Taken 2005 August 19 from the boardwalk at Inverness Beach
GPS 46°13.822'N 61°18.569'W
Inverness Beach is a lovely spot for swimming and for beach walking. For a good part of its length, a board walk parallels the beach. Often damaged by winter storms and winds, but well maintained, it crosses sand dunes above the beach formed by the action of the Gulf of St Lawrence. It is a lovely place for a walk as evening falls, featuring gorgeous sunsets many summer nights.
The breakwater jutting into the Gulf marks the entrance to Inverness Harbour; beyond it, the coast runs past Broad Cove Banks and Port Ban, terminating at Sight Point in this view. Sight Point, you may recall from a previous essay, is one of the three trail heads into the Cape Mabou Highlands trail system. There are good coastal views from Broad Cove Banks, which is not far outside Inverness village. At the southern end of the village, turn onto the road by the Tommy Cat Bistro, continue up the hill, and keep going for 2.9 km (1.8 mi) until you come to a cairn by the side of the road; stop there and have a look north towards Broad Cove for a fine view of the coast.
To the left of the board walk and not visible in this photo lies the former site of the Inverness coal mines, recently remediated and eventually to become a world-class golf course; visit the Inverness Miner’s Museum for more information about the Inverness coal mines. Two books are also excellent sources of information about Inverness village and its people. The first, Inverness Centennial 1904-2004 (ISBN 0-9735816-0-3), by Donald Gillis and Ned MacDonald, provides historical background, anecdotes, and memoirs, including a lot of information on the mining hey-dey and decline. The second, A Forest for Calum (ISBN 1-897009-05-4), by Frank MacDonald, is a very moving novel set in mid 20th century ”Shean”, a fictional version of Inverness, that provides considerable insights into the daily life and culture of Inverness’s people. Both are highly recommended.
[2012] Ten holes of an eventual eighteen hole golf course were opened in 2011; the remainder of the course should be open in 2012.