Le Buttereau

Le Buttereau (roughly, ”The Big Hill”) is the prominence whose tilted rock face is next to the Gulf in this view. To the left of the rock face, one sees just off the Cabot Trail the parking lot for the northern end of Le Chemin du Buttereau, the path one sees climbing up the hillside. In the early days, this path was part of the road which linked the settlement at Cap Rouge, demolished when the National Park was created, to Chéticamp; indeed, until the Cabot Trail was later rerouted, the Cabot Trail followed this path. Once the path reaches the top, it crosses over the hill to descend on the other side part way up, with beautiful views of the water and coast; I once became so lost in reverie there that I ended up late for a Doryman cèilidh! The trail continues through forested land past the foundations of several old houses and eventually rejoins the Cabot Trail. I highly recommend this hike, especially on a warm day, as the forest and the breezes keep one nicely cool and it teaches one a good bit about the hardiness of the Acadian pioneers who lived here.

To the right of Le Buttereau, one sees the wide mouth of the Chéticamp River and the sand bar that is breached by the river flowing across it; in high summer, the sand bar and the beach to its right (outside this photo) is a popular swimming area and it is often busy on a hot day. Rising above the Chéticamp River are the gorgeous Cape Breton Highlands behind Chéticamp that are visible for miles along the coast.