Befriending the Locals in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia

Canadians are famed for being ‘nice’.

But until last summer I’d never been to Canada before – so my first introduction to Canadian hospitality was actually in London’s West End, where I sat on the edge of my theatre seat and happily sobbed my way through ‘Come From Away’.

For those who haven’t seen it, this incredible musical tells the true story of what happened when 7,000 international passengers were stranded in the tiny town of Gander, Newfoundland & Labrador, in the week after the September 11th attacks. As I watched these characters welcoming complete strangers into their lives, I still couldn’t believe Canada was really THIS friendly.

Luckily I was about to experience it for myself.

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Canada’s welcoming nature kicked in almost as soon as our plane landed in Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia. First it was the eagerly helpful woman in the rental car queue who gave us speedy directions into town. Then it was the lovely staff at the hotel, who welcomed us with gift bags. And when Kim and I headed to a local bar that evening to see what Halifax’s night life was like, it didn’t take long before we were happily chatting to a guy in a palm-leaf-covered shirt about the best spots he recommended we visit in Nova Scotia. Cameron’s friends on the patio outside were equally welcoming, and soon we were drinking beers and cheering as our new group serenaded us with the Canadian national anthem.

The next morning, we grabbed our bags and hit the road with only marginally aching heads for day one of our road trip through the province. I had Cameron’s hand-drawn map open in my notebook, his squiggly line leading us from Halifax down towards our next destination: Lunenburg (via Mahone Bay, Peggy’s Cove, two highways, and the nearby restaurant where his sister worked. He’d called ahead to make sure she was expecting us for lunch).

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Learning Lunenburg’s history

The little town of Lunenburg is a classic destination for Nova Scotia visitors. Situated on a gorgeous stretch of coastline and founded by the British in the 1750s as a colonial outpost, Lunenburg now holds UNESCO World Heritage status thanks to its beautifully preserved wooden buildings in a British-style street layout.

Our first stop was the Academy, a huge Gothic-like school building at the top of the hill where we met our tour guide, Ralph. Dressed in a wide brimmed hat to keep off the baking sun, he immediately launched into stories about his lifelong hometown, barely pausing for breath.

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For the next hour Ralph led us through Lunenburg’s streets, stopping at tiny churches, innocuous doorways and curiously widened windows.

With every stop, he brought the history of Lunenburg to life: explaining the architectural quirks known as ‘Lunenburg Bumps’, the superstitions which led to people hiding old shoes in their walls to protect against evil, and the restoration process after a Halloween fire in 2001 destroyed St John’s Anglican Church.

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Occasionally Ralph pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket and let us inside a locked building. I stared up at the ceiling of St Johns Church, covered in painted stars, as Ralph told us that the fire prompted a local historian to research the constellations I was looking at. To her surprise, she discovered they matched the position of the stars on the night of Christ’s birth!

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The tour ended at the fishermen’s memorial down by the harbour, and we said our goodbyes to Ralph before sidestepping the crowds of tourists and checking out the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic. Inside was a wealth of interactive exhibits, as well as a sobering look at the reams of names lost to the ocean just steps away from the museum.

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We spent a relaxing afternoon exploring the harbour – stopping for ice creams and an incredible dinner at Grand Banker’s Bar & Grill – then we headed out into the much emptier streets to see Lunenburg in an entirely different light.

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The spirited side of Lunenburg

It’s been said that Lunenburg has more folklore, witches, superstitions and ghost stories than any other place in Nova Scotia. And when you stand in the town’s 300-year-old cemetery at the top of a street named Gallows Hill, you get the distinct feeling it could be true.

Ralph had already touched on many of the haunted happenings to take place in this town, but Kerriann, our guide for the evening, took it to another level. The next few hours were filled with stories of the ghosts who’ve been seen, heard and felt by dozens of people – along with a plethora of superstitions which absolutely fascinated me. Did you know it’s legal to spit in public in Lunenburg if you see a crow?

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Read more: a haunted guide to the spookiest town in Nova Scotia

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Kayaking at Blue Rocks

The next day dawned bright and sunny – perfect weather for a spot of kayaking at nearby Blue Rocks. Kim and I drove over along the coast until we saw a row of red and orange kayaks hauled up onto the shoreline. A guy with a bucket hat waved us over and introduced himself as Finn, who was leading our morning of kayaking.

When enough sun cream had been smeared across our cheeks and various belongings shoved into waterproof bags, we clumsily inserted ourselves into the kayaks along with a small group of others – and off we went.

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This is how I’d imagined rural Canada would look: sparkling light on smooth water, flanked by bright green banks of trees. We pulled on our oars and the narrow vessels slid onwards through the open sea. After yesterday’s walking tours it was a wonderfully different way to experience our surroundings.

Occasionally I’d come up alongside another kayaker, and naturally fall into conversation about the birds we occasionally saw swooping overhead, or the elusive promise of seals hiding in a cove nearby. But mostly I let myself relax into the rhythm of the activity: enjoying the peace and quiet of the Canadian coast.

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In just a few days, I was falling in love with Nova Scotia: the scenery, the stories, the friendliness of the locals. It felt like every person we’d met was eager and willing to chat about their home – and it felt like we’d been welcomed in from the start.

When the tour was over Finn waved us goodbye from amongst the kayaks, a smudge of celebratory ice cream on his cheek. We climbed into our car and headed for the little cable ferry across the river to Lahave, the next stop on our Nova Scotia road trip. And because it already felt like the norm, we struck up an easy conversation with the ferryman, offering him a frozen strawberry from our rapidly defrosting box of snacks.

Niceness begets niceness in Nova Scotia. And everywhere else.

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Our road trip around Nova Scotia was in paid partnership with Tourism Nova Scotia. All photos seen here were taken by Kim Leuenberger.