Self-Launched Eastern Canada: Maritimes & Newfoundland

Fly into Halifax Stanfield (YHZ) and take the Route 320 bus downtown (~CAD 4.50, ~£2.60) rather than a taxi. Check into a hostel or budget hotel in the downtown core, then walk the waterfront boardwalk and grab a first-night lobster roll or donair on Argyle Street. Sort your grocery basics at a Sobeys or Atlantic Superstore — self-catered breakfasts will save you a lot over 18 days.

🚌Airport bus Route 320, ~£2.60

🛏HI Halifax Heritage House Hostel (dorm ~£38/night) or a budget downtown hotel (~£85)

• →Waterfront boardwalk stroll
• →Argyle Street dinner
• →Groceries and transit card (HFX GO)

Take the early Maritime Bus from Halifax to Antigonish (~3 hrs, ~CAD 40, ~£23). Antigonish is a lovely Gaelic-heritage college town — walk the Fairmont Ridge trails or the Pomquet Acadian shore paths before catching an afternoon bus or pre-booked shared shuttle onward to Baddeck on Cape Breton Island (~2.5 hrs). Baddeck is a small village, so book a guesthouse or motel in advance.

🚌Maritime Bus Halifax–Antigonish ~£23; bus/shuttle Antigonish–Baddeck ~£25

🛏Baddeck guesthouse or motel (~£70–85, book ahead — limited supply)

• →Fairmont Ridge hike
• →Pomquet Acadian trail walk
• →Baddeck harbour evening

The Cabot Trail loop is the highlight of Nova Scotia but has no public transport — the practical budget option is to join a small-group Cabot Trail day tour from Baddeck (bookable via GetYourGuide or local operators, ~CAD 150–180, ~£90–105) or rent a car for the day if you're travelling with others. Either way, hike the Skyline Trail boardwalk (7km, whale-watching viewpoints), stop at Ingonish Beach for a swim and take in the coastal switchbacks. Pack a picnic lunch.

🚌Cabot Trail day tour or shared car rental

🛏Baddeck guesthouse or motel

• →Skyline Trail hike
• →Cabot Trail scenic drive
• →Ingonish Beach
• →Cape Breton Highlands NP entry (~CAD 8.50)

Head back to the mainland for Pictou, the Scottish-heritage shipbuilding town where the Hector landed. Visit the Hector Heritage Quay (~CAD 10) then continue to Caribou for the 75-minute Northumberland Ferries crossing to Wood Islands (~CAD 20 as a foot passenger; the ferry company runs shuttle connections). From Wood Islands, take the summer shuttle or a shared taxi/taxi onward to Summerside (~CAD 40).

🚌Maritime Bus Baddeck–Pictou ~£28; Northumberland Ferry ~£12; shuttle to Summerside ~£23

🛏Summerside hostel/guesthouse or budget motel (~£65–80)

• →Hector Heritage Quay
• →Northumberland ferry crossing
• →Summerside boardwalk sunset

Take the public T3 Transit bus into Charlottetown (~CAD 2–5) and pick your own adventure: a self-guided walk of the Victorian downtown and Province House, a kayak rental in the harbour (~CAD 55–75), a bike rental on the Confederation Trail, or a stroll around Victoria Park. In the afternoon catch the bus or a shared ride up to the North Shore beaches (Brackley or Cavendish) for a swim and red-sand dunes. Eat well: PEI mussels and Cow's ice cream are non-negotiable.

🚌T3 Transit buses ~£3–8

🛏Summerside hostel/guesthouse or budget motel

• →Charlottetown historic self-guided walk
• →Harbour kayak rental
• →North Shore beaches
• →Confederation Trail cycling

Cross the 12.9km Confederation Bridge (Maritime Bus runs Summerside–Moncton, ~CAD 25). From Moncton, book onto a Hopewell Rocks + Fundy day tour or take a taxi/shuttle to Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park (~CAD 15 entry) and time your visit for low tide so you can walk the ocean floor among the flowerpot rocks. Add a 2–4km cliff-top hike in Fundy National Park, home to the world's highest tides, then continue to Saint John (~CAD 30 by bus).

