Smuggler's Cove
Smuggler’s Cove
I don’t really know what came over me but I saw a few shafts of sunlight this week, and so decided to go for a little drive up the road and see what the waves and sun looked like at Smuggler’s Cove in Meteghan about 20 minutes north of where we live here in Port Maitland.
This particular day was far from the summer fun that many have when visiting this small Provincial Park, the windchill was a balmy -20° C and so my camera came out from my coat in short bursts! The beautiful waves though rushing into the cove and against the cave face are very pretty, even in the chilly air of February.
Smuggler’s Cove is scenic and has a history to it. The cave at the foot of the cliff was used during prohibition in the 1920’s as a place to land illegal rum, which would then be “distributed” to the thirsty ashore. The cliffs are also a nesting spot for tree swallows, and in the summer many of these small birds can be seen fluttering about the area.
There is a picnic park, but on this day it was a bit too crisp to have lunch there, steps that go down to the beach below and also a lookoff to view the open St. Mary’s Bay beyond – and on a clear day like this Digby Neck, with villages like Westport and Freeport can be seen across the water.
It turned out to be a great spot to visit – I certainly had it all to myself. Photography in such cold is challenging as you have to be extra careful with lenses (they break if you smack them against something after they’ve been chilled long enough – the voice of experience speaking). It’s also good to have spare batteries for your camera as they won’t last long, although there’s where a good DSLR is better than say a phone – my iPhone would have died in minutes trying to take photos in that cold, but the Nikon just kept on shooting!
Instead of trying to find things indoors to shoot, be brave.
We are Canadians after all!
