17 August 2019, Saturday

This morning we say farewell to Philippe and Constance after exchanging contact information. We will have a relaxing day today, visiting some of the beaches on the eastern side of the national park. We stop first to read about whale, bird and sea turtle migration at Lakies Head. From there we drive to Black Brook Beach and explore the broader beach to the north and the smaller beach to the south of where the brook meets the ocean. The south part is an especially nice place for families. Young children can play safely in the brook here.

Now we drive south to Ingonish Beach which is fairly crowded, likely because it seems to be the only supervised beach. Then we drive to North Beach which, on this beautiful, sunny Saturday afternoon, has only 25 people enjoying sea and sand. 

We return to camp for an early dinner as we plan to attend a Ceilidh this evening. We arrive at St. John’s Parish Hall about 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the ceilidh. The little parking lot is already full, so we park next door. Tickets are $10 each. Tonight’s fiddler is Howie MacDonald and the accompanist is Mary Beth Carty who plays guitar, piano, accordion, bones (hers are made of wood – no bovines harmed in their production – she assures us) and who also sings Gaelic songs. The little hall is full. O and I estimate at least two thirds of the audience is local people. It’s a great concert and we enjoy the music and the relaxed atmosphere. The musicians chat with the audience and kid each other throughout. Mary Beth is quite talented, playing melody as well as chords as she accompanies. Howie interprets the fiddle tunes with joy and precision. Just after intermission a guest fiddler from Vermont, Roger Treat (who also makes handmade wood bows), and Paul Cranford, the emcee for the evening join in the fiddling. It’s a memorable way to spend our last evening at Cape Breton Highlands.