Colour & Connection | Girl Trips Cape Breton
Girl Trips Presents

Colour & Connection

Cape Breton Island  ·  October 2026

Dates October 9–16, 2026
Duration 7 Nights
Group Size 10 Women Only
All-In Price $6,500 CAD
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"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 Trail

This 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.

10

Women Maximum

Intimate by design. Small enough that everyone matters. Large enough for real connection.

7

Nights in the Highlands

Based at The Shed in Margaree Valley — private, beautiful, and exactly right for this week.

3

Cultures, One Island

Mi’kmaw, Acadian, and Gaelic heritage woven through every single day.

0

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.

Graham Marshall drumming on the Cabot Trail
Mi’kmaw · Cultural

Drumming on the Highlands

Mi’kmaw knowledge keeper Graham Marshall brings the Cabot Trail to life through storytelling, song, and the resonance of a traditional drum on the water at Pleasant Bay.

Louisbourg chapel concert by candlelight
Celtic Colours · Exclusive

Candlelit Concert at the Fortress

One of the most sought-after tickets at Celtic Colours. A private performance inside the Fortress of Louisbourg chapel, by candlelight. We have the tickets.

Humpback whale breaching in Cape Breton waters
Private · Pleasant Bay

Private Whale Watching

A private coastal cruise along the Cabot Trail coastline while Graham Marshall drums on the water. There is nothing else like this anywhere.

Skyline Trail Cabot Trail fall colours sunset
Cabot Trail · World Famous

The Iconic Cabot Trail

Explore both sides of one of the world’s most celebrated coastal drives in peak fall colour — the Cheticamp highlands, the Ingonish cliffs, waterfalls tucked into the forest, and views that earn every step.

Fly fishing on the Margaree River in autumn
Margaree River · Saturday

Fly Fishing the Margaree

A guided lesson and experience on one of Atlantic Canada’s most renowned salmon rivers, surrounded by peak fall colour, followed by an elevated riverside picnic.

Glenora Distillery in fall colours
Glenora Distillery · Mabou

VIP Whisky Tasting

A private tour and tasting at Glenora, North America’s first single malt distillery. Dinner and live music follow at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, owned by the Rankin Family.

How the week unfolds

Designed with intention. Big days balanced by quieter ones. Every night ends somewhere worth being.

Fri
Oct 9
Arrival

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.

Sat
Oct 10
Signature Day

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.

Sun
Oct 11
Big Day

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.

Mon
Oct 12
Recovery Day

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.

Tue
Oct 13
Signature Day

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.

Wed
Oct 14
Adventure Day

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.

Thu
Oct 15
Final Day

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.

Fri
Oct 16
Departure

Until Next Time

Morning yoga. Breakfast together. Private transportation to the airport. You leave a different woman than you arrived.

The Shed interior gathering space