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Hurricane Fiona, Fall Foliage & A Film being Shot at Cabot Shores

Hurricane Fiona Attacked the Cape Breton Coast

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Fortunately damages to the Cabot Shores’ campus were minimal.  A tree fell onto the roof of the Meditation House, but mercifully missed a Solar Light recently installed but pretty much wrecked the roof and pushed again the Little Blue Yurt.  Trees fell just short of the Yurt Bathhouse, missing the Blue Chalet.  And other trees fell just beside the Little Sky Yurt and Hot Tub.

Damage & Repairs to the Red Island Trail

Just 3km from Cabot Shores, the Red Island Trail is next to the church and is a favorite of Cabot Shores’ guests and the Cape Breton community members.  A number trees blocked the trail and “Red Island” was officially closed for days after Fiona.

On the Saturday before Canadian Thanksgiving,  community members, including a crew from Cabot Shores, cleared the trees and on that  Sunday a group from Ontario took a guided hike  before a  Thanksgiving feast. We saw a number of trees down along the Red Island Coastline with a loop along  MacDonald’s Pond.

Foliage More Muted on Cape Breton Due to Fiona

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Here how it looks in years before and after we got hit by hurricane. Fiona shredded leaves on maples and birches, so that the foliage was more a brown rather than spectacular reds and yellows is in previous years.  We also had a decrease in apples since they were knocked down early by Fiona, and the moose weren’t as present in our orchard without the apples.

Cape Breton Coastline Documentary at Cabot Shores (wildlife watching)

Hurricane Fiona attacked the Cape Breton Coast and changed the contours of our Eagle Feather Beach.  Huge waves crashed and breached the beach opposite Cabot Shores, going into Church Pond and Indian Brook, while wiping out a swimming area that delighted summer guests (hopefully by next summer, the coast will change again!)

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IMG 0832 1A Documentary on the Cape Breton Coast is being made for a German broadcasting network using Cabot Shores as a home base.   It is a wildlife documentary and Cabot Shores has been a key location for the filming by Christof, Almut and Alain of CoraxFilms. They were particularly interested in capturing the fall foliage on Cape Breton during October.  They saw a lot of wildlife but the foliage on Cape Breton was  muted due to Fiona shredding the leaves.

They stayed in a chalet for 6 weeks. As a “thank you” they sent us a short video highlighting the Fiona Hurricane and Eagle Feather beach where they had a blind for filming a pair of eagles feeding and living in a big spruce tree that can be seen from Cabot Shores, taking a canoe and the Eagle Feather ferry to do their filming at sunrise and afterwards. Graciously they filmed Dr. Paul providing some music in the Bistro and promised to be back next fall for more filming of Cape Breton.

As I mentioned, Coramax films is delving into wildlife around Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, especially Cape Breton.  Near Cheticamp and along the Skyline Trail, they saw and filmed moose and a number of black bear and cubs.

At Cabot Shores, they filmed a number of otters and beavers swimming in Church Pond, blue herons, and a blind on Eagle Feather Beach which provided a great vantage point for eagle watching.  Because the foliage was muted, the Corax crew has decided to return next fall to Cape Breton and to Cabot Shores in search of more fall colours and our special mix of wildlife and Maritime coastline.

