An exploration of this maritime Canadian province yields memorable experiences at every turn.

Atlantic Canada comprises four very different provinces, united and shaped by water – the rivers, lakes and, of course, the ocean coast. We fly into Halifax in Nova Scotia, but our destination is the province of New Brunswick, and in particular the region around the Bay of Fundy. Our group piles into a shiny Jeep pick-up for a two-hour drive to Moncton-Dieppe, via lush wooded landscapes ribboned with streams, lakes and rivers, along which the First Nations peoples, including the Wolastoqiyik and Mi’kmaq tribes, formed settlements.

WEIRD WATER

Moncton’s Petitcodiac River (chocolate-brown due to high sedimentation levels), bisects both the city and the anglo and francophone communities – New Brunswick is Canada’s only officially bilingual province. Water behaves oddly in this part of the globe; the Bay of Fundy has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world (rising and falling by up to 16 metres twice a day), and when rapidly rising tidal waters meet rivers flowing towards the sea, it forces the rivers backwards with a literal tidal wave – quite the phenomenon to witness!

LOBSTER AHOY

You can’t come to Canada without enjoying lobster, and we’re all keen to order it at every opportunity. Needing sustenance to stave off jet lag, we head to the Brix Experience for cocktail and cooking classes, first creating gorgeous lemon and lavender gin libations, then preparing lobster ravioli from scratch. Served up at communal tables, topped with butter-seared lobster tails, the food is so delicious that we soon forget about any tiredness as we drink, eat and discuss our travel plans.

The next morning starts with brunch at Atelier Tony, a restaurant with its own adjoining bakery, where I choose eggs Benedict with, you guessed it, lobster. Then it’s a pit-stop for a coffee-tasting experience at Epoch Chemistry – highly recommended for coffee geeks like me. Caffeinated with a cold berry brew to go, we get on the road to Magnetic Hill. Here there is another logic-defying phenomenon where your car appears to be rolling uphill, not down. As sceptical as we are initially, we really can’t figure out the optical illusion! Families love the nearby water park and zoo, but we head for a more adult offering at Magnetic Hill Winery. This was formerly a strawberry farm, until the Everett family diversified into fruit wines (cue lots of Moira Rose ‘fruit wiiiine’ impressions, for us Schitt’s Creek fans) and now have a booming business (yes, there are regular grape-based wines too) in a gorgeous setting. There are balconies and swing seats overlooking the vineyards, as we relax with wine tasters and platters of locally produced cheese and charcuterie.

SEA STACKS AND STARS

Appetites sated, we head back to the coast to visit the extraordinary Hopewell Rocks. These rock formations are gravity-defying and otherworldly, especially if you get away from the madding crowd (most people don’t venture more than a few hundred metres from the main steps). Since it’s low tide, we are walking on the ocean bed, but within a matter of hours we could be kayaking over the same spot with a dozen or more metres of water beneath us. Families are divided between those delicately picking their way around the red mud and shale, and those whose children are taking a full-on mudbath. Luckily there are showers and hosing-off points up top for a clean-up operation before getting back into vehicles.

We head inland to an extra-special overnight stay. The geodesic Balsam Ridge Forest Domes are in a dark skies area, and each well-equipped dome has a different theme (we’re in ‘Adventure’, which features a surfboard all the way from Hawaii mounted on an internal wall, an indoor swing and a vintage Super Pac-Man arcade game). Walking and bike trails run through the surrounding forest (and bikes are available to rent). The Canadians might call this camping, but to me it’s extremely elevated glamping (I didn’t even know that towel warmers existed until now!). Out on our extra-large deck there’s a hot tub, barbecue, pizza oven and firepit, Adirondack chairs and outdoor games. With a barbecue and pizza kit waiting for us, we’re all set up for a magical evening of soaking, cooking, eating, drinking, sharing tales and stargazing as the night falls and the stars emerge. Pure bliss.

FROM COAST TO CITY

The next day we drive the cliff-hugging Fundy Trail Parkway, with its scenic viewpoints, waterfalls and trails, then village-hop along the coast. After exploring the sea caves in charming St Martins, we head to Old Molly’s Bar and ‘build a board’, selecting our choice of cured meats, fish, cheeses and dips, while making friends with Oliver, the friendly community dog who is a tourist attraction in his own right. Then it’s on to Canada’s first city, Saint John (incorporated in 1785), where Uncorked Tours takes us around the hilly historic centre on a craft-beer-tasting walking and local history tour. I’m not a beer-lover at all, but they help me discover a style that I can enjoy for the first time ever – fruited sour beer. A superrelaxed family-style meal at East Coast Bistro helps to soak up the booze.

Our next destination is picturesque Saint Andrews and The Algonquin Resort, a historical hotel with a haunted reputation (as well as modern luxury and service). After cocktails on the terrace, we can’t resist taking the ghost tour, prior to dinner at the Rossmount Inn, where the butter-poached lobster is the best rendition yet of this Canadian crustacean. A whale-watching tour is compulsory here, and Randy of Jolly Breeze Whale Adventures (jollybreeze.com), who has skippered trips since he was a boy, finds us not only whales but colonies of seals, and eagles whose offspring are just starting to take their first forays into flight, hovering above the nest.

Our New Brunswick trip winds up in the provincial capital, Fredericton, on the Saint John River (also known as the Wolastoq). Here the urban comes with a delightful side of nature. There are miles of trails for biking, walking (and skiing in winter), as well as watersports. Coffee and kayaking might not seem natural partners, but the ‘Paddle and Roast’ tour with Second Nature Outdoors proves otherwise, as we roast coffee beans over a campfire on an island.

After a wander around the fantastic Beaverbrook Art Gallery, lunch at the First Nations communityrun restaurant Wolastoq Wharf is our final chance to eat lobster (this time in the form of glorious lobster rolls) before leaving this maritime region of water, forests, trails (and crustaceans) behind us.