Taken 2008 June 10 from the Morrisons Beach (Pig Point) Road a bit southwest of its (driveable) end
GPS 45°42.18?'N 60°19.74?'W
4.5 km (2.8 mi) east of St Andrews Presbyterian Church in Framboise, at GPS 45°43.227'N 60°20.436'W, one finds Morrisons Beach Road (also known as Pig Point Road), a gravel road which runs 2.4 km (1.5 mi) out to the Atlantic Coast. Along this road, to the west are fine views of the Framboise River as it makes its way to the coast; as well, there are views to the east of a cove formed by Fullers River. At its end are a fabulous set of views leading from Red Cape in the west along a great crescent of beaches to Winging Point south of Fourchu in the east.
This view to the west is of Red Cape, which, given the day’s bright lighting, does not appear to be red, though this is just an illusion—up close, it is distinctly of a red hue. At the right of the photo and hidden by the sand dune in the foreground is the mouth of the Framboise River, which is formed from the Bagnells River, the Middle Framboise River and the Northeast Framboise River, all of which rise in the back country near the Middle River-Framboise Wilderness Area. Like so many of Cape Breton’s rivers, the Framboise enters the sea through a narrow channel across a sand bar deposited across its mouth. An ATV track, which I did not follow, leads across the sand dunes towards the mouth.
The Crooked Lake Road, which I did not notice as I drove past it, starts in Framboise (at GPS 45°43.119'N 60°21.824'W), 0.5 km (0.3 mi) west of the bridge over the Framboise River and leads out past Crooked Lake, an arm of the Framboise River, ending on the beach a bit east of Red Cape; the Crooked Lake Road is listed among the birding routes of Richmond County at this web site. If you wish to visit Red Cape, it would be a better choice than the Morrisons Beach Road, as from this latter road you will have to find a way across the mouth of the Framboise. I can already imagine the fine views one must have from the top of Red Cape! I shall return!
[2012] I have returned to this gorgeous coast three times since writing this essay. In October of 2008, I drove out the Crooked Lake Road to Red Cape and hiked there from the mouth of the Framboise River to the berm east of English Pond; as expected, the views from the top of Red Cape are fabulous! The current at the mouth of the Framboise is very swift, making fording appear to me, at least, very unwise. In June of 2009 and again in August of 2010, I returned to Morrisons Beach, when I explored the coast line for some distance in each direction from the end of Morrisons Beach Road. One needs to take some care there, as loose sand abounds in which, speaking from experience, it is easy to get stuck — fortunately, a bit of gentle rocking got me free, but it would have been much worse had I proceeded much further into it.