A little maritime magic
The beautiful New Brunswick province on Canada’s east coast is even better the second time around, finds Rachel Roberts
Alvin the resident squirrel is munching happily on tasty nuts at his specially built tiny picnic table, too intently focused on the matter at hand (or paw) to realise that he is living in a little pocket of paradise. I’m watching him from the decking of the gorgeous boutique-style dome I’ve just awoken in at Balsam Ridge Forest Domes, located just 35 minutes from the city of Moncton. The night before, I’d drifted asleep to a canopy of twinkling stars visible through the dome’s curved clear ceiling, in one of a clutch of seven different-themed accommodations that truly take glamping into the stratosphere.
As a guest of Atlantic Canada on a week-long road trip around New Brunswick, I already feel lucky because it marks my second visit to the Canadian maritime province (Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island make up the trio), located on the Eastern Seaboard. It’s a place that calls you back, not just for the soul-nourishing expansiveness and ridiculous beauty of the landscape but for the people, who have a spirit seemingly distilled from the surrounding wild nature itself.
Any nagging doubt that the decadelong period between visits had lent a rose-tinted hue to my recollection had evaporated a couple of days previously at the Brix Experience in downtown Moncton. In the wellequipped teaching kitchen, housed in a smart bricked building, we’d pulled on aprons to make pasta, creating lobster ravioli from scratch. My resulting misshapen efforts were hardly prize-winning, but the enthusiastic female chef who oversaw the proceedings had awardworthy patience and lashings of the character traits I’d remembered.
‘Brix’ is the scientific measure of the sweetness that contributes to the unique flavours found in food and wine and we are to meet a whole host of baristas, winemakers and chefs who are passionate about getting it just right, while contributing to New Brunswick’s world-class culinary scene. A highlight is dining at The Rossmount Inn, just outside St Andrews on the west coast.
While Swiss-born owner and chef Chris Aerni’s menu is broken down into sections such as ‘Land’ and ‘Sea’, the delights on offer change daily. Wild foods such as fiddleheads (the furled fronds of a young fern), cranberries and chanterelle mushrooms are in plentiful supply in the kitchen ‘garden’, an 87-acre swathe of forest including a certified organic vegetable patch.
The fishing gods are smiling down the evening we visit, because the butter-poached naked lobster served with gnocchi Parisienne, arugula and a lobster reduction is sublime. It showcases why The Rossmount Inn is the only venue in New Brunswick – and one of two in all the Maritimes – to be awarded three stars by Where to Eat in Canada, a coveted accolade it has held since 2010.
Sated and happy, we check into the grand four-star Algonquin Resort for the night. Built in mock-tudor style and dating back to 1889, in 2014 it became the first Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel.
Also known as the ‘Castle by the Sea’, its imposing façade and wide, plush-carpeted hallways give me a shiver of déjà vu. All becomes clear later when I learn it’s widely believed that director Stanley Kubrick drew inspiration from the Algonquin for
Guests staying at the Algonquin can take a pre-dinner ghost tour
the fictional Overlook Hotel in his cult horror masterpiece The Shining.
To up the spooky factor, guests staying in the 234 rooms can take a pre-dinner ghost tour and hear goose-bump-inducing tales of spectral shenanigans. The walkaround also gives a fascinating glimpse of areas normally off-limits to visitors, such as the basement, old kitchens and staff quarters. Today, the Algonquin retains a glamorous, yet laidback air and you can join the well-heeled clientele for cocktail hour on The Braxton’s elegant veranda, which overlooks the immaculately landscaped gardens.
Of course, there’s far more to New Brunswick than swanky hotels and restaurants. And thanks to the recent opening of the Fundy Trail Parkway, a 30km road running from Sussex in the east to St Martins in the west, visitors can immerse themselves in the treasure trove of natural wonders found in Fundy National Park, part of the UNESCO Fundy Biosphere Region. These include the Bay of Fundy, an inlet sandwiched between New Brunswick and the neighbouring province of Nova Scotia, where the Atlantic creates a tidal range reaching 21 metres, the greatest in the world.
The Hopewell Rocks is also a must-see, and we arrive at low tide, walking the rust-red muddy seabed and sidestepping happy kids faceplanting into the goopy matter (parents: there’s a dedicated hose station nearby for washing the stuff off ). We gaze up at the lofty sea stacks, rock formations that have been hewn into shapes over centuries by the tides. Our guide points out the Bear, who seems rather melancholic with his back to us and permanent seaward stare, and the Lovers, two lip-locking rocks topped with trees that give the attraction its other name, Flowerpot Rocks.
With 20 scenic lookouts, five beaches and hiking footpaths galore for those who love the great outdoors, plus several wheelchair-accessible areas, it’s easy to lose track of time and risk getting locked in for the night.
We also spend time in the province’s capital city of Fredericton, where our entertaining guide, ex-actor Peter, brings the history of the place alive through his dramatic delivery. He points out the Historic Garrison District, which was once the headquarters of the British military before becoming the birthplace of the Canadian Army in the late 19th century, and council HQ, where the city’s first female mayor, Kate Rogers, is making modern headlines for her support for Fredericton’s LGBTQ2 community.
Our week draws to a close back in St Andrews with a whale-watching excursion on a Zodiac, courtesy of Jolly Breeze Whale Adventures. On my previous visit, it had been scotched because of stormy weather, so this time around I’m thrilled when we get to follow a large minke whale through the Atlantic rollers for a good hour.
Our boat captain also goes the extra mile to make sure we have a memorable time. He takes us to a small island he monitors daily. The mist has rolled in with its shroudlike cover, but as our eyes adjust, we see the outline of a young eagle fluttering tentatively above its nest, trying to find its wings. The beauty of the already remarkable moment is intensified, knowing all that awaits the fledgling when it succeeds and sees the pocket of paradise that is New Brunswick for the very first time.