So, Day-one complete, it is time to drill down into our second full day of travel on our journey, the drive from North Hatley, Quebec, through the state of Maine to our Day-two destination, Saint John, New Brunswick. Well, sort of. We made the executive decision not to drive straight through to Saint John and overnight there. Rather, we decided to pull up an hour short and spend the night in the fabulous coastal town of Saint Andrews by-the-Sea in New Brunswick, just across the border from Maine. So here we go.
Hold on buddy! I have another question for you. I get what you have said about taking the alternate route through the US to Saint John, and I understand how nicely that works for you carrying on to Nova Scotia, and probably for anybody else stopping somewhere in New Brunswick close to Saint John.
However, when I go down east, I am going much further afield than that. We go to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and I’m pretty sure your system is not going to work for destinations like that. I’m confident that going the usual way through Quebec and New Brunswick and slashing cross-country from Fredericton is gonna be much shorter than your proposed route.
That is a point well taken, and I have to tell you that it sent me on a search in Google Maps, which I too, actually felt would probably prove you to be correct. That is not how it worked out, however.
I entered the same information, starting in Toronto right through to Charlottetown with no intermediary stops. To my great surprise, Google Maps came up with the Maine route, a second time. I remained a bit unconvinced, so I set it to do a second search, going through Rivière-du-Loup and Edmundston… the old route… to either confirm or deny whether the time was longer or shorter.
I was about to say, one again, “to my surprise”, but not really, going through the state of Maine remained the preferred route. Here are the numbers going the traditional route starting from Toronto – you would travel 1697 km and it would take 16 hours and 51 minutes to complete the drive. If you were to go through Maine you would drive 1597 km and take 16 hours and 33 minutes; so, you would only save about 20 minutes, but there would be 100 km less driving. And once again you would get to fill up your car with cheaper American gas.
My search also underscored the fact that the time of day you search will Impact the route offered and how long it will take to cover it. Traffic flows and construction slowdowns vary I suppose. In my second search of the proposed alternate route, the directions were to go immediately down to New York State through Buffalo and drive most of the way through the United States, finishing in Maine before crossing the border and heading up to Charlottetown. There was no mention of going towards Montreal and down the route we took.
Ultimately, the route you take becomes a very personal choice. If you don’t want to go through the US, then you go the traditional way. If you want to see some different territory, put a few fewer kilometres on your car, reduce a bit of the driving time and fill up the tank for less money, then consider taking the route through Maine. All I’m really trying to do is make you aware of the second route, not necessarily trying to convince you to take it.
But, we did take it, and this is how our second day of travel unfolded.
The Second Leg – Day 2
We had a casual start the following morning before heading out on the next section of our trek. Breakfast was included with our hotel booking in North Hatley, so we headed down to the dining room and had a very pleasant meal. Having breakfast and later going through the checkout procedure allowed us to spend some time chatting with the husband-and-wife team who run the Auberge. Nice folks.
They were very helpful and accommodating when I first contacted them to book rooms. When I first spoke with them, they did not have two rooms available, but about a week later, they were able to provide us with two. Someone else had cancelled, I am assuming.
Here are a few photos from our last couple of hours spent before hitting the road.
Click on photos in the carousels to view in a larger format.
On the Road to Maine
The map below shows our route to our official endpoint, Saint John, but it also shows where we spent our second night, Saint Andrews, New Brunswick just on the other side of the border. Stopping in Saint Andrews reduced our driving time by an hour from what you see stated on the map. This also made for a very leisurely drive up to the Saint John ferry dock the next day.
The drive from North Hatley to the border takes about one hour and 15 minutes. That leaves you with about a 4 ½ hour drive through Maine until you get to the border crossing at the US border town of Calais.
It is important to note that on the road (Hwy. 9) between Bangor, Maine, and the border, there are hardly any gas stops and none for the second half of the route. So, you might want to gas up in Bangor. You could fill up a second time when you get to the border. 🙂
Let’s check out our drive.
Another issue worth pointing out was that Google Maps took us to a border crossing in town that is now closed. This did cause some consternation, of course, until I remembered that we had passed what appeared to be another crossing point about a kilometre back down the road. The new border crossing opened not too many years ago. When I Google searched the route again after we got home, it did show the route going to the new border crossing, so it will probably not be an issue for anyone else in future.
Saint Andrews by-the-Sea
The decision to end our driving day a little early and spend the night in Saint Andrews was strictly about changing things up a bit and staying in a small, charming seaside town rather than finishing up in a big city. And what a wonderful change it is. The small town of Saint Andrews by-the-Sea is one of Canada’s most delightful coastal towns and is New Brunswick’s signature resort community.
