Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/500391
s u m m e r 2 0 1 5 | g o i n g p l a c e s 35 no wrong turns; the only parameter is where you want to spend each night. e Cabot Trail loops around northern Cape Breton Island, following the western a n d e a s te r n co a s t l i n e s , t h e n c u t t i n g through Cape Breton Highlands National Park. e big question is whether to travel clockwise or counter-clockwise. Driving the route counter-clockwise (say, from Ingon- ish to Chéticamp) may give you a better view of the spectacular ocean vistas along the way, and you'll encounter less traffic, but it's not for those averse to steep, curvy mountain drops. Perhaps the most iconic bit of the trail is the stretch between Ingonish and Ché- ticamp. It rises and falls like a fiddle tune through forests and oceanside cliffs. You'll pass beaches and whale-watching spots where the whales are said to be lured by the Celtic music coming from quaint villages along the route. When you reach Cape Breton Highlands National Park on the northern part of your drive, stretch your legs on one of 26 hiking trails. It's like walking through a painting – corduroy green and spiky brown grass wav- ing over highland mountains, the colour scheme of a 19th-century gentleman's study. Best explored at sunset, the Skyline Trail is probably the most popular of the park's hikes, a path through boreal forest with a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean 400 (opposite) Cape Breton Island's French colonial history comes to life at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site; (above) newly opened Cabot Links is Canada's only authentic links-style course.