Getting to Nova Scotia
For guests who are flying please book your tickets into Halifax International Airport, our small but efficient hub. From the airport it is an easy 2 hour drive to the South Side Harbour property. Though it entails a longer drive from the airport (about 3.5 hours) you may also fly into Saint John, New Brunswick (not St. John’s Newfoundland – yes, it’s happened before! – that would extend your drive to include a 16 hour overnight ferry ride!)
MapQuest generally gives good directions though its estimated driving times are often too high. I suggest using MapQuest to plan your route but reduce the driving time by 10-15%. If you drive a convertible I find that it reduces driving times even further - haven’t quite figured
out why, really!
If you’re driving from the Eastern US Seaboard you have the option of taking a high-speed catamaran ferry that runs between Bar Harbour, Maine and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. During the summer the ferry runs twice daily and does the trip in 2 hours and 45 minutes. From Yarmouth it is a 300 mile drive to the property, an easy 4½ - 5½ hour drive along beautiful country highways.
Note that taking the high-speed ferry doesn’t really save much time – the driving distance from Bar Harbour to Antigonish is about 450 miles which can be driven in 7-8 hours. Many of my guests take the ferry coming up and then drive back through New Brunswick.
Below is a chart of the rough distances between a number of key North American cities and Antigonish, Nova Scotia - need to work on this – expand cities and figure out distances
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Directions To The Properties 
From Halifax Airport, leave the airport and take the exit that says “Truro or Cape Breton” - don’t take the exit to Halifax. From Halifax take Hwy 102 and follow the signs for the airport. From New Brunswick just follow the signs to Cape Breton or Truro.
Go past the towns of Truro, Pictou and New Glasgow and follow the directions to Antigonish. In Antigonish you will go through three sets of traffic lights. (Yes, the only lights on 4000 miles of the Trans Canada Highway are right here – we’re ‘privileged’! Actually, it’s a long story of contorted local politics!.) After the second set of lights you will see the university campus on your left.
Dar ix-Xemx, The Bishop's Cottage, The Carriage House and Ivy Cottage
From the University continue along the TransCanada Highway towards Cape Breton for about 8kms. You’ll soon see a sign for the South Side Harbour Road and a small bridge with a flashing yellow light (if you see a restaurant called Mother Webs on your right you’ve gone too far by about 200 meters/yards.) Turn left at the flashing light (right after the bridge) onto the South Side Harbour Road. Be careful because it’s a dangerous left turn onto oncoming traffic. From the turnoff onto the South Side Harbour Road the driveway to the property is exactly 8kms (5 miles) away. Drive down the South Side Harbour Road – at eight kilometres you’ll see a few houses and a green sign for a driveway on your left. The sign will read Aveline Avenue (it’s actually just a gravel road!).
For the Bishop's Cottage, just drive past the Aveline Avenue sign and turn left onto the first driveway - look for the 1661 Civic Number.
For the Ivy Cottage, turn left onto Aveline Avenue and drive 100 yards/meters – the Ivy Cottage is on your right (if unsure look for the Ivy growing on the wall…) Parking is available in front of the house.
For the Carriage House, urn left onto Aveline Avenue and drive half way down. Park in the gravel parking spot on your left (as you face the water). The boardwalk (built by some lovely former guests!) leads straight to the cottage. (If you’d like a building project while you’re here just let me know!)
For Dar ix-Xemx, turn left onto Aveline Avenue and go all the way down the curvy driveway. The entrance to Dar ix-Xemx veers off from the left just before it starts getting really steep (about 250 meters/yards) down. You can’t miss it. But if you do you’ll know, for you’ll end up in the water! ? In winter, if the driveway is icy you should park at the parking spot just before you get to the house. At all other time just pull into the circular driveway in front of the house.
From the second set of 102 highway lights turn left onto Church St. Follow Church St all the way down until you get to Main St whereupon you turn right, which will take you all the way through town. Cross the rail tracks and head left past the St Martha’s Hospital. You are now on “Highway” 337. You will remain on 337 for about 5 miles (7 kms for those of metric persuasion). Veer off to the right onto Seabright Rd - most easily spotted by the dairy farm on the left hand side of the road. Seabright Rd. is directly opposite (Follow Seabright Rd. all the way past signs for the yacht club down until it curves to the left and you are driving along the peninsula. Take the second steep driveway on your right to get to Seabright Cottage.
Follow the directions to Seabright Cottage but when you get to the railroad tracks in town set your odometer. Follow straight for 7 km’s (about 4½ miles) to Terra Tory drive on the right. Drive down app. 2 km’s – look for a post on your right with #384 on it. Follow the long driveway to the end.
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