Regarding this Frequently Asked Questions page, we know everyone has Google and knows how to use it. So we came up with a entertaining Q & EH! section, to answer questions that guests have asked. That said, the real meat and potatoes information about Basin View Bungalow, places to eat, day trips etc. are in 'THE BOOK' in the cottage. Enjoy this Q&EH! section, and by all means email us a question.
Q: How long does it take to drive from Granville Ferry , which is on the opposite side of the causeway at the Annapolis Royal Generator Station, to Basin View Bungalow? The cottage is located at 1368 Granville Road, Port Wade, Nova Scotia.
EH!: Google says 15 minutes. Google needs to slow down. It will take 20 to 25 minutes, even longer if you have to stop for cows to cross the road. That's right, you read correctly, Cows! Granville Road from Granville Ferry to Victoria Beach is a up and down, curving and twisty byway, which we doubt has never seen a surveyor's transom. With the North Mountain on one side and the Annapolis Basin on the other, the view is always changing. Even we see something new every time we travel it.
Q: Does the Annapolis Royal Generator Station produce power from the Annapolis River?
Eh!: No it produced electricity from tidal flows in the Bay Fundy. It was decommissioned in 2019.
Q: So, what is this, that am looking at in the water behind Basin View Bungalow?
EH!: These giant rings, are a NS government initiative. The black circles harness the centrifugal forces created by the tides; while spinning like a washing machine, they wear down glass shards into sea glass. The sea glass is then planted on Nova Scotia beaches for the tourist to find.
Not buying it. Busted. It's a Salmon farm.
Operated by Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd, a subsidiary of Cooke Aquaculture Inc. from New Brunswick. There are presently 16 pens, with 32,000 plus salmon in each pen. Guest find the coming and goings of the vessels and workers that attend the salmon daily, interesting and entertaining. The farm is draw to seals, cormorants, seagulls, diving ducks, eagles, osprey, the occasional harbour porpoises, sport fishermen, the crab fishery, and the lobster fishery, all of which use the water between the pens and shore to their advantage depending on the tides and time of year
Q: Is the water in the Annapolis Basin fresh water or salt water?
EH!: Um, taste it, you tell us.
(if your not willing to taste, here's a hint: the Bay of Fundy's has a 100 billion tonnes of salt water)
Q: How long are the whales in the Bay of Fundy?
EH!: In the Bay of Fundy, Humpback whales begin to show up from June (others follow shortly after) to October, to watch Humans or is it the other way around, it's confusing. Most of the tours do not start till the first of July. Whale Watching Charters operate on Digby Neck, Long Island and Brier Island. From all accounts whales enjoy viewing humans, so please don't disappoint them, book a charter during your stay.
Q: What is the difference between Port Royal and Habitation?
EH!: Locals (refers to those born and raised here) unequivocally refer to this community as the Habitation. Everyone else refers to the community as Port Royal (roadside sign says PORT ROYAL [HABITATION]). What ever floats your boat, applies here. Why the confusion? The Habitation of Port Royal was built in 1605 by Pierre Du Gua de Monts (who named the site Port Royal), from plans by Sammel de Champlain, who accompanied de Monts from France. The Habitation (a place in which to live; a house or home) became the first permanent white settlement in America, north of what is now known as Florida, a Spanish held area at the time. The Habitation lasted till 1613, when it was looted and burned to the ground by a raiding party from Virginia. Port Royal was later rebuilt by the French on the south side of the basin, which is now known as Annapolis Royal. The community of Port Royal stuck at the original place the Habitation was built. In relatively recent times, the Habitation was replicated and is a National Historical Site managed by Parks Canada. Given the amount of vehicles in the parking lot, it is a popular attraction for it's historical relevance, and scenic surroundings on the Annapolis Basin.
Q: That's a lighthouse, no way, it can't be, can it?
http://www.portroyallighthouse.ca/
EH!: Yes it is a lighthouse. We know at present, the summer of 2023, it resembles a miniature version of Gaudí's Basilica, La Sagrada Família surrounded in scaffolding. The Schafner Point Lighthouse or the Port Royal Lighthouse, again, a case of whatever floats your boat regarding the name, is undergoing a full renovation to bring this national historic landmark built in 1885 back to its original glory. The renovation is under the control of the Port Royal Lighthouse Association (PRLA), it's members are every address on Granville Road. The hope is the lighthouse will be complete in the Fall of 2023. Donations are welcomed from all Lighthouse Lovers, wherever you may be from, please CLICK HERE to Donate on the Port Royal Lighthouse Association's website. Basin View Bungalow has sea glass necklaces made by Joan for sale, with all the proceeds going towards the Lighthouse Renovation.
Q: Thorn Cove, what's up with all the vehicles and quads along the road and on the tidal flats?
EH!: Clams! These hard working individuals, Clammers, spend countless hours, stooped over digging soft shell clams from the tidal flats, at low tide, from April 15 to December 31 (Closed January 1 to April 14). Most restaurants serve them deep fried. Crow's Nest Digby, Crow's Nest Hillsburn and Tom's Bus at the causeway serve clams from Thorn Cove. Locals like them deep fried bellies on, steamed whole clams, or Potato Clams (a kin to scalloped potatoes), and clam chowder. Of coarse you can dig your own, but watch out for the giant mud-hole sucking monsters! You are not allowed to dig soft shell clams in posted Red Flagged areas.
Q: Where did the fish farm go?
EH!: Spring 2024 update to fish farm.
So, we got bored looking at the fish farm, pens, the workers and they're boats.
We have now replaced the fish pens with a
frog on a table. Much better!
Will the farm return? Don't know. Stay tuned.
