Cabot Trail Loop, Cape Breton

Overview

The Cabot Trail is a 298km loop around the top of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and by consensus one of the great road rides of North America. Riding it anticlockwise from Baddeck saves the drama for the middle days: the road through Cape Breton Highlands National Park climbs French Mountain, North Mountain and MacKenzie Mountain in quick succession, with grades hitting 13% and the Gulf of St Lawrence glittering a sheer drop to your left. The moment that makes it is walking the Skyline Trail at dusk — a headland boardwalk where moose graze and pilot whales roll in the sea below. The variable that catches people out is wind: the Cape's infamous suêtes can gust past 100km/h on the western flank, and a forecast check each morning is as important as your brake pads for the 12% descent into Pleasant Bay. Fly to Halifax and drive four hours, or connect to Sydney. Four days with nights in Chéticamp, Pleasant Bay and Ingonish spreads the climbing sensibly; book accommodation early for July–October as options are thin. Budget around £550 with inns and chowder suppers. June brings quiet roads; early October, the best colour show in eastern Canada.

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Prefilled for 1 October 2026 — the next best-season window. Search on partner sites — opens in a new tab.