Taken 2005 August 7 from the Railway Trail from before the first bridge east of the Cèilidh Trail
GPS 46°03.9??'N 61°23.2??'W
If you look carefully on the south bank of the Mabou River just past the Mabou River Bridge on the Cèilidh Trail (Highway 19) before it turns and goes up the hill, you will see a gravel path that crosses the Cèilidh Trail: that path, a very well-maintained multi-use route known as the Railway Trail, follows the course of the now defunct railroad which connected Port Hastings to Inverness. The Railway Trail offers great views of the Mabou River as it follows its southern edge from the Cèilidh Trail to Highway 252 at Glendyer Station. This is one of my favourites, just a short walk from the Cèilidh Trail, showing the steeple of St Marys below Mabou Mountain reflecting in the river. In this photo, the Cèilidh Trail is at the left (the Mabou River Bridge is further to the left outside the scope of this photo); some of the village’s homes can be seen nestled behind the trees.
Near Mabou Village, the Mabou River is navigable only to the dockage at the Cèilidh Trail (and that only inside a narrow dredged channel); to the east of the bridge, the water is very shallow and becomes quite marshy, as the grass one sees in this photo attests. But, if you are up to it, it is very suitable for a canoe or a kayak and will repay your efforts with wild and beautiful views.