This Sunday the Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volksport Group is hosting a Group Guided Walk that will begin at the Cambridge Suites (380 Esplanade) and take participants through downtown Sydney, The Historic Northend, Wentworth Park and The Baille Ard Trail system. Anyone is welcome to participate and walkers can choose a 5 or 10 kilometer walk. Registration is at 1:30pm and the walk begins at 2pm. The Trail Rating is 2B which indicates that the incline includes some moderate hill or stair climbing and the majority of the terrain is made up of well-groomed trails. Pets must be on a leash. For more information contact walk leader Lucy Nardini by phone: 562-8686, email: bretonhoppers@hotmail.com or visit capebretonislandhoppers.com for more information.
Also on Sunday, the Cape Breton Road Runners Club is hosting the Etoile De L’Acadie run to coincide with Francophone Week. It is a 5km run that will begin at the Centre Scholaire Etoile de l’Acadie, 15 Inglis St. in Sydney (behind Kiwanis Pool) at 2pm. For more information phone Ken at 564-1432. To view the club’s entire summer schedule visit cbroadrunners.ca
The Sydney Curling Club is holding a bonspiel this weekend and invites the public to join the club’s members for a great weekend of curling, music and fun. All those who enter are guaranteed three games, lunch, supper and entrance to the dance on the 20th. Cost is $160 a team and there are lots of prizes up for grabs. Phone 539-4012 to register or visit sydneycurlingclub.com
Ski Ben Eion has something for everyone during March Break with 2 for 1 skiing or snowboarding and live entertainment with Kintyre at the Broken Buckle on St. Patrick’s Day, plus pancakes all day long on the 18th and Family Day on the 19th.
The North Highlands Nordic Cross Country Ski Club is wrapping up their season with some family-friendly events all this week including sledding, pick up soccer, St. Patrick’s Day activities and a bonfire. The club’s season wraps up on March 28. For more information visit nhn.xcski.ca
For those who are done with winter, even a record setting mild winter, the schedule for the 7th Annual Hike the Highlands Festival has recently been announced. The festival offers 24 guided hikes over ten days from September 10-19, including three new hikes–Pollett’s Cove (18km), Money Point Light (14 km) and Le vieux chemin du Cap-Rouge (6km)–and returning favorites Cape Smokey, Acadien, Benjie’s Lake, Bog and Money Point (Gulch). Two of the new hikes, Pollett’s Cove and Money Point Light, are rated the highest yet for level of difficulty, 5E, and will require the hiker to be in good physical condition, wear hiking boots, use trekking poles and carry the appropriate food and water. Luckily we have about six months to get into top hiking condition!
