Nova Scotia and Newfoundland?

[HondaXR650FL]

I'm planning a trip June 2003 from New Hampshire to Nova Sctia and Newfoundland then back home to Florida. Ferry from Portland ME to save some driving time.
A couple of quck questions:

Is early June a good time of year?

How much time should I allow to see Nova Scotia and Newfoundland?

I'm sure I will come up with more stuff as time goes by, however I have managed to answer most questions by browsing these great boards.

By the way I am taking a 200 Honda XR650L Happy Trails Racks soft Ortleib bags, large tank, Slipstreamer windshield for the bugs, Avon Gripsters. I am thinking of camping with perhaps a hotel/hostel 1-2 nights a week.

Any thoughts/links are greatly appreciated.
Thanks
James Redman

[Bruno Valeri]

Originally posted by HondaXR650FL:
I'm planning a trip June 2003 from New Hampshire to Nova Sctia and Newfoundland then back home to Florida.

Is early June a good time of year?

How much time should I allow to see Nova Scotia and Newfoundland?

By the way I am taking a 200 Honda XR650L
Any thoughts/links are greatly appreciated.
Thanks
James Redman

---------------------------

Yes. However, be prepared for temps ranging from 37 to 60F or so. The range can be great. Also, in early June you may get some frequent rain and strong winds. My last trip was in early June. These low temperatures coupled with rain and wind make for more difficult camping and I ended up using B&B’s frequently.

On the plus side, the tourist season will not have begun. Prices will be a tad lower. Big plus is the bugs and black flies won’t be out.

More predicatble weather comes in starting third to last week in June.

In terms of times, I would consider thesr to be bare minimums:
You may want to spend a day in Halifax, an interesting harbor city.
Peggy’s Cove and southern Nova Scotia could take another day of wandering.
The Cabot Trail is certainly worth your time and so is the National Park there. A day here would merely skim the surface.
Planning on taking the ferry in Sydney NS for a midnight departure will allow you to arrive at Port-Aux-Basques Nfld at 7-8am or so.

If you want to make your trip worthwhile, 2 weeks in Newfoundland is not too much. It's a deceptively big area.

You can easily spend 5 days going up the Western coast, spending some time at Gros Morne National Park and then up to see the icebergs at St Anthony.
Twillingate is a worthwhile area (North Central).

St John’s (East coast) is a great city with great pubs. A window seat at the Battery Hotel bar will give you and incredible view of the harbor especially (if you’re lucky) as the fog rolls in and out.

The hot tip is to stay off the Trans-Canada highway as much as possible. You will see nothing. Go out to the towns and villages and snoop a little. You will find that Newfoundlanders are incredibly friendly people. This is very striking about them.

The real gold is taking the ferry on the southern coast and hopping along towns not accessible by road.

The moose population is very high in Newfoundland. Driving after dark is probably more dangerous than driving after dark in Colombia!! Moose can weigh between 2-3,000 lbs! Accidents are frequent.

If you have time, you can take the ferry from northern Newfoundland and cross the BelleIsle straight to Labardor. You can then run the roads on either side till they turn to gravel. This is where I stopped (CBR929). But with your bike, you can go on exploring the more remote settled areas.

Now if you want to add an exotic touch to the tour, you can take the ferry for St Pierre and Miquelon, a French territory. you will then be on French soil!


Enjoy!

[keithb7]

Are you still intersted in travelling to the east coast of Canada this June? I am originally from NFLD and now live in BC Canada. I was just there visiting Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I. and Newfoundland last summer (2002). If you are looking for more info I'd be happy to help you out. Especially since you ride a Honda XR650L. This too is what I own and ride.

Keith B