🚌Maritime Bus Summerside–Moncton ~£15; Moncton–Hopewell shuttle/tour; bus to Saint John ~£18

🛏Saint John hostel or budget hotel (~£60–75)

• →Hopewell Rocks at low tide
• →Fundy National Park hike
• →Confederation Bridge crossing

Morning free in Saint John: Reversing Falls Lookout, the waterfront and AREA 506 Container Village. Join a locally run Indigenous storytelling walk if available (check the Saint John tourism office / book direct with local operators, ~CAD 30). In the afternoon take the Bay Ferries catamaran from Saint John to Digby (~2h45, foot passenger ~CAD 45, ~£26) — watch for whales and seals from the deck. Dinner in Digby: scallops, obviously.

🚌Bay Ferries Saint John–Digby ~£26

🛏Digby guesthouse or budget motel (~£60–75)

• →Reversing Falls Lookout
• →Waterfront & Container Village
• →Indigenous storytelling walk
• →Bay Ferries crossing

Free day in the Annapolis Valley. Take a local bus or taxi to Annapolis Royal to see Fort Anne National Historic Site (~CAD 8), one of the oldest European settlements in North America, and the pretty garden town centre. Book a Bay of Fundy whale-watching cruise from Digby or Brier Island (~CAD 90, ~£52) — summer is prime humpback and minke season. Alternatively potter around Bear River's artist studios and cafés.

🚌Local bus/taxi to Annapolis Royal ~£10

🛏Digby guesthouse or budget motel

• →Fort Anne NHS
• →Bay of Fundy whale watching
• →Bear River artist village

Bus or shared shuttle from Digby to Lunenburg (~CAD 40–55, ~2hrs). Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage town and one of the best-preserved British colonial grid settlements in North America — do a self-guided walk with the town map or join a local walking tour (~CAD 25), see the Bluenose II and the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic (~CAD 12). Continue to the Mahone Bay/Western Shore area for a quieter night by the water.

🚌Shared shuttle/bus Digby–Lunenburg ~£28

🛏South Shore guesthouse or cabin (~£70–85)

• →Lunenburg Old Town walk
• →Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic
• →Bluenose II
• →Mahone Bay evening

Take a local bus/taxi to Peggy's Cove (~CAD 30–45 return) to walk the fishing village, wharf and lighthouse on the smooth granite rocks — arrive early to beat the tour buses. Return to Halifax for an afternoon of self-guided exploring: the Citadel, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (Titanic exhibits) and Spring Garden Road. Skip the hotel breakfast and find a café for a final Maritimes brunch.

🚌Local bus/taxi to Peggy's Cove ~£25; return to Halifax

🛏HI Halifax Heritage House Hostel or budget downtown hotel

• →Peggy's Cove lighthouse walk
• →Halifax Citadel
• →Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Fly Halifax–St. John's with Air Canada, Porter or WestJet (~1h50, book 2–3 months ahead for CAD 200–320 one-way, ~£115–185). Take the airport shuttle or local bus (Route 14/3 combo) into downtown (~CAD 7). Explore Water Street and George Street in the evening — Newfoundland's pub-music scene is legendary. Budget an hour to sort your Gros Morne and Bonavista car-share or bus plans.

🚌Flight YHZ–YYT ~£150; airport shuttle ~£4

🛏St. John's hostel or budget guesthouse downtown (~£60–75)

• →Water Street wander
• →George Street music pubs

Hike the Signal Hill trails first thing for views over the harbour and the North Atlantic — Cabot Tower and the trail network are free. Then take a bus or car-share to Brigus (~1hr), the picture-postcard village of narrow lanes and the tunnel cut through bedrock near the harbour, then continue to Trinity. Base yourself in Trinity for two nights; do a self-guided walk past the restored 19th-century merchant houses, climb Gun Hill for sunset and check the Rising Tide Theatre schedule.

