Cape Forchu Lighthouse

Cape Forchu Lighthouse stands on a headland at the entrance to Yarmouth Harbour, at the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia, about ten kilometres from the town centre. The first lighthouse here dates from the late 1830s, and the site has guided vessels into the harbour ever since. The present tower, built in the 1960s, is one of the most distinctive in Canada’s lighthouse fleet. It has a flared, ribbed concrete shape that people compare to an apple core, which was designed to withstand the wind and weather of this exposed coast.

The name comes from the French word fourchu, meaning forked, and Samuel de Champlain is said to have used the name in the early seventeenth century, since the cape, with its two arms of land, looks forked on a map. That French name has stuck, in a form adapted over time. The lighthouse was important because Yarmouth was a major shipping town in the age of sail, home to a huge fleet of wooden vessels and one of the largest ports of registry in Canada, and ships needed a reliable light at the harbour mouth.

Visitors can explore the grounds, which are open for walking at any time, and the keeper’s residence, which has been turned into a small museum about lighthouse life. Displays describe the work of the keepers, who had to tend the lamp, keep the lens clean and record the weather, often in isolation. A fee-based climb of the tower, when offered, gives views over the Atlantic Ocean and the working harbour. The grounds also hold a gift shop and picnic spots.

The Leif Erikson Trail runs through the grounds and along the coast, and the name recalls the legend that Norse explorers reached this part of the coast a thousand years ago. Nearby, the disputed Yarmouth Runic Stone, kept in the county museum in town, feeds that story, though historians remain divided over its origins. Whatever one believes, the trail is a pleasant walk with views of the rocky shore, the surf and the lighthouse itself.

The best time to visit is in the warmer months, when the site is staffed and open. In the evening the light at the cape has a special glow, and storms bring dramatic waves to the rocks. The site suits families, photographers and lighthouse enthusiasts, and it combines well with the Yarmouth waterfront and the Fire Engine Museum. Bring a windproof jacket, since the headland is exposed, and allow an hour or two.