Pictou

The Hector arrived at Pictou in September 1773 carrying about one hundred and eighty-nine Highland Scots after a crossing of eleven weeks in which eighteen died, mostly children, of smallpox and dysentery; the survivors landed in an unprepared wilderness weeks before winter. It was not the first Scottish arrival but it became the symbolic one, and the migration it began reshaped the province. A full-size replica of the ship was built at the waterfront and launched in 2000, with a museum alongside; the replica underwent a long restoration and returned to the water in 2024. Pictou is the ferry port for Prince Edward Island.

What you actually see

• The Hector replica - a full-size ship on the waterfront where she landed.
• The interpretive centre - the 1773 crossing and what followed.
• The harbour front - stone and brick buildings along the water.
• The Scottish connection - the migration this arrival is taken to have begun.

When to go

June to September for the ship and full opening; the site closes or reduces in winter. The Hector Festival brings Gaelic music and culture in August.

Honest expectations

The ship is a modern replica and has spent long periods under restoration and out of the water. The town is small. The site closes for much of the winter.

Nearby

Antigonish lies east; the PEI ferry runs from Caribou nearby.