Photo 4 (Easy)

The Mira River Valley
Photo 4 of 30: The Mira River Valley
Taken 2008 October 8 from the Morley Road
300 m (0.2 mi) north of its junction with the Grand Mira North Road
GPS 45°58.72?'N 60°14.82?'W

The beautiful Mira River, seen here from the Morley Road near its junction with the Grand Mira North Road, has justifiably been made famous by Allister MacGillivray’s Song for the Mira. Marion Bridge lies to the left of this view, outside its scope, some 2.9 km (1.8 mi) from the Grand Mira North Road.

Since the Mira River is roughly 55 km (34.2 mi) long, and since there are roads on both sides of the river from Victoria Bridge to its mouth at Mira Gut, there are many places from which to enjoy its varied beauty, some of which are seen in my “East Coast—Gabarus and the Mira River” photo essay. While the views from Victoria Bridge, Grand Mira North, Grand Mira South, Marion Bridge, the Trout Brook Road, the Hillside Road, and Albert Bridge all have their partisans, this view from the hill up the southeastern end of Morley Road looking back to the south, where the Mira rises in a series of lakes near the Cape Breton County line, is my personal favourite: it shows both the beauty of the Mira itself and the mountainous area from and through which it flows.