After leaving Sydney on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Steven and I drove along the south shore of the Bras d'Or Lake, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve located in the center of the island. It is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site, does not involve new levels of regulations, create new protected areas, nor limit anyone's rights. Instead, a biosphere reserve encourages people to live in harmony with their environment. I had no idea that it was the 16th such reserve in Canada, and it joined 580 sites in 116 countries.
However, I don't recall encountering any other bisphere reserves during our vast travels. Have you?
As we'd already spent time in my father's hometown of Saint John, New Brunswick, earlier on our trip en route to Newfoundland, we just drove through it this time.
It was then on to Minister's Island, Canada's largest tidal island in the province's Passamaquoddy Bay near the town of St. Andrews. For many centuries, the island was the seasonal home of the Passamaquoddy Indigenous people.
The island took on a new identity in 1777 when people known in Canada as "Loyalists" but "turncoats" in the U.S., moved north to escape the American Revolutionary War and settled in what is now St. Andrews in 1783. The island was named for Parson Andrews, who began a local ministry in1790. The remarkable island landscape so captivated Canadian Pacific Railway President Sir William Van Horne that he began building in late 1890 a summer estate and a unique collection of highly original structures, including a cottage, barn, dairy, bathhouse, windmill, and gas plant. The spectacular summer "cottage" reflected his appreciation of art, music, entertainment, and the finer things in life. At low tide, the island is connected to the mainland by a land bridge.
How we'd have loved traipsing along some of the dozen miles of new and century-old trails that had been worn down by carriages long ago. However, since you can only cross at low tide, which ended at 8 that night, we didn't want to take any chances of being stuck on the island overnight!
The water levels in the bay can rise up to 24 feet at high tide, and the bay connecting the island to the mainland is under 16 feet of water at high tide. As the tide schedule changed daily, it was essential to check the schedule posted at the end of the bar before crossing. We read that if there were water on the bar, it wasn't safe to cross as the tide was tight and the water was frigid. If we'd crossed over to the island and wanted to return, and noticed the bar was underwater, we'd had to have waited up to six hours until it was safe to cross again. We didn't dare take that chance!
About an hour west of Saint John was St. Andrews at the end of the peninsula, joining the bay. Like the home on Ministers Island, the town was founded by Loyalists who sailed into the Bay of Fundy and followed it to the peninsula's tip in 1783. The settlers, originally from England's former colonies further south, moved to what they believed was Canada at Castine, Maine. However, a subsequent international boundary decision forced them to relocate yet again.
The settlers reloaded their convoys with all their possessions, dismantled homes, loaded the structures onto barges, and set sail for a safe homeland. Their creation was St. Andrews, where almost every street was named for King George III or one of his family.
A plaque on the home indicated it was built in the 1820s as a home and customs house for the Treadwell family, who were ship chandlers.
The earliest homes were of wood construction with simple exterior features. As the town prospered, new homes were more elaborately decorated, and the largest and most expensive were constructed of brick.
The home, built on a land grant to Andrew Martin in 1784, was used in the 1800s as a post office, and later as a candy shop in the early 1900s.
Views out back of the town wharf:
The Bradfords Hotel was erected in 1860, then known as the boarding house called American House, before becoming a bakery in the 1900s.
Look at all the Rule Britannia regalia in the storefront window!
I read that St. Andrews had retained the four elements of a British colonial settlement: a gridiron layout, provisions for public spaces, a commons area, and well-defined defensive work. In addition, most commercial and residential buildings were defined by British classicism.
The town's war memorial, Lest We Forget:
Perhaps I'd just spent too much time in the States when we visited St. Andrews to appreciate fully its love of all things British, even though the town was unbelievably cute and charming. As someone who grew up in Canada as the daughter of an Englishwoman but now lives in the United States, I found it hard to visit a town that seemed to value its British roots more than its Canadian allegiance. I'd be curious to hear what others who have also spent time in St. Andrews think.
The St. Andrews North Point Lighthouse, on the southern tip of the peninsula in the Passamaquoddy Bay, was built in 1833 and operated until 1933. However, it is commonly known as Pendlebury Lighthouse after the family who maintained it.
Kingsbrae Garden:
Away from the town center were some of the stately brick homes I mentioned above, built as St. Andrews' economy prospered.
The Church of St. Andrews was a Catholic church.
Close by was the All Saints Anglican Church.
The Algonquin Hotel, formerly The Algonquin Resort, was constructed during the historic reign of the United Kingdom’s famed Queen Victoria, who sat on the British throne from 1837 to 1901.
Far less rarified was the Dominion Hill Country Inn, where we stayed that night! However, it still oozed charm and comfort, although we were glad that we weren't using its glamping facilities onsite!
Posted on February 21st, 2026, from Chicago, a day after Steven and I celebrated our 44th anniversary with our daughter, Natalie, and her lovely family. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones, whether they are close by or only close at heart.
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