peggys cove tourists baffled by 'overrated' label for 'bucket-list' site
3 minute read
janice wainwright, left, kikuye inouye and kim plaxton took in the views at peggys cove on friday.
george myrer
/
the chronicle herald
tourists visiting peggys cove on a dreary morning weren’t buying the notion that the scenic destination was one of canada’s most overrated tourist attractions.
the website msn.com ranked peggys cove no. 8 among spots considered “overrated canadian tourist attractions travelers wished they’d skipped.”
“this picturesque fishing village in nova scotia appears on countless postcards and travel guides, drawing massive crowds during the summer months,” the post said. “the tiny community becomes so overcrowded that visitors struggle to move freely or take photos without strangers in every frame. tour buses arrive in waves, turning a peaceful coastal scene into a chaotic tourist trap.”
several of the tourists who made their way to peggys cove on friday were puzzled by how the beautiful destination could be considered overrated. it is estimated that roughly 700,000 people make the trek yearly to view the iconic destination.
mae and joe carrier of new brunswick ventured out for what she called a “bucket-list visit” and disagreed with the list.
“i don’t know what they are talking about,” said mae carrier, a new brunswick native who was in halifax with her husband for meetings. “it’s an absolutely beautiful spot. just the sounds of the waves; it’s everything i imagined and more.”
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mae carrier said peggys cove lived up to her expectations and that she had already posted about it on facebook.
peggys cove was ranked no. 8 among spots considered ‘overrated canadian tourist attractions travelers wished they’d skipped’ by msn.com.
ryan taplin
among the tourists were people attending the canadian olympic curling trials in halifax.
toronto curling fans janice wainright and kikuye inouye joined their halifax friend, kim plaxton, to get reacquainted with peggys cove. they all agreed that any list that had peggys cove considered overrated didn’t make sense.
“i would say whoever they were talking to doesn’t know what they are talking about,” said inouye. “it’s much more accessible with the boardwalk and the new viewing areas. some of the sculptured areas i remembered are just as beautiful now as it was then.”
“i have been here probably 25 years ago, and everything is very wheelchair accessible now and it’s very beautiful,” said wainwright. “it was really good to refresh my memory. pictures don’t give it justice. even on a dreary day, the colours are lovely. it’s a pretty drive and a short distance from the city.”
for plaxton, a retired doctor, peggys cove is close to her heart.
“i couldn’t even tell you how many times i’ve been here,” said plaxton. “i have come in every season, every type of weather, at different times of day. i made my kids come here for mother’s day, for a treat to myself.
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“i don’t think it matters how many people are here, it’s fabulous. i love the huge rocks, the waves and the views. it’s peaceful.”
manitoba curling fans susan kaatz and jane maccuish were in town to watch their daughters curl in the olympic trials with the kaitlyn lawes rink.
kaatz said she was struck by the beauty of peggys cove.
“the ocean, the rocks, the landscape, it’s just gorgeous,” said kaatz.
the cn tower edgewalk, in which people pay to be tethered on the outside of the tower, was listed as the top overrated experience on the msn.com list. the niagara falls tourist district is at number 2.
other well-known attractions making the list of 10 included the capilano suspension bridge in north vancouver (“the experience lasts only a few minutes, and the surrounding park appears to be designed to keep visitors moving through gift shops and capturing photo opportunities”), canada’s wonderland in toronto (“long wait times and high costs often dampen the experience for many visitors”) and west edmonton mall (“feels dated and worn, with many attractions showing their age and lacking the polish of modern theme parks. visitors often describe the experience as underwhelming compared to the marketing hype”).
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rounding out the list are the rocky mountaineer train ride, quebec ice hotel, parliament hill and banff.
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