Municipality of the District of Clare
Nestled along Saint Mary’s Bay, Nova Scotia
Municipality of the District of Clare
Municipality of the District of Clare, Nova Scotia
Listen to Karen
Nestled along Saint Mary’s Bay, Claire is a beautiful area to visit with large Roman Catholic churches contrasted with working wharf's. This vacation was relaxed, yet so much to see! Making Clare unique if you aren’t familiar with Nova Scotia is its richness in Acadian language and culture.
When you travel around Nova Scotia, it’s history of the conflict between the British and the French is written in its museums, monuments and forts. The Acadians were descendants of the French colonists, and when finally, the British had control of Nova Scotia/New Brunswick they expelled the Acadians. Although neutral and wanting to farm peacefully on dyke land they had farmed for generations, the British were fearful and demanded the Acadians take an oath to the Queen of England. The Acadian men refused and in a shameful chapter of Canadian history, the Acadian’s were expelled, and their homes burned so they wouldn’t come back. However, come back they did and many resettled in and around Clare.
We stayed at Belle Bay Campground, right on Saint Mary’s Bay and enjoyed a spectacular sunset. We camped about 5 days, exploring Clare and surrounding areas. There is a lot of history to explore along with a working community.
Two significant churches, St. Bernard Catholic Church in that village, a large granite church begun construction in 1910 and Saint Marie Catholic church, the largest wooden church in North America, with its beautiful stained-glass windows and steeple located at Church Point, first began construction in 1774. Truly an awe-inspiring place to stand quietly.
We visited 2 working wharfs on our travels: Meteghan Wharf and Saulnierville Wharf, exciting places with their many fishing boats and seagulls. We saw one boat heading out past the break water of rocks and saw it again when we visited Savary Park, but that is another blog!
Coming back to our history, take time to visit Major’s Point Historical Site. An unassuming solemn place down a dirt road, the Acadian history is rich. During the winter of 1755, 120 Acadians found refuge here and escaped deportation. In 1769 the first mass in Claire was celebrated here and is the site of the first Acadian cemetery in Claire. You can walk in the small cemetery and a small chapel built to honour the site.
Click an images below to view photos of the District of Clare, Nova Scotia
About Karen
Karen loves to travel (in comfort) with her husband Gary and "girls" Chessey and Sadie (canines). Karen loves photography and writing so she will be sharing her experiences with you and fellow travelers and giving you a "glimpse" of what it is like to....
"Explore Atlantic Canada" and "Discover all it has to offer".
Photo Credits: Karen