While many of the landscapes portrayed in my debut novel, The Erne Warder were inspired by real world destinations, few of them were places I have actually visited. This post tells the story of two exceptions. The following is a minor plot spoiler—you’ve been warned! The climactic final scenes of the novel take place in a river gorge near a mighty waterfall, a place crafted inside my imagination using memories of two of my favourite places to visit in my home province of Nova Scotia, Moose River Gorge in Cumberland County, and North River Falls in Victoria County, Cape Breton.
I’ve been an avid day-hiker for many years, but never so intensely as in the summer of 2010, when I hiked out to see some of the most compelling scenery Nova Scotia has to offer. While the province boasts many wonders worth visiting, where I am concerned, the best places to see in “Canada’s Ocean Playground” aren’t listed in official travel guides. The locations mentioned in this post are two such places.
Moose River is a relatively shallow river that flows north to south, emptying into Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin near the village of Moose River. The east branch of the river meanders through an extremely deep and for the most part, narrow gorge for much of its distance. Only at its most southern reaches do the slopes on either side become gentler. But the tamer, southern reaches of the river aren’t where the magic happens. That’s at the tallest of the gorge’s falls.
There, spectacular, dramatic cliffs surround the 100 ft. + falls on either side. Near the fall, the gorge opens wide and there is space opposite the falls to sit down and have lunch while you enjoy the spectacle. This is a first class location for those who crave adventure and discovery – only come prepared and don’t take the terrain lightly. This is a dangerous and challenging location to get to – if you’re unfit or just a casual walker this place isn’t for you, and it’s definitely not a place to bring the kids. Other than that its a magical, fulfilling experience for those up to the task.
Like it, my visit to North River Falls in Cape Breton stands high on my trophy shelf as one of my all time favourite adventures – the spectacular size and nature of the geography were breathtaking. The falls lie some 79 km northwest of Sydney Nova Scotia near the tiny community of Oregon, on the east side of the Cape Breton Highlands peninsula.
While North River Falls impressed me, the journey to see them didn’t. It lacked one key factor I value in a truly epic experience: it wasn’t hard to find. Although long, the trail is easy to follow and finding the site was a breeze. So although North River Falls outclasses the falls on the East Branch of Moose River by a narrow margin, for me it will never outrank the Moose River falls which were closer to my ideal: a remote site undisturbed by an official, maintained trail that takes effort and planning to find.
So, when you read my novel (and I hope you do!), imagine the epic gorge and cliffs of Moose River and the mighty, towering falls of North River, Cape Breton all rolled into one. Together, they combine to become the Kingdom of Cortavia’s Ondar River Gorge and the falls, where the final showdown of The Erne Warder takes place!