselves within Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Along a spectacular stretch of road known as the Cabot Trail.
The Cabot Trail offers the most climbing of the tour along with possibly the best views and brightest fall colors. At the 12 mile point in the route there is an option to hike Skyline Trail offering perhaps the most iconic views in all of Cape Breton.
Those looking for a longer riding day can take a side trip up to Meat Cove, the most northerly community in Cape Breton and which is literally perched on the edge of a cliff.
This is a challenging side trip where the climbs in the last part leading up to Meat Cove are steep and the last few miles are on a rough dirt road. However, your efforts will be rewarded with spectacular views and you can treat yourself to a bowl of chowder and a cold beer at the campground restaurant.
The Cabot Trail ride ends in Ingonish where we check into our accommodations.
Distance standard: 67 mi/107km 6,010 ft/ 1,832 meters of climbing.

Day 4: Ingonish to Baddeck.

Today we leave Ingonish and soon find ourselves tackling a 7-kilometer long category 3 climb which rewards at the summit with views of Cabot Strait. From the summit a screaming descent is enjoyed down to Cabot Strait and St. Anns Bay.
Upon reaching Jersey Cove a short ride on the Englishtown Ferry is taken. From here we make our way to Baddeck where we finish our ride and check into this evening’s accommodations.
Distance: 54 mi/87 km, 2,830 ft./863 meters of climbing.

Day 5: Layoverday with optional activities

With a layover day in Baddeck, guests will have the opportunity to relax, sightsee the town. Visit the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, or tackle on-your-own adventures such as kayaking or even taking a quick spin around town on your bike. In the afternoon as a group we will embark on an educational and entertaining 90 minute cruise of the Bras d’Or Lakes with Amoeba Tours.

Day 6: Baddeck to Normaway Inn.

With a shorter ride on the agenda for today, guests can enjoy a relaxing morning in Baddeck before we depart for our ride. Today’s route starts with the Big Baddeck loop and then continues along the Cabot Trail, but instead of water views, we turn inland towards the center of Cape Breton island until we reach our destination at The Normaway Inn.
Distance: 43 miles/69 kilometers with up to 2,700 feet/823 meters of climbing

Day 7: Normaway Inn to Inverness

The last day of our Nova Scotia tour has arrived with another short ride on the schedule. From the Normaway Inn, we will pedal west roughly following the Margaree River through the Margaree Valley. Then the route turns southwest to end in the beautiful coastal town of Inverness.
Here we will enjoy lunch and browse the local shops. Afterwards, we load the support vehicle and transfer back to Halifax to end our tour.
Distance: 38 miles/61 kilometers with up to 1,750 feet/533 meters of climbing

* This is a general itinerary. Tour itineraries are subject to change based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances such as the weather, local conditions, government intervention, that may affect the quality of the trip and/or safety of the participants. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Lodging

Nova Scotia, Cape Breton, Bike tour

Night 1: Glenora Inn & Distillery, Mabou, NS, Canada
Night 2: Pilot Whale Chalets, Chéticamp, NS, Canada
Night 3: Ingonish Chalets, Ingonish, NS, Canada
Nights 4 & 5: Inverary Resort, Baddeck, NS, Canada
Night 6: The Normaway Inn, Margaree Valley, NS, Canada

Included:

• 6 Nights of comfortable lodging
• Guide service,
• Most meals (except 1 breakfast and 1 dinner), energy food, liquid refreshments.
• Entrance fees,
• Shuttles and mechanical support.

Not included:

• Night before and after the tour not included.
• Bike rental.  Be sure to bring your own helmet. We have a very limited supply and will only pack them if special arrangements are made ahead of time.
• Flights to and from the trip.
• Gratuity guides.
• Alcoholic beverages

Pricing / Tour dates

Tour price 2024: $ 3850.- pp single fee $ 695.-
You can avoid a single supplement by sharing a room with another rider.
Bike rental:
The Scott Addict 10. $250.-
Scott E-bike road bikes with straight bars $ 395.-
Tour dates 2025:
16 Aug – 22 Aug
24 Aug – 30 Aug

Conditions

Deposit: $950.- pp
The deposit payment for a tour must be paid within two weeks after the booking is confirmed.
The remaining payment is due 90 days before the start of the tour.
For tours that are booked within 90 days before the start of the tour you will pay 100% of the tour price

Information

Meals:
We provides most meals on all tours (unless otherwise noted) including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Guides will prepare a daily lunch en route for nearly every tour, both road and off-road, as well as provide nutritious snacks at periodic aid stations during the day.
Most of our road tours utilize local restaurants for all meals and occasionally guides may prepare a dinner or two during a tour. Due to the nature of being “off the grid”, most of our off-road tours feature guide prepared meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. FUN NOTE: When guides prepare a meal in camp and the guests sit around and watch, this is called “Guide TV”.

Lunches: Our guides prepares healthy lunches to keep you going. We will serve you fresh organic fruits and veggies, salads, hummus, sandwich fixings, nuts, gourmet cheeses and, of course, plenty of salty/sweet snacks such as chips and cookies.

Dinners: On our road tours,We sources our favorite restaurants in each town that we visit. Our guides focus on establishments that offer fresh and local ingredients and guests choose whatever they desire to eat off the menu including: appetizer, salad, entrée, and of course, dessert… yum! Also, while on tour if a guest wants to dine early before the group and go to bed, this is fine. We understand that on some days sleep is the most important post-ride element.