Meat Cove, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Once a frighteningly remote place, this small hamlet at the end of a long road is still off the beaten path. It has recieved more visitors in recent years, however, due to the promotion of Cape Breton and the Cabot Trail as beautiful desitinations and the location of Meat Cove as an "out of the way," and "end of the road" diversion from the usual route. As I discovered last week, the result of this interest in Meat Cove is something that some might call entrepreneurship but I would call a lack of manners.
Cape Bretonners are known for their generous hospitality, so when I arrived in Meat Cove -- which consists of about ten small houses, a camp/picnicground, and a ramshackle canteen -- I was shocked to see this KEEP OUT sign, preventing me from walking to the edge of the cliff to see the spectacular view. In the context of the place and the people, this is downright rude.
Had they roped off some of the camp/picnicground but allowed for a path to the cliff, and then put a box there marked "Donations to help preserve local beauty" I might have dropped in a twenty. But after driving forty minutes out of my way to see this view -- the last few miles on a bumpy dirt road -- I was very offended by this signage (it prevents all access to the cliff unless you pay for the use of a picnic table) and instead I turned around and left, vowing not to return.
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