Ross Island
Ross Island New Brunswick. Low tide access only
GPS Coordinates are N44 40.79145 W66 44.1909. Link on Google Maps |
We read about Ross Island weeks before we visited Grand Manan. It is the first of three islands on the south-east side of Grand Manan. Ross Island is the only one accessible by car, but only during low tide.
This is one of the places where the smart traveller consults the tide schedule before attempting to cross. Since we will be driving on the ocean floor, a quick inspection of the passage is always a good idea.
The road is rough and a vehicle with good ground clearance is beneficial. We could have taken the bicycles, but there are too many puddles of water on the trail. The road is about 3.5 km and hiking would also be an option.
The end of the road, a rocky beach on one side.
And a sandy beach on the other. We wouldn't be the first vehicle to keep on driving in the sand. Getting stuck is an unacceptable risk, so we continued by foot.
Shortly after we heard some engine noise. Two trucks kept driving towards the water. First we thought they keep on driving to the next island, but they parked in the water. They started to harvest Rock Weed which was there in abundance.
This is Rock Weed. This part of the beach gets flooded with every cycle of the tide. Little ponds with creatures are left behind. This means hours of exploring.
Ross Island is also the place of lost gloves and ropes.
And Ross Island also has it's own deserted lighthouse. Good for some pictures and a lot of imagination.
Meadows that flood with the tides, tiny white marble islands, trees, insects and birds. It's all there and mostly undisturbed. The island is not inhabited.
On the way back, we came across a huge collection of shells. Not sure if they were dumped there or this is a mystical meeting place of shells.
Not everybody made it back.
It was time for us to leave Ross Island behind.