Chester, Canada Summary

It’s a thirty-minute drive north from Peggy’s Cove to Hwy 103 and a further 40km west to CHESTER, a handsome and prosperous-looking town tumbling over a chubby little peninsula. Founded by New Englanders in 1759, the town, with its fine old trees and elegant frame houses, has long been the favoured resort of yachting enthusiasts whose principal shindig is the Race Week regatta held in mid-August. In July and August, Chester also hosts an excellent summer festival of contemporary music and Canadian-oriented drama at the Chester Playhouse, right in the middle of town (information and reservations tel 275-3933 or 1-800/363-7529, www.ChesterPlayhouse.ns.ca; tickets around $14). Finally, out in the bay and reached from Chester jetty by passenger ferry (Mon-Fri 4 daily, Sat & Sun 2 daily; 45min; $5 return) are two tiny islets, Big and Little Tancook, whose quiet country roads and benign scenery are popular with walkers, who pop across for a day’s ramble. Big Tancook is the prettier of the islets and there’s somewhere to eat here too – Carolyn’s Café (June-Oct), opposite the jetty.