by Emily Cathcart

As the world changes, the ease of travel we once took for granted has departed. Though grabbing your passport and hopping on a plane to the destination of your choice is no longer a given (without a host of other considerations), thoughts often turn to the kind of journeys we’d like to be taking when we’re cleared for takeoff.

City breaks in crowded capitals and jaunts to jam-packed tourist traps are off the menu; with room to roam being highly desirable in a destination, it’s hard to beat the Canadian Maritimes. A region of stunning natural beauty and striking spaciousness, this outdoor paradise provides loads of coastal charm; an abundance of wildlife; and plenty of cultural interest.

We visited the Atlantic province of New Brunswick in autumn, when trees were beginning to blaze with colour; roadtripping from Shediac to Miramichi and Fredericton to St Andrews. Apart from appreciating Mother Nature at her showiest, as visitors from Ireland there was a particular appeal to the region’s strong connection to home; in hospitable Miramichi—the Irish Capital of Canada—a healthy 84 percent of the population claim Irish heritage.

At St Andrews by-the-Sea, deer roam the streets; original architecture adorns the Historic District; whale watching trips set out from the pier; day excursions head for Campobello Island. Early one September morning, as the sky began to glow outside our hotel room window I grabbed the camera and tiptoed out the door. Seeking the most likely sunrise spot, I stumbled upon a Celtic cross memorial overlooking Passamaquoddy Bay as dawn began to streak the clouds.

Standing tall and solitary, this poignant tribute and many like it throughout New Brunswick remind us of thousands of journeys into the unknown in the 1800s. Though it’s hard to fully fathom the immigrants’ initial shock of separation from everything familiar, through modern eyes we can all-too-easily grasp the complexities of navigating uncharted waters; pathfinding amidst pitfalls with care; and resetting our compasses in a suddenly strange new world.

Images: Emily Cathcart