Camper Adventures: Annapolis Royal Reflections

We spent a lot of time in our camper over the summer, visiting parts of Nova Scotia we'd not visited in a years. Our goals were three-fold: To identify any remaining mechanical or other issues with the camper, which we bought second-hand last fall; to get more comfortable with RVing, in particular boondocking (i.e. camping in public spaces without services); and to explore less populated areas of the province to see if we could maybe find a piece of land near the ocean to buy. 

Those who live in Nova Scotia will remember we had a fairly significant lockdown in the spring when covid infection numbers increased dramatically so our first camper outing didn't happen until early June, when we headed to Risser's Beach for a couple of days. (More on camping at Risser's in a future post.) Soon after, we reloaded the camper and headed to Annapolis Royal for our first road trip. 

Our original plan was to spend a day or two in the town, and another day or two hiking trails nearby. Once there, however, we realized we had an issue with our front tires so opted not to travel off the beaten track and spent the better part of three days in and around town instead.

One thing I've discovered is how difficult it is to find time for photography when we're traveling. There always seems to be too much else to do. I did, however, manage to break out my camera a few times on this trip. 

The first opportunity came when, after exploring the area around Annapolis Royal in the afternoon, we settled into a parking spot on the waterfront for the night. A big advantage of traveling in such a small RV is that it doesn't take up much more space than a large pickup truck so we can camp pretty much anywhere. In this case, we stopped in a public parking spot just across the street from a museum that was closed because of the pandemic, snuggling in just in time to watch the sunset while we had supper. 

The sunset was something of a disappointment as it turned out, but I loved the warm light on the wharf, which I photographed from the shoreline just behind where we parked. 

The next morning, I got up early and went for a photowalk. The weather was gorgeous for early June and there was almost no one on the streets - at least until a group of geriatric yogis gathered for a class on the wharf. As you can see from these photos, it was a perfect morning to grab some reflection shots.

Granville Ferry, a picturesque village just across the harbour

After wandering around town for a bit, we headed to Founders House, a local restaurant friends had been raving about, for a celebratory lunch belatedly marking our 31st wedding anniversary. What a treat! I didn't take any photos of the meal so you'll just have to take my word for it. If you find yourself in Annapolis Royal, do yourself a favour and go! The food, drinks and service were all terrific. 

After lunch, we headed to the Historic Gardens, which we'd never visited. I took my camera along but didn't get many photos I was happy with. The light was too harsh. However, we both really enjoyed exploring the gardens - particularly the heritage vegetable and rose gardens. I was quite enamoured with the water lilies as well. 

That evening, we parked near the town's old railway station for the night to avoid being in the way Saturday morning, when we expected downtown to be busier on account of the Farmer's Market, and spent a pleasant evening eating supper and playing cards until it was time to turn in for the night. 

Before leaving on Saturday, we stopped by the market and visited a few local galleries, before taking one last walk along the waterfront - dreaming about a longer trip to Annapolis Royal next summer, when we hope to visit more sites and go hiking as we planned. The town may be tiny but there's plenty to keep a visitor busy for three or four days at least.