Taken 2008 June 12 in Big Lorraine from the coastal trail on the west side of Big Lorraine Harbour
near the entrance to the harbour
GPS 45°55.5??'N 59°55.3??'W
The remainder of the photos in this essay come from June, when I first discovered several of the places remaining to be visited in this essay. The first of those was Big Lorraine Harbour, for which I had been looking for several years, but had not managed to find. While having breakfast in Louisbourg, I mentioned this to my hosts and they gave me the information I needed to locate it. Just outside of Louisbourg heading east on Highway 22, the Louisbourg-Main-à-Dieu Road, an unnumbered paved road, leads off to the right towards Little Lorraine. Follow that road about 1 km (0.6 mi), where one will see (but only if one is looking very carefully) West Shore Road, a gravel road, to the right (at GPS 45°55.832'N 59°56.688'W); it would be indistinguishable from a driveway were it not for a sign, which can be found mostly obscured by brush at the right of the road, indicating that the land belongs to the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historical Site. (If you reach the bridge over Lorraine Brook on the the Louisbourg-Main-à-Dieu Road, you have gone too far.) Turn down the gravel road and continue straight until you find yourself beside a few houses where you can park at the edge of the road in such a way as to not block other vehicles (the road beyond the first house was not in great shape for a car, so I’d suggest you park near it and walk the rest of the way on foot).
At the end of West Shore Road, you will find yourself on the western edge of Big Lorraine Harbour. A foot path leads from there across the field along the shore of the harbour to the Atlantic coast. It took me about a half hour to reach the coast; as is my wont, I was shod in walking oxfords and that proved to not be the best choice, as there were some boggy areas that I had to work my way around, in one case dropping down to the rocky shore to do so. There were some lovely wildflowers blooming among the grasses in the field and the views of Big Lorraine Harbour were very fine as I progressed under a gorgeous sky and bright sun.
Once at the Atlantic coast, you will see the rocky coast a good height above the water leading out to Lorraine Head. The trail I had followed continues south along the coast; I did not attempt to go further, given the inappropriateness of my footwear, but later learned that it follows the shore with an occasional detour through the woods all the way to the Louisbourg Lighthouse. With wild beauty like this, it is for sure on my to-do list.
[2012] The point seen in this photo is the Eastern Point of Lorraine Head, which I reached from the trail starting at the northern end of the Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail, as previously noted. The Big Lorraine side of the point is forested; the Atlantic side of the point, where I came out, is rocky and higher. I do not know how the Big Lorraine Harbour Trail I followed connects with the Lorraine Head Trail, but I will definitely be exploring from the Big Lorraine Harbour end in an attempt to find that out, though in woods boots rather than walking oxfords (which were perfectly appropriate for the Lorraine Head Trail from Western Gun Landing Cove Head).