After exiting the ferry, we stopped in Pictou to refresh our provisions then headed to Antigonish, NS for lunch.
At one point in our lives, we could have spent a lot of time here. Antigonish is home to Saint Francis Xavier University (St. FX). One of our daughters was accepted to attend University here but at the last minute, chose to go somewhere else.
Antigonish has some unique stories / history. Its history dates back to the 18th century when Mi’kmaq indigenous people inhabited the region. In the late 18th century, Scottish immigrants began to settle in the area.
Officially established in 1784, it was named after the Mi’kmaq word “Nalegitkooneech” meaning “where branches are torn off.” ( what does that say about the weather?)
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Antigonish became known for its cultural and educational institutions, including St. Francis Xavier University, which was founded in 1853 by the Roman Catholic Church and has since become a prestigious academic institution in Canada.
Antigonish played a significant role in the development of the labor movement in Canada, particularly through the Antigonish Movement in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Antigonish Movement was a pioneering adult education and community development initiative that originated in 1929. It was inspired by the vision of Father Moses Coady, a Roman Catholic priest, and Rev. James Tompkins, a Presbyterian minister, who believed in the power of education and collective action to empower individuals and communities.
At the heart of the Antigonish Movement was the belief that by providing education and organizing people to work together, individuals could improve their economic, social, and political circumstances. The movement focused on adult education, cooperatives, and community organization as tools for social change. The movement also emphasized the importance of cooperative enterprises as a way to address economic inequality and improve the lives of rural communities. Through the establishment of cooperative businesses, such as credit unions, farmers’ cooperatives, and fishing cooperatives, individuals were able to pool their resources and expertise to create sustainable economic opportunities.
The Antigonish Movement had a lasting impact on Canadian society, inspiring similar initiatives around the world.
“Antigonish” is also a well known poem written by Hughes Mearns in 1899. The poem is known for its haunting and eerie tone, as well as its famous refrain:
“As I was going up the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there again today,
Oh how I wish he’d go away…”
The poem describes a man who repeatedly encounters a figure that he cannot fully see or grasp, leading to a sense of unease and mystery. The repetition of the refrain adds to the sense of confusion and disorientation, creating a sense of foreboding throughout the poem.
“Antigonish” has been widely analyzed and interpreted by readers and scholars, with many seeing it as a reflection of the human tendency to fear the unknown or the unseen. The poem has been referenced in popular culture, including in various films, TV shows, and books.
Our campsite tonight is a private campground in Linwood Harbour, adjacent to the causeway to Cape Breton tomorrow.
This is a lovely shaded campground with a view of the water. There are mosquitoes so I put the bug tent up for the rest of the day.
Major Change in Plans
Of course a good chunk of our trip is to Newfoundland. We had reserved a 15 hour ferry to Placentia / Argentia and then into St. John’s. There was always a risk involved in this, as we have experience already with ferries out of service etc etc.
We were informed this afternoon that our ferry reservation has now been changed from Placentia to Port aux Basques, 500 miles (!) From where we wanted to start our trip in Newfoundland. That means all our reservations are out of sync and a visit to a friend in St. John’s totally out of the question along with the two bird sanctuaries we had planned to visit.
Time to regroup and rethink that part of the trip. At least the ferry ride is shorter but gets us into Port aux Basques some time after midnight necessitating an additional campsite reservation. Our original ferry was overnight and included a sleeping cabin
More on this later. This was always going to be a potential problem but now we know it actually will be.
BTW… those islands just to the south of Nfld, St. Pierre et Miquelon, belong to France! NFLD itself was part of the UK until 1949. More about that if/when we actually get there.
After the initial dismay about rearranging our plans, we think we have something workable.
Sitting here in our little bug tent with a glass of wine, some soft music on my phone and my hand sewing. Brian has been chopping up the 2 lobsters we purchased this morning. We don’t exactly have lobster meat retrieval tools so it’s a hammer and a knife! He took his frustration for Marine Atlantic out on the lobsters. Therapeutic and nutitional.
Dinner is raw veggies and hummus, lobster sandwiches with my homemade bread, wine, grapes and cookies for dessert.
We have some firewood for tonight. It’s much cooler today.
It’s Stanley Cup week (hockey) and our neighbour’s a few campsites up have their TVs outside watching the Edmonton oilers play the Panthers ( I still think hockey in Florida is just plain wrong!). Edmonton won. Last game is in Miami (I think).
Louise and Brian McLeod Travel Blog 
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