Colour & Connection
Cape Breton Island · October 2026
"There is a place in this country where the hills catch fire every October, where strangers call you 'dear,' and where the sound of a fiddle can make a grown woman cry. It is called Cape Breton. I grew up coming here. This year, I am bringing you with me."— Candace Sampson, Founder, Girl Trips
"One of North America's prettiest and most iconic drives." We call it home for a week.
— Travel & Leisure on the Cabot TrailThis is not a tour.
This is an immersion.
Cape Breton during Celtic Colours week is one of the most extraordinary places you can be in October. The highlands are on fire. The music is everywhere. The culture runs three centuries deep — Mi’kmaw, Acadian, Gaelic — and it is still very much alive.
Ten women. Seven nights at The Shed in Margaree Valley. Private transportation throughout. Every detail considered, every experience curated. You show up. We handle everything else.
Women Maximum
Intimate by design. Small enough that everyone matters. Large enough for real connection.
Nights in the Highlands
Based at The Shed in Margaree Valley — private, beautiful, and exactly right for this week.
Cultures, One Island
Mi’kmaw, Acadian, and Gaelic heritage woven through every single day.
Details Left to Chance
Every experience curated. Every meal considered. Every moment intentional.
The moments you will not forget
Each experience chosen because it cannot be replicated anywhere else, by anyone else, in any other week of the year.
How the week unfolds
Designed with intention. Big days balanced by quieter ones. Every night ends somewhere worth being.
Welcome to the Island
Private airport pickup and transportation to The Shed in Margaree Valley. Welcome yoga, local spirits, and your first dinner together at The Shed.
Fly Fishing & Whisky
Morning yoga, then a guided fly fishing lesson on the renowned Margaree River with an elevated riverside picnic lunch included. Late afternoon VIP tasting at Glenora Distillery, North America’s first single malt. Dinner and live music at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou — a Cape Breton institution owned by the Rankin Family.
Fortress of Louisbourg
Morning yoga, then the full Louisbourg day: a stop at the site of Canada’s first lighthouse, lunch at North Star with HGTV’s Colin and Justin (your account), a private guided tour of the fortress, and a candlelit Celtic Colours concert inside the chapel. These tickets sell out the first day they go on sale. Greg has them.
Falls, Beadwork & the Tower
A gentle morning with yoga and a hike to Egypt Falls — the widest waterfalls in the province. Afternoon Mi’kmaw women’s beadwork experience: a traditional knowledge keeper leads the group through creating their own piece of jewellery while sharing the matrilineal history and stories of the Mi’kmaw people. Sunset hike to the Tower on the property and dinner at The Shed.
Cheticamp & The Highlands
Morning yoga, then a private journey along the western Cabot Trail with Mi’kmaw knowledge keeper Graham Marshall, sharing centuries of Indigenous and Acadian history at iconic lookouts. Private whale watching in Pleasant Bay — Graham drums on the water while humpbacks breach alongside. Dinner at Bistro Fiset on Cheticamp Island: an oceanfront experience anchored in Acadian-inspired cuisine and locally sourced ingredients, with Michelin-trained craft in the kitchen.
Ingonish & Baddeck
Morning yoga, then the Ingonish side of the Cabot Trail with scenic stops through the highlands. Lunch on the Baddeck waterfront at The Freight Shed (your account), followed by a stroll along the boardwalk. Return to The Shed for dinner, then a Celtic Colours show in the evening.
Foraging, Oysters & Celtic Music
Sleep in. Gentle yoga. A guided foraging hike exploring the traditional plant medicine and foods of the island, with lunch included. Then a Cape Breton oyster and seafood experience paired with Nova Scotia wines and live Celtic music. The right way to end a week like this.
Until Next Time
Morning yoga. Breakfast together. Private transportation to the airport. You leave a different woman than you arrived.
The Shed,
Margaree Valley
Private. Quiet. Beautifully considered. The Shed sits in the heart of Margaree Valley — close to the river, surrounded by hills that catch fire every October.
The gathering space with its string lights and woodstove becomes the centre of gravity for the week. Mornings start here with yoga. Evenings wind down here with wine and good conversation. This is where the real trip happens.
Private transportation is handled throughout the week by Cape Concierge — so you are never once thinking about logistics. You are only ever thinking about where you are.
The tastes of Cape Breton, brought to your table
Eight nourishing breakfasts to fuel the days ahead. All dinners at The Shed included, plus dinner at the Fortress of Louisbourg. Lunches covered on the fly fishing day, the whale watching day, and the final day of the week.
When you are out exploring, you eat where Cape Breton eats. Four meals on your own account — the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, North Star in Louisbourg, The Freight Shed on the Baddeck waterfront, and Bistro Fiset on Cheticamp Island. Every one of them worth it.
Everything that matters
Your Trip Includes
- 7 nights accommodation at The Shed, Margaree Valley
- Private transportation throughout the week with Cape Concierge
- Airport pickup on arrival and drop-off on departure
- Daily morning yoga
- 8 nourishing breakfasts at The Shed
- Elevated riverside picnic lunch on the Margaree (Saturday)
- Lunch included on whale watching day (Tuesday)
- Lunch included on foraging and oyster day (Thursday)
- All dinners at The Shed
- Dinner at the Fortress of Louisbourg (Sunday)
- Guided fly fishing experience on the Margaree River
- VIP whisky tasting and tour at Glenora Distillery
- Fortress of Louisbourg private guided tour
- Celtic Colours concert at the Fortress chapel
- Private whale watching with Graham Marshall
- Mi’kmaw women’s beadwork experience
- Guided foraging hike
- Cape Breton oyster and seafood experience with live Celtic music
Not Included
- Flights to and from Cape Breton or Halifax
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
- 4 meals on your own account: dinner at the Red Shoe Pub (Saturday), lunch at North Star in Louisbourg (Sunday), lunch at The Freight Shed in Baddeck (Wednesday), and dinner at Bistro Fiset on Cheticamp Island (Tuesday) — all exceptional, all worth every penny
- Gratuities for guides and drivers
- Personal purchases and incidentals
Booking & Payment
- $1,000 deposit required to secure your place
- Balance of $5,500 due September 1, 2026
- This experience is limited to 10 women
- Deposits are non-refundable. In the unlikely event the departure does not reach the required number of participants, your deposit will be held in full and applied to the 2027 edition of this experience.
Ready to go? Questions first? Either way, reach out. This is a conversation worth having.
Get in TouchOne price. Everything considered.
CAD per person · Taxes included · See inclusions for full details · 10 women maximum
Questions before you commit? Email hello@girltrips.ca
