While in the Maritimes you will stay at the Pictou Lodge in the storybook village of Pictou, the Birthplace of New Scotland.
Exploring the Celtic elements of Wind, Earth, Fire and Water you will move effortlessly through the retreat from salt air in your hair, being grounded by the land settled in 1773, restored after a seaside fire and refreshed during an ocean dip.
Some of the retreat’s features include Celtic meditation, a classic Kitchen Ceilidh (Party), cracking your own lobster with women you’ve just boated with and a daily wake up call by our very own Bagpiper.
You will be welcomed by one of Canada’s friendliest communities as you enjoy this Salt Air and Seaside Celebration!
Although you won’t want to leave this down home charm, you will be proud of the impact you will have working with local women who are aspiring entrepreneurs and community leaders (You’ll be on their personal board of directors - or a Kitchen Cabinet).
** This itinerary is draft and is subject to modification based on weather and other other unforeseen circumstances.
Pictou is 1.25 Hours away from Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
The Town of Pictou has supplied other options as well:
https://www.townofpictou.ca/getting-here
Visitors to Pictou can travel by land, sea, air or rail. Click on the map for a larger, printable view.
Trans Canada Highway 104, and take exit 22 to TCH 106, The Town of Pictou is 17 km from exit 22.
Highways from all points in the U.S. and Canada join the Trans Canada Highway from New Brunswick into Nova Scotia. Greyhound runs from New York and Voyageur from Montreal connects with SMT Bus Lines in New Brunswick, which connects with Acadian Lines for points in Nova Scotia. Via-Rail Canada provides transcontinental train service; there are stations in Truro and Halifax. Call Via-Rail toll-free at 1-800-561-3952.
From Wood Islands, PEI to Caribou, Nova Scotia the ferry takes approximately 75 minutes to cross the Northumberland Strait. Come to Nova Scotia by mini-cruise. Comfortable car-ferry trips range from a one-to-two-hour voyage to an overnight special with accommodations and entertainment. Visit Ferries.ca for more information or call Bay Ferries at 1-888-249-7245.
Halifax International Airport is approximately 150 km from Pictou. Car ferries from Maine, USA to Yarmouth, N.S. There are daily flights from Boston, Toronto, Montreal with connections to any major airport in North America and Europe to Halifax.
For more information, call the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism and Culture toll-free in North America at 1-800-565-0000.
Passenger trains are operated by Via Rail. The nearest passenger train station is located in Truro, approximately 35 minutes from Pictou. There is a daily train service to Halifax, Moncton and points west. From Truro, take the TCH 102 to the TCH 104. Then take Exit 22 to TCH 106. The Town of Pictou is 17km from Exit 22.
Pictou Lodge and Taphouse is our accommodation partner and it is recommended you book your stay here - where the retreat will be held. The iconic Lodge is on the Northumberland Strait and has a mix of chalets and hotel rooms.
TO RESERVE EITHER A 2-3 BEDROOM CHALET WITH A LAKE AND OCEAN FRONT VIEW OR A 1-2 BEDROOM CABIN WITH AN OCEAN VIEW CALL PICTOU LODGE & TAPHOUSE AT 902-448-9730.
Mention that you are with the Salt Air and Seaside Celebration.
Please note - room types are limited so please book early.
Chalet
3 bedroom - $382.50/night
2 bedroom - 287.50/night
Cabin
1 bedroom - 212.50
2 bedroom - 276.25
As they say in Pictou County “Ciad mile fáilte" (pronounced "kay-ad mee-lah FALL-cha") or “a hundred thousand welcomes!”
Upon registration you will be warmly welcomed to the Birthplace of New Scotland by a local leather maker TABITHA + CO® who will share with you the Maker’s Leather Experience. In the Maritime’s community is everything and this is a perfect home coming for you, even if you’ve never been here before.
Kick off the retreat with a real Maritime kitchen party to meet your new friends. Local delights and laughter combined with music and step dancing will keep you on your toes while appreciating that the wind is finally back in your sails.
Awake to the rich cultural sound of the highland bagpipe as you begin your day in the salt air of Pictou County.
Enjoy a hearty buffet breakfast of sausage, egg, bacon, toast, fried potatoes, baked beans, and oatcakes with coffee, tea, juice and water. This will fuel you for a full day.
Join Karen Perro and her harp as she takes you through a guided meditation in the Celtic tradition on land while breathing in the fresh salt air.
Be prepared to give back! In this underemployed region young women often struggle to make ends meet and need supports around them to move their ideas into creation. These two hours you and the other women on this retreat will be placed into groups, each welcoming a woman who is embarking on her venture in Pictou County - you will act as her personal board of directors (or Kitchen Cabinet) to help provide her with guidance. Each Kitchen Cabinet will be allotted a sum to provide their mentee with a micro grant. Living like a local, means giving back like a local.
Take the next few hours to yourself, settle in with a boxed lunch and sit by the ocean to chat with friends, enjoy a kayak or canoe experience, go to the quaint town of Pictou for some shopping or simply take some time to journal. The afternoon promises to be enriching and the evening will be filled with good down home fun!
This will also be a perfect time to sit with the earth, with sea as your muse to set your reflections and intentions of this retreat while crafting a letter to the group that you will share at the seaside fire later in the evening as we move from earth to the fire.
Enjoy an evening at the lodge with fiddles, fireside chats and the famous Maritime donairs and Pictou County pizza. To live like a local in this community is to love the pizza and donairs in the county just as much as the succulent lobster and seafood chowder.
Like the seafood, the donairs and pizza have their own style in this region.
While at the fireside, we will also be sharing our reflections and intentions with one another before adding our letters as fuel to our fire - in the literal and metaphorical sense.
And, on a lighter note, if you’re so inclined you can try your hand with the fiddle!
Arise to the rich cultural sound of the highland bagpipe as you begin your day in the Northumberland Strait of Pictou County.
With the sound of the bagpipes calling you to the sea join your new friends while the sun is rising in the maritimes for an early morning refreshing dip in the Northumberland Strait before the big breakfast prepares us for our day.
Enjoy a hearty buffet breakfast of sausage, egg, bacon, toast, fried potatoes, baked beans, and oatcakes with coffee, tea, juice and water. This will fuel you for a full day.
Join Karen Perro and her harp as she takes you through a restorative meditation sea side.
Join Captain Amy (a real Maritime fisherwoman) and her crew as she takes us for a cruise on her lobster fishing boat in the Northumberland Strait, shows us how to trap a lobster and then for a visit to the quaint town of Pictou where you will be treated to a local charcuterie and a walking tour of the town.
After a full day on the water, learning to live in the flow of the Maritimes, you will be treated to a traditional lobster supper, or lobster due, as locals would say. Our Lobster will be paired with local wine from the land adjacent to the sea where the lobster was caught.
This feast will have you wondering if you’ve been here all of your life and why you would ever want to leave.
As retreat attendees depart for their next journey our last Maritime big breakfast will be continental style around the fire, allowing for flexibility in travel.
We are happy to provide recommendations from experienced tourism experts in the region should you wish to stay longer.