🚌Bus/car-share St. John's–Brigus–Trinity ~£30

🛏Trinity guesthouse or B&B (~£70–85)

• →Signal Hill trails
• →Brigus village & tunnel
• →Trinity heritage walk
• →Gun Hill sunset
• →Rising Tide Theatre (optional)

Drive or car-share the Bonavista Peninsula loop. Stop at Elliston's puffin viewing site (one of the most accessible puffin colonies in North America — free, short walk from the road) and the Root Cellars Museum, then on to Bonavista for the lighthouse, Ryan Premises and the Dungeon cliffs. Walk the coastal trail sections for iceberg (June) and whale (July) sightings. Self-cater or buy lunch in Bonavista.

🚌Car-share or shared taxi ~£20

🛏Trinity guesthouse or B&B

• →Elliston puffin site
• →Bonavista Lighthouse
• →Ryan Premises
• →Coastal trail hike

A long travel day: head north to Twillingate (~2.5hrs from Trinity) for the Long Point Lighthouse and, if conditions allow, a whale and iceberg boat tour (~CAD 98–115, ~£60). Continue west toward King's Point on Green Bay, where the Alexander Murray Hiking Trail gives big views for a 5km effort. Overnight in King's Point or push on to the Gros Morne gateway town of Rocky Harbour if you have a car-share arranged.

🚌Car-share or intercity bus (Newfoundland's DRL coach) ~£35

🛏King's Point/Rocky Harbour guesthouse (~£65–80)

• →Twillingate Long Point Lighthouse
• →Whale & iceberg boat tour
• →Alexander Murray Hiking Trail

Enter Gros Morne National Park (~CAD 10 day pass). Walk the 3km flat trail from the road to Western Brook Pond, then take the two-hour BonTours boat cruise into the landlocked fjord — 600m cliffs, waterfalls and a sense of scale that's hard to beat (~CAD 75, ~£44, book online in advance). Evening in Rocky Harbour with an Anchors Aweigh (kitchen party) show if you fancy live Newfoundland music.

🚌Local car-share/taxi ~£12

🛏Rocky Harbour hostel or guesthouse (~£60–75)

• →Western Brook Pond boat tour
• →Gros Morne NP entry
• →Rocky Harbour kitchen party

Cross to the south side of Bonne Bay to Woody Point (small ferry from Norris Point or drive around, ~CAD 10). Hike the Tableland Trail, a 4km loop across orange peridotite rock that's literally Earth's mantle pushed to the surface — one of the most unusual landscapes in Canada. Visit the Discovery Centre and the Woody Point heritage district, then return to Rocky Harbour for the night.

🚌Bonne Bay ferry/north-south drive ~£8

🛏Rocky Harbour hostel or guesthouse

• →Tableland Trail hike
• →Woody Point Discovery Centre
• →Norris Point ferry

Use your spare day to tackle the Gros Morne Mountain trail (16km, 6–8hrs, strenuous — check conditions and only go if properly equipped) or pick more gentle options: the Coastal Trail from Green Point, Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse, or a kayak rental on Bonne Bay. This is also your buffer day if Newfoundland weather (fog, delayed boats) has shifted anything earlier in the trip.

🚌Walking/local

🛏Rocky Harbour hostel or guesthouse

• →Gros Morne Mountain trail (optional)
• →Green Point coastal trail
• →Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse
• →Bonne Bay kayaking

Take the shuttle or local bus from Rocky Harbour to Deer Lake Airport (~1hr, ~CAD 30) for your flight out — Deer Lake connects to Halifax, Toronto and Montreal. If your flight is later, the hiking trails around Deer Lake or a wander along the Humber River fills the time nicely.

🚌Shuttle Rocky Harbour–Deer Lake Airport ~£18

🛏None (departure day)

• →Deer Lake shuttle
• →Humber River walk (if time)