“We orchestrate enthusiastic people, fascinating destinations, quality equipment, nutritious cuisine, and luxurious rest, to create extraordinary active holidays for small groups and individuals. We treat our guests, our partners, our environment, the communities we visit, and each other with respect. We promote active travel to enrich experience and maintain good health. On top of it all, we seek spontaneity, serendipity, and fun.”

Mission statement of Freewheeling Adventures

When  Freewheeling Adventures first began in 1987 its owners, Cathy and Philip, combined a love of cycling with that of exploration to come up with a program that has extended the boundaries of their company. Along with one of the planet’s most comprehensive bicycle touring programs there is sea kayaking, hiking, walking and yoga, or a combination of sports. They are available in a variety of support options:

• Guided
• Unguided
• Self-Supported
• Private Excursions
• Group Excursions
• Walking Tours
• Custom Tours
• Day Trips
• Join a Group
• Family Trips

Along with the variety of tours you can also choose your own gear: bicycles, tandem bicycles, bicycle trailers, single sea kayaks, tandem sea kayaks, etc.

Tours With Flavor

In addition to perennial Atlantic Canada favorites like Cape Breton and the South Shore Freewheeling Adventures also takes you around the globe:

• Quebec
• Western Canada
• British Isles and Normandy
• Southern Europe
• Central Europe
• Israel
• Mexico and Costa Rica
• South Africa

The South African Tour Itinerary

Discover Cape Town and its surroundings, visit the Cape of Good Hope and enjoy the view from Table Mountain. Ride through the Cape Winelands region, where you enjoy the relaxed ambiance of the wine-making valleys of Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. The last two days you will cycle in the rugged scenery of the Little Karoo and open-hearted small town hospitality.

To contact Freewheeling Adventures Click Here

Ski Martock, in the western Nova Scotia town of Windsor, is one of two ski hills in the province. The other is Wentworth in Cumberland County. Both will see long-lasting infrastructure upgrades that will benefit skiers long after the games are finished. Both places are the only two areas outside Halifax that will host events.

Ski Martock Hosts Three Canada Winters Games Events

With $4.2 million in upgrades Ski Martock will host three events including snow boarding, cross-country skiing and biathlon. Included are:

• Snow grooming machine
• Snow makers (with improved pumping systems and pipe to access water)
• Trail improvement
• Half-pipe extended from 12 to 18 feet
• Two technical support buildings
• Biathlon shooting range

What this means in terms of sport in Halifax is that athletes do not have to travel to get to world-class facilities as they have in the past.

British Columbia boasts  about how people can ski in the morning and golf in the afternoon but now, for this weekend anyway, this is possible in Nova Scotia. By last count on Saturday 13 provincial golf course had opened for the season. With record setting weather conditions drying off golf course greens and a good base at Martock Ski Area it was possible to have a few good ski runs in the morning and then zip over to Island Greens in Kentville for 18 holes.

Here are the courses that are presently opened for the season:

• Yarmouth Links
• West pubnico
• River Hills, Clyde Rive
• Clare, Comeauville
• Eagle Crest, Centreville, Annapolis Royal
• Paragon, Kingston
• Eden, Paradise
• Greenwood
• Island Greens, Kentville
• Links at Penn Hills, Shubenacadie
• Fox Hollow, Stewiacke
• Riverrun, Truro

For more information on golf courses in Nova Scotia go to: Golf Nova Scotia

However, it does not often happen in October.  In fact it occurs only once every four years depending on the cycles of the moon and the latest the Harvest Moon can come around is on October 13th.

The moon actually looks to have warm colors shortly after it rises. This  is caused by the light from the moon filtering through a larger amount of atmospheric particles than when the moon is overhead, where it looks silvery in color.

It’s just another part of the mystique of the Nova Scotia autumn.

(Photo by Darrell Oake)

The award goes out to individuals or companies that introduced the the most innovative practices in tourism that sustain of enhance the geographical character of a place. The entries came from tour operators, guide companies, hotels and business from 81 countries.

National Geographic created this list using extensive research, including advice from local experts and seasoned travelers, numerous questionnaires to the more than 600 hotels and then there was detailed follow-up by magazine staff.  Regardless of price, all the featured hotels a sense of place and offer a sweet night’s sleep, according to the magazine.

The judges include such personalities as Dr. Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Tony Wheeler, the founder of the Lonely Planet. The judges selected Trout Point Lodge because of the efforts of the Lodge at revitalizing a woodland area of the Acadian Forest.

Trout Point opened up in 2000 as a woodland lodge on both the Tusket and Napier Rivers in the Tobeatic Wilderness Area. With construction including massive white spruce logs and hand-cut granite & sandstone, the huge Great Lodge building was a built to blend into its forest environment. There is a total of 11 guest rooms and two cottages,

In addition Trout Point Lodge promotes sustainable tourism, low-energy bulbs and encouraging guests to recycle. Also, they teach their guests about the arboreal forest ecosystem and show how they grow their own greens, vegetables, and herbs. In fact The Trout Point Lodge won the Parks Canada Sustainable Tourism Award for 2007.

