DESTINATIONS HALIFAX CANADA 09.00: I Heart Bikes


15.00: Halifax Citadel


SAMPLE PRODUCT


Insight


Vacations’ 12-day Landscapes of the Canadian Maritimes


package, which includes three nights in Halifax, costs £2,955 per person,


excluding flights. insightvacations. com/uk


Travel 2 has a


four-day Essential Halifax tour with Air Canada flights from Heathrow, three nights’ accommodation and a whale- watching and wildlife-viewing boat tour from £699, valid for travel between


May 31 and July 4. travel2.com


11.00: Cycle over to Point Pleasant Park. There are 25 miles of hiking and cycling trails and it’s surrounded by the ocean on three sides, so the views are spectacular. If you’re feeling brave, head to the swimming beach for a dip in the clear but cool water. The park, which contains the ruins of several forts, is actually owned by the British. Halifax rents the site from the British government for one shilling a year.


13.00: Time to admire some of Halifax’s finest architecture. Start with a pedal along South Street, home to Shirreff Hall, a beautiful stone building which is the home-from-home for Dalhousie University’s students. Equally spectacular is the university’s Forrest Building, with its fortress-like tower. From there, head to Young Avenue, the city’s most sought-after residential address. Here, pastel-hued clapboard houses are shoehorned alongside minimalist cubes. One of the oldest properties is the George Wright House, otherwise known as the Titanic House. It was once owned by Halifax philanthropist George Wright, who had the misfortune of booking a cabin on the Titanic for the return leg of a business trip. His body was never recovered but his will stated that the property should be left to Halifax’s


72 travelweekly.co.uk 4 January 2018


18.00: The Bicycle Thief


Fort George’s rather dramatic changing of the guard – think bayonets and lots of stamping – takes place hourly


Local Council of Women, and they’re still based there today.


15.00: Get the blood flowing again with a cycle uphill to Halifax Citadel. The British Military founded the city here in 1749, and the first building to be constructed was a wooden guardhouse, a base for the soldiers tasked with defending the harbour. It was eventually replaced with an enormous star-shaped fort, officially known as Fort George and now a living museum. There are regular re-enactments and daily guided tours, and younger visitors can sign up for a three-hour Soldier for a Day programme. The rather dramatic changing of the guard – think bayonets and lots of stamping – takes place hourly.


16:00 Ditch the bike and take a stroll down Barrington Street. Halifax’s largest shopping centre is outside the city centre, but Barrington Street has the quirkiest shops, including Freak Lunchbox, which stocks everything from classic American candy (who doesn’t love a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup?) to more-unusual confectionery – Toxic Waste Sour Candy, anyone? Spring Garden Road, which overlaps Barrington Street’s southern end, is also a great place to offload some dollars. You’ll find 200 mostly independent stores alongside some fantastic bars and cafes.


18.00: Make your final meal in Halifax a great one and head to The Bicycle Thief, a cool-but-casual restaurant where chandeliers are made from bike wheels and the menu’s divided not into courses but first, second and high gear. Meat and seafood dominate, with the lobster rolls said to be the best in Nova Scotia.


19.00: Mingle with the locals at Bearly’s House of Blues & Ribs on Barrington Street. The regular live shows take in everything from bluegrass to comedy, and energetic karaoke sessions. The best bit? Even the worst singers in the world will still get an enthusiastic round of applause. Only in Halifax!


PICTURES: TOURISM NOVA SCOTIA/SCOTT MUNN, PATRICK ROJO; DISCOVER HALIFAX; DESTINATION HALIFAX/PAUL MCCURDY; LENWAGG


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