The Clairestone Inn

10/12/2026

Squeezed in a few little extras in the margins of my gratitude journal today.
♥️🍁🇨🇦

Happy Thanksgiving.

10/08/2026

I’ve had the pleasure of exchanging light banter and fun conversations about my (sometimes questionable) life choices with Marie whenever she has stayed at the Inn. I’m thrilled that she is now sharing her journalism talents as a columnist with Saltscapes.

Make yourself a cup of tea, settle in on the sofa with the coziest throw you have, and enjoy this beautiful story. As we head into Thanksgiving weekend in Canada, I’m leaning in on more human, more heartwarming, and more connection. Who’s with me?

https://saltscapes.com/apple-or-acorn-turkey-or-eagle/

Ps: if you are missing the East Coast and need a fix, subscribe to Saltscapes magazine. It’s a fantastic publication.

In her first new web-exclusive Saltscapes column, Marie Adsett reflects on journalism, family, and grief After a full career as a broadcast news journalist, I’m…

10/03/2026

Baby steps into fall for this summer lovin’ girl.

10/01/2026

Acadian words are so fun to say.

Go ahead. Say it out loud: yank (with an emphasis on the vowel).

Fun, right? This one comes from the French rien que and means only or just.

Definitely still used today on Isle Madame. What other Acadian words or phrases spark joy when you say them?

09/29/2026

09/24/2026

Celtic Colours turns 30 this year, and I love that our little island gets to share in the fun.

Just down the road, the LeNoir Forge Museum in Arichat is running blacksmithing workshops from Oct. 9 to 13. It's one of the oldest stone buildings on Cape Breton Island, and you get to make a forge piece to bring home. Spots are limited, so register early through the Isle Madame Historical Society 902-226-9364.

There's also a "Guiding Lights of Isle Madame" tour starting at Lennox Passage Provincial Park, with stories about the lightkeepers who kept watch over these waters (Oct 9/10/12/13). Reservations with Marg at 902-227-8303.

If you're coming for the festival, stay a few nights and let the island show you around.

For music, community events, and more on Isle Madame that weekend, visit:

https://celtic-colours.com/schedule/

09/21/2026

More room to starfish. Meet our new Signature Park View King.

09/15/2026

I sometimes struggle with the question, “Why should someone stay at The Clairestone Inn?”, or how to describe Isle Madame as a destination. We’re not on the Cabot Trail. We don’t have a long list of attractions or carefully packaged bookable “experiences”.

Much of what makes this place special is simply life here.

It’s quiet roads along the ocean. Beaches that might have only a handful of people on them, even on the hottest days of summer. Fishing villages that are still fishing villages. Acadian communities where generations of families have made their lives by the sea.

None of it was created for tourism.

And, sometimes, I think that might be one of our greatest strengths. 🌊

09/09/2026

❤️

Our Heartfelt Thanks

Cape Breton Island is mostly open for business and we have many people to thank.

To the first responders who worked around the clock keeping people safe, to public works crews who cleared roads and restored access, and to community members who checked on neighbours and opened their doors to those in need, thank you. Your care for one another is what makes this Island what it is.

A special thank you as well to our tourism operators, many of whom went above and beyond to look after visitors caught in the storm, offering shelter, reassurance and a warm meal when it was needed most. That kind of hospitality doesn't happen by accident, it's who Cape Breton Island is.

Because of all that work, Cape Breton Island is open and ready to welcome you again. If you've got a trip coming up, please don't cancel it. We know after a weekend like this one it might feel like the safer choice, but the Island is open, our roads are clear and our operators are ready to host you the way they always do. Come sit by the water, take the drive slow and let this place work its magic on you like it always does.

To everyone who showed up for each other this week, we see you and we're grateful.

Photo by daveyandsky

09/08/2026

Our latest newsletter goes out tomorrow, and it’s got a little bit of everything: what’s been happening around the Inn, what I’m changing next (because we all know I can’t leave well enough alone), and what I’m getting myself into this fall.

If you’re not on our email list yet, sign up today and you’ll get it tomorrow.

Facebook gets the highlights.
Newsletter subscribers get the dirt. ✌️

https://www.theclairestoneinn.com/contact