So what’s so special about this place? Why do so many people flock to the island? Why are our glamping tents nearly constantly sold out for the season? What’s all the talk about the famous Margaree River?
I grew up in Margaree just eight kilometres down the road from where LLIT is now. Our town is so small it isn’t even called a town… it’s called a community. My school was made up of thirteen different “communities”. Small clusters of people living all over remote Nova Scotia. I didn’t know any other life outside the one we had. Dial up was still a thing, my siblings and I didn’t get a lot of TV time and during the summer my mom took us square dancing and to the beach.
Yep, that was my childhood. My mom never really swore unless it was in Gaelic, fiddle players often visited our school, we never had cell service and we lived four hours from a city. I couldn’t wait to escape it.
And escape I did. I graduated when I was 17 and flew to East Africa six weeks later. I spent years volunteering and traveling. I lived in Europe, fell in love with Paris and London, made friends from dozens of different countries. I swore I would never go back to Cape Breton again. Too small, I said. Too narrow minded, I told anyone who would listen.
But six years later, I found myself living back in my hometown. It was only meant to be for a month. It turned into two years and I became a proud property owner. Why the change? I often asked myself. Why come back to a place that I used to resent, a place I swore I would never return to? It’s the usual story, I guess. The one where the teenage girl or boy sets off for the big city but realizes that their roots will always be back in that tiny town they called home for most of their life.
Growing up I had no idea just how special- nearly magestic- Margaree was. The river that our community is built around is the source of our pride. It winds its way over 100km of our island, is home to our world renown salmon and pours itself into the Atlantic Ocean with wide swaths of sandy beaches. Much of our more recent history derives from the Irish and Scottish settlers whose traditions have been passed down through generations. There is always fiddle music to be heard, always stories to be told. You will always be invited in for tea or coffee, a beer or a fresh lobster. And the people here? They are proud. The kind of pride that comes from having a history rich with music and tales. The kind of pride that comes with living in a place so full of natural beauty that we can’t help but constantly say, “would ya just look at that?” And more than that? The people here are kind. You will always be welcomed. There will always be space for you.
Live Life InTents is owned and operated by Lee Fraser, a man who is a Cape Bretoner in his very bones. I’ve watched him let countless people sleep on his couch, lend his rain jackets out to kids when it's cold, fix just about anything with duct tape, start fires for our campers, lend out his spare gear to people in need. I’ve watched him pick people up when their car breaks down, buy all of his staff breakfast, make extra coffee on cold mornings for visitors. He has built LLIT from the ground up in the heart of our community and there truly couldn’t be a better place for it.
LLIT is situated directly on the world famous Cabot Trail. The view from the campground will take your breath away every morning. Low lying fog hangs over the river as the warm summer sun rises to burn it off. The ocean is less than 15 kilometres down the road and our local owned bakery is a seven minute drive away. It’s relatively close to the National Park and is off the grid enough to make you feel disconnected from the buzz of the world but deeply connected to the nature that surrounds you.
Why come to Live Life InTents? For the same reason I came here and stayed here, I guess. Because there’s no place like it. Because you can pitch your tent and stare out at the vast sky until dawn. Because the river is a stones throw away and you can glide down it on a tube. Because there are towering trees and rolling mountains and ocean waves that will capture your heart and make you never want to leave.
Come for a day or two or a week. Either way, you will be welcomed- Lee will be telling stories and have you laughing in no time- and you will find yourself walking away so full of memories that it won’t be long until you return.