Sydney, Nova Scotia in May?

[bcscot]

The Maasdam visits Sydney, Nova Scotia on May 13th this year. I have heard that Spring has not yet arrived in Cape Breton in May, due to the iceflows coming down from the north & that it is still cold, possibly snowy, no leaves on the trees & that the tourist attractions do not open until June. Can anyone tell me if this is so? Is it still a nice place to visit in May?

I am well used to Canadian winters, but that is not what I had in mind for a visit to Cape Breton! Any information would be welcome.

Thank you.:)

[rickb]

The Maasdam visits Sydney, Nova Scotia on May 13th this year. I have heard that Spring has not yet arrived in Cape Breton in May, due to the iceflows coming down from the north & that it is still cold, possibly snowy, no leaves on the trees & that the tourist attractions do not open until June. Can anyone tell me if this is so? Is it still a nice place to visit in May?

I am well used to Canadian winters, but that is not what I had in mind for a visit to Cape Breton! Any information would be welcome.

Thank you.:)

 

I lived there for most of my life and it is highly unlikely that there will be any snow. The leaves will be just coming out on the trees although it will probably still be cool. As a guideline most of the golf courses typically open around the first of May. I am not sure about the tourist attractions though since I do not live there anymore. Maybe someone else can comment.

[bcscot]

Thank you Rickb. That sounds more hopeful.

[bcscot]

Thank you very much for your helpful reply Capebreton.

We have not yet decided whether to take the Maasdam or just go straight to Nova Scotia & spend two weeks there in May. We had hoped to experience a Cape Breton 'Ceilidh' when we were there, but again, we have been told that we will be there too soon.:( Do people not like to keep warm in the winter with a good ceilidh?

We recently went to hear Natalie McMaster with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra & had hoped to further our education in Cape Breton culture.:)

[mchiasson]

Hi,

Actually, there are many places (including the National Park) that don't officially open until the long weekend in May. Some places are "open" at the start of May, but they are not fully operational (i.e. restaurant isn't open yet). Many of the more "touristy" things don't really get going until June, but there are still lots of things going on. For example, there are many small communities on the Western side of the Island that have weekly square dances all year round (i.e. South West Mabou), and some local bars have fiddlers on Saturday afternoons (year round). As for the weather, it will depend. The mountains of the Cabot Trail often still have snow then. I wouldn't say for sure there would be leaves on trees...it would depend on what kind of weather we have between now and then. For what it's worth, the ice JUST came in on the Western side, and the harbour in my community hasn't completely frozen over yet. I would suggest that you would be better off coming for 2 weeks. The weather varies significantly in different areas of the province this time of year (and even varies significantly from one side of Cape Breton to the other, depending on the day!). If you are here for 2 weeks, you could drive around and alter your plans based on the weather. It could be a blizzard in Cape Breton, but +5 in Halifax! Highly unlikely we will have snow then, but we have had some snow in the first week of May in the past few years.

Just my thoughts. I also have lived in Cape Breton my whole life, but am on the Western side of the Island. Sydney tends not to "shut down" as much as the rest of the Island does in the shoulder season, so that may explain the difference in opinion on how "active" the Island will be as a whole on the 13th of May!

:-)

Good Luck!

[mchiasson]

Just thought I would add that if your trip dates are flexible at all, there are some festivals and such that are at the end of May. Lobsterpalooza (May 25-June 30) is the first real festival around. They purposely started it (last year? maybe the year before) to try to generate some tourism earlier in the season. It involves lots of community lobster suppers, some little concerts, etc..., and happens around Cape Breton (not just in one community). Also, if you are runners at all, the Cabot Trail Relay (marathon) is on May 24&25 this year. Not a good time to do the trail if you are pressed for time, but neat to watch if you have time (it could possibly add a few extra hours to a drive around the trail if you try to go around while the runners and related traffic are going around).

Last year there were people golfing in December...this year they were finished by late October. There were crocuses popping up this time last winter...definitely not this year. Most municipalities have already used up their entire snow removal budget for the year. 4 years ago we had several feet of snow this time of year (and had a storm the first week of May). Fishing season has been delayed by up to 3 weeks because of the ice in the past few years. Other years they have started on time. The winters have been really unpredictable lately (which is why the snow removal budgets have been inadequate this year), so I don't think any of us can say with any amount of certainty what kind of weather you'll see in May. We could probably give you a better idea in mid to late April (we'll help you pack!).

Hope this helps!

:-)

[bcscot]

Thank you so much for all the helpful info. We will be in Nova Scotia for the first two weeks in May, with a few days at Baddeck in the first week. We will bring our 'winter woolies'!:)

 

Graham.

[mchiasson]

Hi!

If you want more info regarding any local events during your visit (i.e. regular square dances (which, depending on if they are home for a visit then or not, can have Natalie or some of the others doing the fiddling for the dance), performances in local pubs, etc...) that you won't find in any tourism sites, let me know. There would still be lots going on then, but it would be more of the unofficial stuff that the locals would know about. We live about an hour from Baddeck, on the other side of the Island. I am not as familiar with the happenings in and around the Sydney area, but I would be able to tell you whatever is going on in the Inverness/Victoria/Richmond/Antigonish counties.

Feel free to email me at:

lafamillechiasson at hotmail dot com

:-)

[bcscot]

Merci beaucoup.

 

Graham.

[mchiasson]

Ha ha!

