I have to admin it, I have been hiking Cape Breton for 15 years and, before October 6th of this year, had never hiked the Mabou Highlands. Well there was that once I tried, hit a snow storm and ended up wondering around a farmers field looking for shelter… But I don’t count that.

Well this year, I can count the Mabou Highlands off my Cape Breton hiking bucket list.

I left Sydney early on what would be a wonderful Meetup.com adventure with a group of people I didn’t know.

The first thing you have to know about the Mabou Highland is that half the adventure is finding it. Luckily Roland, my personal driver for the day, had been there just two weeks earlier. You see, when driving through Mabou, you take the road shortly after the Red Shoe which takes you toward the ocean, you then turn onto a dirt road which seems to get narrower and less road-like every kilometre, and before you know it you are at the trailhead.

Ok, back to the trail! This trail, or should I say network of trails, it very well traveled and maintained. There are signs everywhere which lead you along the many kilometres of trail. On our day there, we traveled approximately 10km and never walked the same trail twice. These trails follow rolling mountains, coastal vistas, and back woods roads, all of which tend to take you past smiling faces of locals out for a stroll.

We saw some great views along the way and I know I only saw about a third on the trails there. I guess I will have to go back.