I’m not sure why Alberta didn't name a town after Meat, but Nova Scotia definitely has one up us.
Seriously, what Albertan would not make a pilgrimage to Meat Cove!? Meat Cove earned its name honestly, it was once a loading facility for Europeans to export moose, deer and bear. They were more interested in the furs, hides and antlers then the meat itself and therefore left most of the carcass rotting on the beach. Can you imagine the smell? Thus, MEAT Cove...
Today Meat Cove is a beautiful secluded spot nestled in the farthest North East corner of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Our campsite was situated on a beautiful cliff overlooking the ocean and a rocky beach below. An hour from the main tourist road (the Cabot Trail), Meat Cove has a phenomenal fresh seafood restaurant situated on the campsite and rated five stars on Trip Adviser. Our first night there it was lobsters all around!
After a day of swimming and resting on the rocky beach we decided to spend our second day exploring the nearby town on St. Lawrence Bay. We blinked and we had driven through the town. We soon found ourselves down by the local docks just as the days catch was coming in. Our inquisitive youngsters were asking tons of questions about the days haul. How many lobsters can you fit in a trap? How many traps do you have? How many crabs to you bring home in a day? We were surprised to find out that they had 3,700 lbs of crab in their boat!
The captain of the boat was so impressed with the kids interest and their fearless nature when handling the crabs that they gave us SIX to take home for dinner! The kindness we’ve encountered on this trip is unbelievable and it doesn’t stop there. We did not have a pot big enough to boil our clan of crabs nor did we know how to clean them properly. The Crab Shack, our famous campsite restaurant came to our rescue and cooked our dinner for us, for free! With six large crabs on our plates we had to pay it forward and invited some nearby campers to join in the FEAST! Meat Cove was an AMAZING experience and definitely lived up to this Albertan’s high expectations.
