A lovely cottage on three acres of meadow and forest in the extraordinary Aspy Bay region of Cape Breton. The house offers serene, panoramic views of South Harbour, South Mountain and the ridge of mountains that extend to Money Point, the island's easternmost cape. The cottage, with two comfortable bedrooms, an airy screened porch and a large common room filled with light and water views, is tucked among birch trees at the end of a point, surrounded on three sides by water. It comes equipped with two classic Old Town canoes, awaiting at shoreline.
The property is a few minutes drive from the Cabot Trail and a short hop from White Point, Dingwall and the incredible South Harbour Beach. From the cottage you can paddle across the harbor to the beach, or simply loll around fishing for stripped bass as the bald eagles fly overhead. By mid July the point is thick with blueberries.
From here you can easily reach all the wonders of outer Cape Breton, from whale watching at Bay St. Lawrence and Meat Cove to day tripping over to Cheticamp and the incredible salmon fishing in the Margaree River. Several of the towns nearby--Cape North, Neil's Harbour, Ingonish--have a variety of fun dining options. Nearby rivers offer topnotch fly fishing, cliff jumping and fresh-water swimming. There are trails that an entire summer couldn't get to the end of.
The house--available from mid May till the end of October--is perfect for one or two couples, a family of four, or for anyone seeking solitude and calm.
Springs come late to Cape Breton, but the summers stay long. So May can be chilly and the trees still largely leafless, while the summer can easily linger well into September. Similarly, the ocean waters are jarringly cold in early June but get far balmier by late July than the waters off Maine or even Cape Cod. Swimming is easy well past August.
The house has a fully stocked kitchen as well as a dining area and living room, though summers are spent mostly on the porch. The front bedroom has a queen bed and the back has three twins. There's a full bathroom, but for the adventurous, there is also an enclosed outdoor shower with a fine view of the harbour. The house is snug when it's chilly and is fully equipped with topnotch WiFi, as well as washer and dryer. But no, there is not a television, and you wouldn't want to look at one anyway.