Province of Nova Scotia Travel Forum

Hi

I am from the UK and have considered moving to Canada for some time. We thought we might try buying a holiday home there first. Could you give some feedback on the pros and cons of the province as a 4 season destination (we are particularly keen to try skiing). In addition, where would you recommend buying, especially as we have a young son?

Thanks, Simon

i love nova scotia. there is no skiing there except for maybe some cross country on rare days during the winter. they can have some harsh storms occassionally in the winter but so can any place in canada during the winter. the summer is fabulous but has many tourists.

Hey there. Here are a few quick answers to your questions.
We live in Fall River, a lot of brits now live there as well due to the efforts of some real estate agents who do conferences in the UK. My wife is also british and we have lived in the UK as well. Comparisons are as follows:
Cost of living and housing is significantly less in Nova Scotia. health care is similar, though you have to pay for prescriptions and dental in Canada as opposed to the UK. Summer is lovely, though you have to get used to the bugs in spring. August is quite hot and there is significantly less rain (and grey days) in Nova Scotia compared to the UK, though the maritimers will not agree with me LOL. Winter is not too cold, rarely below -10 C in the dead of winter. lots of snow though and that will take some getting used to. Spring arrives later in NS than the UK, but August through September are beautiful in NS, warmish days with cool nights, often there is an indian summer in October as well.
You can downhill ski in Nova Scotia. there are two hills, Martock which in 35 minutes from Halifax and Wentworth which is a bit over an hour. Good hills to start to learn on, but once you become proficient, you will want to go to Maine, or Quebec for mountains. Still, great places to start and inexpensive to learn.
We would recommend Fall River or Waverley. It is inland, so less fog and a bit warmer during the summer, good school system there. 25 minutes to Downtown halifax, but only 15 minutes to the mall and Dartmouth crossing (a shopping area). 15 minutes to the airport, where there are various direct flights to the UK though they are expensive due to high cost of oil. Lastly, only 10 minutes to two provincial parks on Grand Lake! Waverley Fall River is like the lake district of Nova Scotia.

We enjoy a better quality of life in Canada, due to the lower cost of living my wife can be a full time mother while we still are able to save money for trips. If we lived back in the UK, we would have a smaller flat instead of our large house in the country and we would both be working full time. So we are happier though we are farther from some relatives. It is a balance.

Hope this helps, feel free to email us with more questions.

You've had good answers here. Nova Scotia is really quite a contrast. South of Halifax, the western side is largely agricultural land, rich and green. The eastern side is largely fishing, and the landscape is more barren, with some incredibly beautiful beaches. Cape Breton is almost a mini Ireland, with its green, and hills, etc. Lots of interesting culture, with the strong Scottish heritage -- they even have a Gaelic school. Skiing there as well, and some unbelievable lakes for boating and swimming. The southern tip (my home) is a mix of lumber, fishing, tourism and limited agriculture. The landscape is more muted a mix of the lush greens of "the valley" and the barren rocky shores of the Atlantic. We have quite a few trails, and some people use them for cross-country skiing. (no hills) This end of the province also has a strong Acadian (French-Canadian) community, so we get a really interesting cultural blend here. Any questions, don't hesitate to ask.