Although I am bilingual, it is my husband who is the French one...I'm from one of those Cape Breton Scottish families (we joked we would merge our names to MacChiasson after we got married!).

Would prefer not to use my full name on the board, so I haven't been signing posts with my first name...kind of messed that up by using my last name in the username (rookie mistake). :-)

I assume you have seen the government website, http://www.novascotia.com ?

It's the official provincial tourism website. TONS of information there for the whole province (I even use it myself for when I'm travelling to other parts of the province).

Bonne Chance...or should I say G'un robh math agad! ? :-)

[bcscot]

I am from the North East of Scotland where we speak 'Doric' rather than the Gaelic. My wife however, is going to Gaelic classes at the University of Victoria given by a lady from Cape Breton. My wife is from a Gaelic speaking family but it was lost after her grandmother's generation. They had it beaten out of them at school!

 

A good ceilidh would be more to our taste than a square dance!:)

 

Graham.

[mchiasson]

Hello!

Whenever we stayed there, I remember hearing my grandparents say the rosary in Gaelic before they would go to bed. Both of them spoke Gaelic at home as children, but none of their children were taught it (my father included). They actually have optional Gaelic language courses as a subject in some schools here now as part of the regular curriculum. There has been a big push to revive the language, because it has really died off in the past few decades.

 

They have ceilidhs in Judique on Sunday nights (all year long). Here is the link from novascotia.com that gives the info (FYI, Kinnon Beaton would be an uncle by marriage to Natalie). If you are staying in Baddeck, you wouldn't be too far from there (about an hour and a half drive, depending on which way you go):

 

http://novascotia.com/en/home/whattodo/festivalsandevents/listingdetails.aspx?mode=4&id=8681&pg=1

 

:-)

PS As a note to the others who posted, I hope I didn't come across the wrong way with my posts! We have had some toursits come to our area in May who were told "everything is open" and that the weather will be great, and they haven't always been happy when they arrived. Bad new travels fast, so I just wanted to offer a bit more of a cautious perspective. I myself have been told by some properties in Cape Breton that they are "open" in May, and then get there and find out you can't eat on-site, or activities that are listed don't really start for a few more weeks, etc... While NS is an awesome place to visit any time of year, it can be somewhat "hit or miss" with properties/restaurants/activities/weather in May in many places in NS, so I just wanted to offer that perspective. :-)

[bcscot]

Thank you again for all this very useful information. My wife plays the Clarsach (Celtic harp) & will be interested in the musical links. My wife's father comes from Inverness & both my wife & I have lived & worked there (that was where we met), so it will be interesting to visit Inverness, Nova Scotia.

 

Graham.

[mchiasson]

Hi Capebreton!

It's mutual...there are times when I would trade you my scenery for your access to a Walmart! ;-) Hopefully they will have a great trip and be able to enjoy many different parts of the island. As they have said, they aren't coming in on the cruise now, so do you know any more about the hours of operation of these facilities during the first two weeks of May (not on the 13th)?

:-)

PS Only been living in Cheticamp for a few years...but born/raised/living in Cape Breton most of my life (Chiasson is the married name).

PPS My sister worked at a VIC for a few years (Causeway office). Are you in a year-round office?

[PennyAgain]

Many of the cruise companies are pushing the season early in the spring and later in autumn both in Canada and Alaska. It doesn't mean it is the best thing for those who buy the tickets!

[luvscruising2007]

We will be there in early September. What is the weather like then. I should clarify. We will be in Sydney in September. What can we expect an early fall or late summer?

j

[mchiasson]

Hello!

There have been some years when our best summer weather has been in August/September. September can still be warm here. You can sometimes still wear shorts into mid/late September. Again, just depends on the day/week/summer/location!

If you ever want to get a feel for what kind of weather we are having, you can always check out our 5 day forecasts through Environment Canada:

 

http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/canada/index_e.html?id=NS

 

If you check it out before you leave, it may be able to tell you exactly what they are expecting for NS for the time you are here. You can choose a specific location in NS if you want a specific weather forecast.

 

:-)

[terpla]

Hi CapeBreton,

We will be on Royal Caribbean and in Sidney Oct. 11 and definetely would appreciate the names of local guides and some info on what is a must see. I would welcome any suggestions. I am expecting cool weather so if it's warmer it's a bonus.

[Southbound]

We will be on Holland America's new Eurodam for her 9/1/08 inaugural NE/Canada cruise, visiting Halifax on 9/5 and Sydney on 9/6 and also would greatly appreciate any info on tour companies and "must see" recommendations you can share. :)

[mchiasson]

It was 18 degrees on Friday (the 9th)....on Sunday (the 11th) we got snow in Cape Breton...10 to 15 cm in some places. Check out the story on CTV...we made the National news, but for all the wrong reasons! Ugh!

 

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080511/cape_breton_080511/20080511?hub=Canada

 

If you're coming any time in the next week or two, I would pack some warmer clothes just in case, and maybe check the 5-day forecast on the Environment Canada website before you pack. Here is the link (just pick the community that you want the forecast for):

 

http://weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/canada/index_e.html?id=NS

 

Here's hoping this was the last of the snow, and that next weekend will bring some more premanent warmer weather!

 

:-)

[cruznqueen]

Question.....From where we dock in Sydney, would we have enough time to drive the cabot trail. Our ship is only in port from 1PM to 6PM.

If we don't have enough time for this what else do you suggest?

 

Any ATV trips or beautiful scenic things we should see?

 

Any info would be very very helpful.

 

Thanks,

Mary