On the coast of Nova Scotia, windchimes are causing a stir

On the coast of Nova Scotia, wind chimes made of wood or metal are celebrated

Wind chimes made of wood or metal spin wildly in the Atlantic wind. Have you ever heard of “Whirligigs”? No? We hadn't either, until we were on our journey along the Lighthouse Trail on the coast of Nova Scotia suddenly discovered on roadside signs. They announced the "Whirligig Festival" in Shelburne, Nova Scotia. This made us curious, and since Shelburne was on our itinerary anyway, we decided to investigate it. It turned out to be wind chimes that can be found on almost every garden and veranda on the Nova Scotia Lighthouse Route.

Wind chimes on the coast of Nova Scotia

Everywhere in the front gardens of Nova Scotia it whirls, turns and spins. Maya the bee flaps her wooden wings like crazy in the Atlantic wind. There, sailing ships gain incredible speed when the storm is caught in their carved canvases. And elsewhere, a canoeist paddles energetically through the air in his green-painted canoe, as if his life depended on it.

And actually it makes sense. Because on the coast of Nova Scotia there is almost always a stiff breeze that can become a storm. There are floral decorations in the gardens of the residential areas in the villages through which we drive along the Lighthouse Route. But this is usually located in sheltered locations right near the house. The robust wind chimes, on the other hand, need the wind. You place them everywhere. At the driveway, on the terrace railing, in the middle of the neatly mown lawn or even on the roof of the house. There the wind chime constantly rotates in the rhythm of the storm.

A guest at the "Whirligig and Weatherwane Festival" in Shelburne, Nova Scotia

There are no limits to the inventiveness of the creators of these wind chimes. As we stroll past the exhibits at the annual "Whirligig and Weatherwane Festival in Shelburne" we find the most imaginative motifs. We can't get enough of the colorful and lively wind chimes, which are lovingly handcrafted by hobby carvers. It's not just us. At our lunch at the nearby Sea Dog Saloon on the shore in Shelburne, the landlord proudly tells us that he has just purchased two of these masterpieces. "You just have to have it. They are so beautiful, ”he says with a beaming face. This is also confirmed by the faces of the festival visitors, who inspect the exhibits with a connoisseur's eye, which revolve around the village green of Shelburne.

It's all about beauty with wind chimes made of wood or metal

The Whirligig and Weatherwane Festival is all about beauty. Therefore, every visitor receives a slip of paper on which he awards his favorite among the wind chimes on display. The winner will be announced at the end of the festival. We were happy to have followed the signs that made us curious. So we spent an eventful day with the people from the Shelburne area.

You'll find great photos of the coast of Nova Scotia in this blog post about one Nova Scotia Road Trip by Anita Brechmühl from Travelita.

Buy wind chimes online

If you now feel like setting up such wind chimes in your own garden, you will find a selection here to order online:

You can order wind chimes from Amazon* (Display)

You can buy weather vanes on Amazon* (Display)

Travel Arrangements:

Parking at the airport

Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.

Arrival:

For example, book yours here Arrival by plane, bus or train*. Air Canada, Condor and Icelandair fly from Germany to various airports in eastern Canada. From there you can then continue your journey by rental car or motorhome.

Car Rentals:

Cheap car hire - book quickly and easily!

Hotels:

Hotels Nova Scotia's south coast* You can book through our partner booking.com.

Do you know this?

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Source: On-site research supported by Tourism Nova Scotia. Our opinions definitely remain our own.

Text: © Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Video: © Copyright Petar Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline