Victorian Order of Nurses

Tour de Cape George Campaign 2010

Pledge Goals:

Join the Tour now!

View of Cape George, with fishing village, Ballantyne Cove, in front. (Courtesy of David Dermott).

On September 12th, 2010, participants of the Tour de Cape George Campaign will test their skills and stamina by cycling Cape George in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, while also raising funds and awareness for VON Canada.

The proceeds from this campaign will support charitable programs in the VON Antigonish area, including Volunteer Visiting, Vial of Life, Senior Home Check, and Assisted Transportation. Dollars raised will also help VON Canada provide community services across the country, including adult day programs for people with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, transportation programs, home care programs for shut-ins, and many more services that allow people to live independently in their own homes and communities.

To support your favorite Tour rider, please choose the name from the list below to be directed to a Personal Giving Page:

View of Cape George, with fishing village, Ballantyne Cove, in front. (Courtesy of David Dermott).

About the Tour of Cape George

According to The Cyclist’s Guide to “Canada’s Ocean Playground”, this 80 km cycle route is ONE GIANT HILL and requires reasonable fit cyclists. The route is a loop around Cape George (304 m / 1,000 ft), beginning in Antigonish, Nova Scotia and taking riders atop Cape George, where the view looks across St. George’s Bay to Cape Breton Island’s hills along the skyline.

According to local cyclist, David Dermott, who has cycled Cape George more than twenty times, this route offers the best of Nova Scotia. Past fishing villages more picturesque than Peggy’s Cove, through bucolic farmlands, forests, and nice beaches, this tour has it all, including a mini version of the Cabot Trail. Riders can expect a hilly climb of 1000 m within the 80 km.

The Tour will leave Antigonish on Route 337, which is the east end of Main Street. It starts out as a steep hill past the hospital, and then it is up and down several drumlin-type hills through farmland. The waters of Antigonish Harbour are seen sparkling to the right and ahead; the barrier beach (barachois) can be seen across the mouth of the harbour.

Highlights include Mahoney’s Beach, one of many beaches along the way, and Cribbon’s Point wharf. From the crests of the rolling hills, riders will have great views of St. George’s Bay and the hills of Cape Breton Island beyond. Past Lakeville, the hills get longer, but the views are worth the challenge! As the pictures depict, the route passes by Ballantyne Cove, a picture-postcard fishing village.

The cape has two summits with a dip in between. At the first summit, there is a road off to the well-know Cape George Lighthouse. From the second crest, there is a fantastic panoramic view of the Northumberland Strait with Cape Breton Island to the east and Prince Edward Island to the west. From there, it is a fun descent through fields to Livingston Cove, and through the woods up to a large church in Georgeville, a Scottish Highland settlement. The woods occasionally part to allow views of the sea, and then the road begins a long, gradual down hill and breaks out of the woods to reveal a great view of a long beach and Malignant Cove. At this point, riders will loop back to Antigonish by way of Big Marsh and Cloverville.

To culminate the tour and celebrate success, participants and local community partners will congregate at a local farm near Antigonish.