Digby has a thing about naming areas after body parts. It is located on Digby Gut which opens into the Bay of Fundy with its massive tide fluctuations. It is also the starting point for the Digby Neck & Islands Scenic Drive. We took time to sightsee along the Scenic Drive and visited tiny villages, some accessible only via small ferry.

On our trip from Shelburne to Digby, we stopped in the town of Yarmouth for lunch. It is the terminus for the Nova Scotia/Main ferry and has a wide variety of restaurants, interesting shops and well maintained Victorian era homes.

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There are eleven rooms, many with private bath. Our room was one of the largest and was on the second floor. It had two double beds, table and chairs and a TV with remote control. An extra, much appreciated, feature was the folding suitcase stands so that we didn’t have to pile luggage on top of the table or beds. The 4 piece ensuite bathroom was almost as large as the bedroom.

Our room was starting to show its age with paint chipped baseboards and old doors that were a bit hard to close but otherwise the room was bright with floral bedspreads and quilted wall hangings that were handmade by the owner.

Breakfast was served in the main floor dining room between 7:30 and 9:00. As well as a cold buffet of cereal, homemade muffins, juice and fruit, hot food was made to order -eggs, either scrambled or poached and toast.

The large, fully enclosed porch at the front of the Inn was filled with tables and chairs to enjoy the harbour view no matter what the weather. There was a lot of information on the tourist attractions and various restaurant menus as well as a couple of interesting books detailing the history of the area.

Prices range from $55.00 to $85.00 during high season. Our room cost $60.00 because it was off season. The summer rate would be $85.00.

As well as seafood like salmon, halibut, lobster and clams, the menu listed pork chops (remember the cartoon), chicken, liver and steak. For smaller appetites there were salads, sandwiches, soup, burgers, etc.

My sister ordered scallops and she was nice enough to share some with me. Lightly coated with flour, drizzled with butter and fried, they were plump, juicy and soooo good. Mashed potatoes, steamed frozen vegetables and small packets of cocktail sauce accompanied the scallops. The vegetables were bland but the scallops were so good that we could overlook that. I ordered a lobster roll with coleslaw and potato salad. It turned out to be chopped lobster salad piled into a toasted hot dog type roll. Not quite what I expected but it was good and they didn’t scrimp on the amount of lobster. The total for both entrees was approx. $20.00 (CDN) before taxes.

Service was almost too efficient - the entrees were brought to the table before we even finished our complimentary rolls. We shared a slice of homemade lemon pie for dessert but the crust was pretty tough and the filling rather pasty.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and on weekends there is a (non seafood) buffet for $10.00 per person.

Although the side dishes and dessert weren’t great, the seafood was very well prepared but on my next trip to Digby, I think I’d look for another restaurant.

This large restaurant is located in an 1867 building that was used as harbour offices at one time. The decor is rustic with wooden planked floors and large exposed ceiling beams. There are lots of windows overlooking the water and the walls are decorated with fishing and Maritime memorabilia. The large bar has a good selection of beer, including their own home brew. It was too early in the season for the large outdoor patio to be open but it looked like a great place to soak up some sun and enjoy the harbour views.

The menu was quite extensive with lots of appetizers and pub food like burgers, sandwiches, soups and sandwiches. There was also a good selection of seafood including salmon, haddock, lobster, fish and chips, clams, scallops, etc. I wanted to try something that reflected the French heritage of the area so chose Rappie Pie, advertised as a French Acadian chicken & potato dish ($7.95). The waiter explained it was a casserole made by grating raw potatoes, squeezing out the moisture and then cooking it with chicken broth and chunks of chicken. Sounded pretty good but when it was brought to the table it looked like an unappealing mass of undercooked oatmeal. The texture was mushy but surprisingly, it tasted great. The waiter apologized because it was supposed to be browned under a broiler and their broiler had just gone on the blink. The portion was far too much for one person but I did enjoy it and would order it again - as long as I knew the broiler was working.

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, 7 days a week.

Just beside Rudders, the Good Cheer Gifts & Crafts Centre is located in another historic building, circa 1835. As well as featuring one of a kind Nova Scotian made crafts and gifts, it hosts crafts demonstrations and has some antique displays from the Yarmouth County Museum.

The complete route from Digby to Westport on Brier Island takes less than two hours but we weren’t in any hurry and stopped at various points along the way. Surprisingly much of the main road runs through the centre of the Neck so coastal views are rare unless you detour to one of the waterside villages. We stopped in Little River, Tiverton and Westport, tiny villages that get their livelihood from the fishing industry and more recently, tourism. Each had access to walking trails, beaches and lots of photo opportunities for this ruggedly scenic area.

The ferry crossing from the village of East Ferry to Tiverton on Long Island took less than 5 minutes and then we had just enough time to drive the length of the island to catch the ferry at Freeport for another short ride to Westport on Brier Island. Cost for each return trip was $4.00. The ferries run hourly - on the half hour from East Ferry and on the hour from Freeport although in the summer they supposedly run continually to avoid any lineups. We spent time exploring Brier which is home to 3 lighthouses - Grand Passage, Brier Island and Peters Island just offshore. Except for the area around the ferry terminal, most of the roads on Brier are just dirt and gravel. Much of the island is covered in marshy terrain that is a conservation areas for plants and birds.

Long Island is home to Balancing Rock, a large basalt rock column that balances precariously at the shore’s edge. It’s a medium terrain hiking trail but I’m a fair weather hiker and the rain made the trail slippery and not appealing enough to do. We did make a stop at Boar’s Head Lighthouse at the northern tip of the island to admire the Bay of Fundy coastline.