Baddeck

Bell first saw Baddeck in 1885, decided the setting resembled his native Scotland, and built Beinn Bhreagh across the bay, spending most summers there for the rest of his life; he is buried on the mountain. His work here went well beyond the telephone: hydrofoils, one of which set a world water speed record in 1919, kites, and aviation. On 23 February 1909 the Silver Dart, built by his Aerial Experiment Association, took off from the ice of Baddeck Bay in the first powered flight in Canada and the British Empire. The museum holds hydrofoil and aircraft material, including a full-size Silver Dart replica.

History

The Mi'kmaq lived here first, French Jesuits settled at nearby St. Anns in 1629, and Loyalists and Scottish Gaels came in the late 18th and early 19th centuries; an inn, tavern and post office were built in 1839, Charles James Campbell opened a store and shipyard in 1841, and in 1851 Baddeck became the seat of the new Victoria County. The travel book Baddeck, And That Sort of Thing made it famous in 1874, and from 1885 Alexander Graham Bell built his estate Beinn Bhreagh here, with a laboratory and a boatyard that worked until 1928, where the Silver Dart made the first controlled powered flight in Canada in 1909 (Wikipedia, Baddeck).

The main sights

• The Bell museum - hydrofoils, kites and aviation alongside the telephone.
• The Silver Dart replica - a full-size copy of the 1909 aircraft.
• Beinn Bhreagh - Bell's house across the bay, private but visible.
• The Bras d'Or shore - the inland sea the village sits on.

When to go

June to October; the museum is open year-round with reduced winter hours. The Cabot Trail starts and ends here, so the village fills with touring traffic in autumn colour season.

Before you go

Beinn Bhreagh remains in family hands and is not open to visitors. The village is small and fills with Cabot Trail traffic. Autumn accommodation books far ahead.

Nearby

The Cabot Trail loops north; Bras d'Or Lake surrounds the village.

Key facts