There is a little bit of everything there for everybody. That includes one of Canada’s great golf courses if you are a golfer. And yes, I have played there on a previous trip. It is also home to one of Canada’s great historic hotels, the Algonquin Resort Hotel, which first opened its doors in 1889. The original hotel burnt down and was replaced with the current structure in 1914. At the risk of repeating myself, yes, we have stayed there before as well.
According to my new best friend, ChatGPT –
“Saint Andrews by-the-Sea, New Brunswick, is a charming coastal town that offers a unique blend of natural beauty, rich history, and small-town hospitality. Nestled along the Bay of Fundy, the town boasts stunning ocean views, pristine beaches, and lush greenery. Its historic downtown is lined with quaint shops, galleries, and restaurants, many housed in 18th- and 19th-century buildings, giving the area a timeless charm. Visitors can explore the famous Kingsbrae Garden, a 27-acre horticultural masterpiece, or enjoy the nearby St. Andrews Blockhouse, a relic of the War of 1812. Whale-watching tours, scenic boat cruises, and the vibrant local arts scene add to the town’s appeal, making it a perfect destination for nature lovers, history buffs, and anyone seeking a peaceful retreat by the sea.”
WOW! That really does say it all. The following is the question or rather the direction I provided to ChatGPT to produce that. “Please write a paragraph describing the many charms of Saint Andrews by-the-sea New Brunswick.”
Here is a little video clip I found on YouTube, “Canada – Drone Shots of Saint Andrews New Brunswick” by “Jetset Blonde”. I think that it provides a good sense of what the town is all about from a bird’s eye perspective.
Having left North Hatley at approximately quarter after nine in the morning, we were very happy to arrive at Saint Andrews late in the afternoon after the six hour drive and various stops for lunch, bathroom breaks, driver changes and a gas-up. We were still there in plenty of time to get checked in and still enjoy some patio time before dinner.
Lodging
On our previous stay in Saint Andrews, we stayed at the famous Algonquin Resort… primarily because we got to book at a special rate. This time, we stayed at the Inn on Frederick. It is in an ideal location just off the main commercial street. It is probably in need of a refresh, but it certainly suited our needs on this trip. On our next visit, we will probably stay at Kennedy House on the main drag. It looks like a lovely little boutique hotel.
Check out some lodging photos.
Drinks and Dinner
After we checked in at the Inn on Frederick, we headed down to a local watering hole on the waterfront, Seasons by the Sea Bistro, for some drinks and then, ultimately, for dinner. It was a great choice on a beautiful day. There were lots of folks down on the pier as we approached the sunset hour. We moved inside for dinner as it was beginning to get a little cool, and we weren’t really dressed for nighttime outside dining.
The Third… Very Short… Leg – Day 3
The Inn provided breakfast with our reservation, so we booked ourselves onto the afternoon ferry departure for 2:15 PM. Normally, we catch the 8:00 AM ferry. This allowed us to spend more time wandering around the town. The photos in the following photo collection will give you a bit of a sense of how we spent our time. The day began with a stroll out to the end of the pier.
Off To Saint John and the Ferry Crossing
But eventually, we had to leave this lovely little town and head off to Saint John to catch our ferry across the Bay of Fundy to Digby, Nova Scotia. The ferry operators ask travellers to be on site an hour before departure. Because the drive was so short, and we were so excited to get underway, we left a little too early and spent about an hour and a half on-site before boarding beganboarding began.
Here is the route we took from Saint Andrews to the ferry dock in Saint John.
We probably should have eaten lunch before we left Saint Andrews, but we did have some food in the car that held us over until we got on board and were able to grab something at one of the cafés. There are vending machines inside the ferry terminal, but no real food. Keep that in mind if you ever find yourself in this situation.
You can wander around the site and use the washrooms in the terminal while you’re waiting, so you’re not stuck in your car for the whole time. But remember to bring food. 🙂
Have a look at the photos from our ferry crossing experience.
Digby
Digby is situated in a lovely spot on the Annapolis Basin, as you can see on the map below. Shown in the second image, another of Canada’s great historic inns, the Digby Pines Resort, is located on the edge of town and is a lovely place to stay. It too, has a wonderful golf course. We chose price over quality on this trip… You will notice there are no photos of our accommodation this time. 🙂
Click on the images to view them in a larger format.
Checked into our accommodation for the night, we headed downtown to do a bit of strolling around and for drinks and dinner. We headed to a favourite restaurant, Fundy Restaurant… not a terribly original name, but it is a long-standing mainstay in Digby. We have eaten there several times. For the record, Digby is the self-proclaimed “scallop capital of the world”!
To wrap this all up a few photos from our very short overnight stay in Digby.
The following morning, the sun rises, and we prepare to head off to the cottage. More on that later.
