Cheticamp

Cheticamp, spelled Chéticamp in French, is the capital of Acadian life on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. The village stretches along the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the island's west coast, and the Cabot Trail meets the sea here before turning inland to the highlands. Acadian families settled the harbour in the 1780s, after the Deportation scattered their ancestors, and they built a community around fishing, farming and the church. The language, food, music and traditions of that heritage are still alive, and the red, white and blue Acadian flag with its yellow star flies from houses and boats.

The most visible landmark is the church of Saint-Pierre, a large stone building from the late 19th century whose tall steeple towers over the village and is easy to spot from the water. Fishing wharves and lobster boats fill the harbour, and in summer, whale-watching boats leave for the coast, where pilot whales and sometimes minke whales feed. Cheticamp is also known for rug hooking. Women of the village developed a tradition of making hooked rugs that were sold across North America, and the museum Les Trois Pignons displays work by famous hookers and tells the story of the craft and of village life.

Music is the other pillar. The village has a strong fiddle and step-dancing tradition, with kitchen parties and ceilidhs at local halls, and the annual Festival de l'Escaouette celebrates Acadian culture every August. Restaurants serve Acadian dishes such as fricot, a chicken stew, and meat pie, and local bakeries sell sweets that go back generations.

The village is also the western gateway to Cape Breton Highlands National Park. The Cheticamp Visitor Centre, run by Parks Canada, lies just inside the park entrance, and staff speak English and French and can offer advice on trails, camping and conditions. The centre is seasonal, usually opening in mid-May and closing in the autumn, and it is where visitors buy park passes and register for programmes. A shop sells field guides and local goods. From here the Cabot Trail climbs through the park to Pleasant Bay and the Skyline Trail.

Plan to stay a night if possible, since the village has guest houses, inns and campgrounds, and evening music is easy to find. Late summer and early autumn are busiest. Check opening hours of the visitor centre before arrival.