BARGAIN !

£249.00

1 week from June 12th to June 19th 2008

There is some slight flexibility in the dates offered to fit in with travel arrangements.

Flights from Gatwick to Halifax Nova Scotia are approximately £275.00 return per person.

Innisfree, Lake Midway, Nova Scotia, Canada

*~*Sleeps six people comfortably*~*

Have a great "get away from it all" holiday at our charming one hundred and seventy year old Cape Cod Style holiday cottage on Digby Neck. Innisfree is set in three and three quarter acres of secluded garden; and is quarter of a mile from the nearest neighbouring house. There is a large lawn surrounding the house and the garden has some fruit trees and pretty flower beds. The cottage is located next to Lake Midway and has two hundred and sixty feet of private lake frontage, Lake Midway is an integral part of a local Provincial Park being approximately three miles long and a mile wide; the lake is stocked with trout every year and is fed by spring water so it is safe to swim in. Guests will enjoy a virtual monopoly of the lake during the week and it is rarely busy at the weekend. Some fishing equipment is supplied at the house.

History

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's most easterly provinces and is only a six hour flight away from the UK. This southerly tip of Nova Scotia was first settled by the British following the American War of Independence. The loyalists were deported from New York under the care of Admiral Digby; the town of Digby was named in his honour. Innisfree is located half way down Digby Neck and was built in 1840 on one of the first grants of land allocated to the settlers by George III. The earliest European settlers in Nova Scotia were the Vikings, but in more recent times the French and the British. French is still spoken on the "French Shore", which is the easterly side of St Mary's Bay, where the locals still uphold their French Acadian traditions and there are  many music and craft festivals throughout the summer. Annapolis Royal, which is about a thirty minute drive from the house, claims to be the first permanent European settlement in Canada when it was established in 1604 by Sieur de Mons and Samuel Champlain.

Geography

Digby neck is a thin 20 mile long strip of land which sticks out into the North Atlantic Ocean. To the east is the fabulous St Mary's Bay and to the west the Bay of Fundy, which is renowned for its diverse wild life, most notably minke, humpback and right whales; there are several operators offering whale watching trips into the bay , the following web site offers an excellent insight into what you might expect to see :-http://www.brierislandwhalewatch.com/. Digby neck is only two to three miles wide, so you are never far from the sea, and there are lots of beaches and coves to discover. Digby Neck breaks up into a series of small islands; Long Islands, Brier Island and Gull islands which are well worth visiting. There is a regular ferry service which costs a modest $5.00 Canadian/ £2.50 return. The Bay of Fundy has the largest tides in the world.

Accommodation

The cottage has three double bedrooms:

Bedroom one has a queen sized bed.

Bedroom two has a bunk bed and a single bed.

Bedroom three has a double bed.

Bed linen is supplied.

Bathroom

The bathroom has a full size bath & shower with hot water on demand and there is also downstairs cloak room. There is a hair dryer and we also supply towels which are for use in the house only.

Kitchen

The kitchen is fully equipped with a full sized electric stove, a fridge freezer, microwave, kettle, coffee maker and toaster. There is a washing machine and tumble dryer located in the utility room.

Dining Room

The dining room is spacious and there is a large dining table with seating for six and there is a wonderful view over looking the lake.

Lounge

There are two sofas located in the lounge, one of which is a futon. There is a wood burning fire and an ample supply of logs .The lounge is equipped with a television, video machine, DVD player, and satellite TV and CD player. There are some DVDs and videos at the house, but more can be hired locally from Wilson's Gas Stop, which is about 1 1/2 miles away. There is a telephone in the house, local calls are free, so you can book up excursions; long distant and international calls can be made using a phone card.

The Den

The den has two arm chairs , a well stocked book case and a cabinet  full of games , including chess, monopoly, playing cards, dominoes, bingo and a game based around eBay .

Garden

The garden is three and three quarter acres; the area around the house is laid to lawn, there are well stocked flower beds and some fruit trees and bushes in the grounds. Garden furniture, sun beds and a barbecue are supplied. Chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, humming birds and bats are regular visitors.

Average high temperatures in June are 70 degrees Fahrenheit/ 19 degrees Celsius, although it can get as hot as 90 degrees Fahrenheit/ 32 degrees Celsius

Things to do:-

Whale watching; Minke, right & humpback whales can be seen in the Bay of Fundy

Deep sea fishing

Fishing in the lake (some fishing equipment is supplied at the house )

Golf at the Pines Resort Golf Club Digby and Annapolis Royal Golf and Country Club

Upper Clements Park (local theme park which features a huge wooden roller coaster and best of all, almost non existent queues) . A two day pass cost about £13.00/ $26.00

A local zoo, which contains mostly native species of animals, such as beavers, bears and racoons.

Kejimkujik National Park (canoes, kayaks and mountain bikes can be hired here).

Cart racing and mini golf.

Visiting local museums; including fishing, toy and local history museums.

Botanical Gardens.

Trips to Digby, which was once, voted the most romantic town in Canada, Annapolis Royal, historic Fort St Anne and Bear River.

Visiting local light houses

Swimming in the lake or local beaches

Hiking Trails

Bird watching, take a trip down to Long and Brier islands at the southerly tip of Digby Neck

Eating Out

Seafood plays a big part in the local cuisine and many restaurants sell freshly caught scallops and lobsters, other local delicacies include fish chowders and rappie pie (a chicken and potato stew) There are also a good selection of fast food outlets including MacDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Subway and Tim Horton’s (which sells a great variety of coffees & an even larger selection of donuts).

Shopping

There are several supermarkets in Digby, including Atlantic Superstore, Sobeys and Wal Mart. Alcohol can be purchased from the Nova Scotia Liquor Store which is next to Sobeys. Digby has an interesting high street with a great selection of local stores, this runs parallel to the harbour so there are some stunning views across the Annapolis Basin There are lots of antique shops in Annapolis Royal, whilst local craft stores can be found at Bear River.

Flights

These can be arranged through Zoom airlines or Canadian Affair. Flights to Halifax Nova Scotia with Zoom Airlines can be made from Gatwick or Glasgow, whilst flights with Canadian Affair fly out of Gatwick. There are lots of other airlines, but we have usually found these to be the cheapest.

Flights take about 6 hours out and 5 1/2 hours on the return journey.

www.canadianaffair.com

Via Sea

A ferry/catamaran service runs from St John's New Brunswick (Canada) to Digby and from Bar Harbor and Portland (USA) to Yarmouth Nova Scotia. Innisfree is about a two hour drive from Yarmouth Visit www.catferry.com

Car Hire

There a re several car hire firms operating at Halifax airport including Thrifty and Dollar

Cleaning & Linens

included

Damage Deposit

(i) Guests can send a separate £150.00/ $300.00 cheque to us six weeks prior to the date when they take occupancy of Innisfree Cottage. This cheque will not be banked unless our caretaker reports that the cottage or contents has been damaged. On receipt of a favourable report form our caretaker the cheque will be returned to the guests.

(ii) Or guests can give our caretaker $300.00 Canadian dollars cash on taking up occupancy of Innisfree Cottage. This will be returned by the Caretaker in cash following a favourable inspection of the house.

Guests will be liable for all damage to the house and contents, although minor breakages of crockery and glassware will be over looked.

More information and photographs available on request

*~*other weeks are also available on eBay*~*

Please take a look at my other listings