Here is a short video put together as a gift to Cabot Shores



Based on 246 reviews
Lisa-Steven Sisson-Gledhill (HillSun)
Lisa-Steven Sisson-Gledhill (HillSun)
December 31, 2022.
Wish we could give more stars 🌟 Service was top notch! Everyone was friendly, accommodating and informed about local interests. Food was mouth watering- recommend the seafood and homemade yogurt. Waves each morning were breath taking...highly recommend asking to do local hikes. Kids enjoyed games, sauna, hot tub and rooms felt very spacious. Will definitely return!
Clare Waque
Clare Waque
December 16, 2022.
I attended a wilderness healing retreat and that experience completely changed my life. The low reviews are not a far representation of the authentic and high value experience being offered.
Annshani Fernando
Annshani Fernando
December 15, 2022.
We had a wonderful stay at this beautiful resort and would recommend it to nature lovers. Big shoutout to Paul and his family for going the extra mile to make us feel comfortable.
Varuna Indraratne
Varuna Indraratne
December 12, 2022.
We spent three nights attending a relative’s wedding in early September at this wonderful resort conveniently located right on the world-famous Cabot Trail. We stayed in one of the main lodge rooms which had spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean from the window. The resort has a vast property overlooking beach that also includes an apple orchard and organic vegetable garden leading to the shores of the Atlantic. The amazing staff led by the owners Paul and Barbara are very hospitable, friendly and helpful. The food at the wedding reception prepared by the in-house team was so delicious. There are also plenty of options for breakfast and lunch nearby serving a variety of cuisines with Cape Breton flair and friendliness. We highly recommend the Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort for anyone planning a visit to Cape Breton Island!!!
Uthpala M
Uthpala M
December 11, 2022.
We had our wedding at this beautiful venue in September, 2022. Our experience was amazing. Paul, Barbara, and the crew was super helpful from the planning stage all the way until we checked out after the event. The location of this property is unbeatable. We had our wedding ceremony in between two chalets - Red and Blue - overseeing the Atlantic Ocean. We booked three chalets and rooms at the main lodge for our guests and some of the guests rented yurts. The crew at Cabot Shores organized a bon-fire on the night before the wedding and organized a cookout with brick-oven pizzas that was out of this world! The food for the wedding was prepared by the chef of Cabot Shores - Ron - and it was superb. Paul and Barbara also organized local musicians for the event and Flo and her group was fantastic! We have nothing bad to say and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of the staff and the natural beauty of the location. We highly recommend this lovely place to anyone planning their wedding or vacation.
Ruwanthika Premalal
Ruwanthika Premalal
December 11, 2022.
We stayed for 3 days at this amazing resort during the end of summer 2022. A great resort with many activities and you can easily access the Cabot shore trail. There are many close by boutique restaurants too for breakfast, brunch or lunch. But you definitely need to try resort's food too which might come from there organic garden to your plate. Their wood fired pizza is so good. During the last day at our stay, we had a wedding of one of our close friends, at the resort. The food was so delicious. The staff was really helpful. I love their compost bin, vegetable beds and mushroom garden too. They have so many isolated yurts which is really great for star gazing and to see the milky way. The little ferry at the river is such a great way to reach the private beach of the Atlantic ocean. We are visiting again, hopefully next year!
Jangchub Zangmo
Jangchub Zangmo
November 29, 2022.
a wonderful place to get out into nature and meet like minded people
snehal shah
snehal shah
November 6, 2022.
Beautiful location. Have huts to stay here. it would be better and comfortable if size of Hut slightly bigger . No service. Even our garbage bin we have to carry out to empty... Otherwise good stay.

Based on 50 reviews
Lukas
Lukas
September 21, 2022.
Verified
Very nice people and a place full of joy ! Stayed 2 nights in the „Eagle dome“ which was really comfy and clean! Had really delicous dinner at the main lodge where paul played some music just for us and had nice conversations whith him and the other staffmembers. Also booked the hot tub at our dome for our last night from where we had a great view on the campfire. Lovely place where you see how much effort they put in every detail.
Nicole
Nicole
August 22, 2022.
Verified
Amazing adventure! Lots of fun sleeping underneath the stars!
Ryan
Ryan
August 14, 2022.
Verified
Relaxing
Nigel
Nigel
July 25, 2022.
Verified
Beautiful place and very friendly staff. Perfect location if you’re travelling along the Cabot Trail, I highly recommend checking this place out! Would definitely stay here again. Thanks for a fantastic experience.
Anooj
Anooj
October 25, 2021.
Verified
This was our first time staying in the Eagle Dome and we absolutely fell in love with this beautiful place. Super clean place to stay!
Redwan
Redwan
October 17, 2021.
Verified
Very nice place to spend a couple of nights in the nature! My wife and I enjoyed our stay. It might be a good idea to install a heater in the dome as it can get chilly at night.
Brooke
Brooke
October 1, 2021.
Verified
Beautiful, quaint place to stay! So unique and off grid. We loved staying at the dome!
Madison
Madison
September 9, 2021.
Verified
We had a great stay in the Eagle Dome! We loved watching the sunset and sunrise, and being able to hear the waves from the ocean. Next time we would stay a few more days and prepare a bit better - we weren’t packed for off grid but we made it work. Outhouse was a few steps away, shower and toilet a short walk. We didn’t get the hot tub or use the sauna/other amenities but would certainly consider it next time.
Micayla
Micayla
August 16, 2021.
Verified
This place is absolutely beautiful! We loved our stay here. I highly recommend it. All the staff are very friendly. The dome was such a unique experience looking at the stars and watching the sun rise. The beach is beautiful and there’s a little swimming spot 2 minutes down the road that we really enjoyed 🙂

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