The Boardwalk in the Port Hood Day Park

Like the boardwalk in Inverness, which is perhaps better known, the boardwalk In the Port Hood Day Park is subject to the ravages of winter storms; I am told that the winter of 2013-2014 was no exception, as it undermined portions of the walkway. I am sure that, by the time summer rolls around, this damage will have been repaired, a never-ending task, for sure. The photos on this page were taken of and from this lovely walk across the day park’s dunes.

Photo #1 looks at the boardwalk running out across the dunes adjacent to the bogs. The “peak” in the background at the centre of the photo is the southern end of Port Hood Island, known as Parks Point. The patches of heather colour are plants whose leaves are sporting their spring hues—they have just recently come out and haven’t yet had enough time to turn green.

Photo #2 overlaps partially with photo #1, showing the boardwalk and the path leading to it from near the parking lot; the beach, locally known as the Boardwalk Beach, is on the far side of the dunes, out of sight in this photo. The boardwalk’s position behind the dunes helps protect some of it from the storms’ ravages, but other parts are directly exposed to the winds from off the harbour. The “smoke” in the air behind the dunes is the fog that was blown across Port Hood Island. At the time, I was completely oblivious to it in the morning’s bright sun, concentrating instead on the boardwalk and the views to be seen from it.

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Photo #3 shows one of the “patios” found along the boardwalk that overlook the northern portion of the beach and provide access to it (the stairs down to the beach can be seen if you look closely just to the right of the picnic table, which makes a great spot from which to observe the activities on the beach). Port Hood Island is in the background of this photo, again smothered in “smoke” I didn’t see at the time; the sand bar beach on the far side of the channel is Parks Beach, a popular partying spot for summer boaters.

Photo #4 looks west down the beach from the “patio” seen in the previous photo. The colourful assortment of rocks seen adjacent to the sand dunes have clearly been washed ashore by the waves. A small piece of driftwood has also made its way ashore, where it is now basking in the sun.

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Photo #5 is a close-up of some of the stones of many shapes and hues that lie scattered along the edge of the dunes, here and elsewhere along the beach. Not being a geologist, I cannot make sense of the varieties seen in this photo, but the rusty reds and dark greys certainly take my eye!

Photo #6 is a close-up of the sand dune seen in the middle ground of photo #3. The grass is a riot of white wild flowers of various kinds; the fence has been erected to keep people away from the fragile environment on the dunes. In the centre right of the photo, you can make out the tip of Shipping Point, where the beach turns to the south. At the far right, a red buoy marks the channel into the harbour. Port Hood Island on the far side of that channel is now completely enshrouded in fog.

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Photo #7 looks at some of the ponds (one in the left foreground and two others behind it in the distance) in the bog to the south of the boardwalk. Here, the very early stages of the leaves in the reddish-hued brush can be seen in all their incipient newness.

Photo #8 looks from the boardwalk at the ponds and the bog area. It is hard to imagine this a hundred years ago as a bustling coal mines site! The hillock seen at the far left is along the coast south of the end of the beach, which is invisible here below the dunes that run across the width of the photo. This morning, the area was a hive of activity, with birds and bees flitting about all across this fecund wetland.

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Photo #9 looks at the end of the boardwalk, which continues on a sand path to descend to the beach below. Port Hood Island is mostly clear of fog in this view, though traces can be seen hanging in the air, which I failed to see at that time.

Photo #10 looks across the entrance to the harbour at Parks Point at the south end of Port Hood Island. St Georges Bay is at the far left of the photo.