You will a chance to vote for Trout Point Lodge as the best by visiting the Geotourism Challenge.

Voting Ends: August 12, 2009
Winners Announced: September 9, 2009

Four Winds I

The Four Winds I is an authentic Nova Scotia Cape Island Boat. The “Cape Islanders” are known for their broad bow to handle the unique Atlantic swells and you won’t find the design in any other oceans. The 45 foot fiberglass craft was built in Clarks Harbour, Nova Scotia specifically for  Four Winds Charters water tours and her spacious decks provide comfortable seating for 38 passengers around the perimeter of both decks. The center deck area is open for putting on buffets, presentations or dancing. The upper deck, of course, provides a vantage point to enjoy the sun and scenery of Nova Scotia’s beautiful coastline. The facilities include stereo CD, cassette, and Sirius radio system, intercom, telephone, state of the art navigational equipment, with a clean modern washroom and heated wheelhouse.

New Dawn III

The New Dawn III, also built in the Cape Island provides the 23 passengers with both upper and lower decks, a comfortable heated cabin, clean washroom, CD stereo system and a cooler for your refreshments. Coffee/tea is provided. Refreshments, snacks and catering available upon request.

Deep Sea Fishing

Knowing that fishing in North Atlantic waters is very different from fishing in other parts of the worldFour Winds Charters has all the fishing tackle needed to catch codfish, haddock, mackerel, Boston blue fish, shark and wolf fish. You even get to keep what you catch and the crew will clean, fillet and bag your fish.  They also provide commentary on historical sites, nature, and all things nautical on the way out and back in from the tour.

Whale Watching

Of course a Nova Scotia charter would be dull without seeing a whale.  The Four Winds I can find minke, humpback, pilot and finback whales. Along with these great beasts are dolphins and sea turtles as well as bird species.

In addition you can book lobster suppers and scuba trips.

Here’s where you find these great people: Four Winds Charters

Links.Mag is the present working title for Atlantic Canada’s debut ski and snowboard magazine. By including all of the Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Nova Scotia – with the inclusion of the rugged, and elevated, regions of Newfoundland & Labrador Links.Mag is devoted to the common links that that both unite and define the Atlantic Canadian snow community. In addition it is hoped that they will expose new readers to the finer aspects of this sport and its community.

The Premiere Issue is already well underway, and is set to launch with an early autumn debut before the Atlantic Canadian snow season.

Also, they are looking for contributors. So if you have pictures, stories or issues to vent – or you just have an idea for the mag – they would love to hear from you.

You can send all submissions to our inbox at Links.Mag and the folks at the magazine will get back to you as soon as they can.

(Kathy Gurholt Photo)

An organized trail movement in Nova Scotia began in April 1987 when over 80 people representing trail users and providers gathered for a three day Trails for Tomorrow Conference in Halifax. It was organized by Colin Stewart who had a vision for trail development in the province. Hosted by Nordic Ski Nova Scotia, the Halifax Field Naturalists and the Canadian Hostelling Association, the conference brought together outdoors people from government, landowners, trail providers and user groups. The resulting Trails Task Force established the Nova Scotia Trails Federation.



The Nova Scotia Trails Federation began as an entirely volunteer effort with support provided by the Nova Scotia Sport and Recreation Commission. It includes groups from diverse areas such as snowmobilers, Nordic skiers and motorcyclists



The Nova Scotia Trails Federation is the provincial wing of the Trans Canada Trail Committee formed in the summer of 1993. There is a two-phase approach:

• Phase One: the routing between North Sydney and the New Brunswick border with the Tatamagouche-Halifax connection.
• Phase Two: Halifax down around the South Shore/Annapolis Valley loop connecting with Phase One at Truro.

Former railways, abandoned roads and newly-created trails are growing into a network of trails to work and play and enable us to experience treasures such as historical points of interest, ecologically unique areas, and scenic vistas while providing opportunities for active living and sharing quality time with family and friends.

All of Nova Scotia salutes these foresighted outdoors people and we all look forward to a continued common heritage enjoying Nova Scotia’s natural beauty.

Bedford Basin YC

Chester YC

D’Escousse CB, NS   Lennox Passage YC

Dartmouth YC (Burnside)

Digby   Royal Western NS

Halifax (North West Arm) Royal Nova Scotia

Halifax   Armdale YC

Hubbards YC

Kentville   Aylesford Lake YC

LaHave River YC

Lunenburg YC

Musquodoboit Harbour   Petpeswick YC

Pictou

Pugwash YC

Shearwater   (Canadian Forces Sailing Association)
* New:  Jul 11, 2009  Regatta for the cure for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation + dance

Shediac Bay YC

Shelburne

St. Margaret’s Bay

St. Peter’s, CB-NS  Wallace MacAskill YC

Harbour YC

Yarmouth   Chebogue YC