Portland to Nova Scotia

[Steve_Roths]

Couple of questions for the well traveled crowd here.

How bad is the drive from Portland, Maine to Cabot?  I have a bit of time off coming up and thought it would be a peaceful scenic trip and a heck of a lot cheaper than flying directly into Nova Scotia.  $200 vs $700 for fligths plus free golf bag on Southwest.

Second, is there any courses or thing to stop and see along that route?

Thanks!

[Michael Moore]

It's bad, neither scenic nor peaceful. I live in South Portland and every time I view this itinerary it just looks like a grind.

Maine holds numerous and diverse charms, but rolling down 95 is not among them.

[Brian Chapin]

Michael, does the Scotia Prince still exist?  Is that a reasonable option?

[Matt Bosela]

GCA'er Harris Nepon made this drive just last week en route to Cabot.  When he gets back from his trip this weekend, I'll get him to post his thoughts on the drive.

[Duncan Cheslett]

I'd never heard of Portland, Maine. I assumed the thread referred to Portland, Oregon.

Now that's a drive...

[Steve_Roths]

Oh my.  Not Portland Oregon.  That would take weeks for one person.

From Portland Maine it is supposedly 8 hours. 

Mr. Moore, would the drive be better if I took some of the smaller roads along the coast for better scenery? Or would that add significantly to the time.

Is the drive up 95 just tree lined with nothing to stop and see?

Thanks.

[Bill Gayne]

I did the drive several years ago and it's not a particularly scenic trip but doable. We were on our way to Digby, NS and the Pines Resort. They have a Stanley Thompson Course for play. Probably close to twenty years ago so I'm a bit short on specifics. It was kind of like being dropped onto the set of Murder She Wrote.

http://www.digbypines.ca

[Dan Herrmann]

The ferry is very expensive and slower than driving up through NB and into NS around Amherst on the Trans Canada Highway (Route 2).   We made the drive from Cheticamp to Bangor, ME in a day, easily.  Of course, your speed may vary based on the time to cross the border (We crossed at Calais, ME).

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

Steve,
We have quite a few guests and a lot of summer residents who make that drive and all seem to find it a relative breeze. To Michael's point, I do not know many who go up the 95, most go east at Bangor (which is more scenic and shorter in distance) and wind through Saint John, N.B. It is a prettier drive, shorter in distance and the exact same duration (according to Google Maps).

Best,
Ben

[Dan Herrmann]

Steve,
Ben is right - the road from Bangor to the border (ME-9) is scenic and remote, and the road from Calais to St. John to Moncton and into NS is very lightly traveled and was in great shape when I drove it.

[Peter_Collins]

Do they still have the overnight ferry.  I took it in 1990 from Portland to Nova Scotia.  It was not great, but you sleep through most of it.

[Dan Herrmann]

Peter - I took it in 2002 from Bar Harbor to Yarmouth.  Took a couple of hours, but cost a lot of $$$.  Plus, it turned out that Yarmouth was still a 10 hour drive to Cheticamp (which is where we staying).  Driving was a lot faster.