I swim a lot at Inverness. Last year I was a bit nervous to swim alone here, as I never swam at this beach as a child and was unfamiliar with it. But I’d heard there’s an undertow. So I stayed away. But this year I talked to some locals and found out there isn’t an undertow most of the time. It’s also lifeguarded during the day.
I already loved the Inverness beach. It’s a great spot to walk, even in winter as long as you dress warm. There’s a beautiful boardwalk on the dunes overlooking the beach, for times when you don’t feel like getting your footwear all sandy. It’s also an amazing spot for seaglass. So much washes up on the beach, it’s incredible. It’s not quite as good in summer, when naturally there are more people on the beach, but any visitor who goes for a stroll is guaranteed to find treasures-from-trash. I’ve heard two theories for why there’s so much seaglass at Inverness: 1) it’s because there’s an old garbage dump that’s washing out to sea on the far end of the beach, and 2) the ships that came to load coal back in the mining days used broken glasses and dishes as ballast, and threw them overboard when it came time to fill up with coal. I’m not sure which theory is true. For all I know, it could be both combined that makes Inverness such a rich place for sea-tumble glass (and ceramics!)
For swimming, Inverness is a pretty good spot. It’s sandy and stays fairly shallow a good ways out. I like to swim in neck deep water, personally. What’s the point of going out deeper if I’m only going to be using the top three feet or so anyway? Being able to touch the bottom makes me feel in control. So fairly shallow is a good thing, to me. There is a rocky part that you have to wade through to get out to the sandy bottom. If you have tender feet, it can be hard! I wish I could come ashore like a glorious mermaid, but at Inverness I come ashore after a swim stumbling like an alcoholic on a three week bender, muttering “stupid effing rocks” all too often. Oh well.
Inverness is not sheltered so it can get rough. Surfers have been spotted on those days. And there can be an undertow, so it’s best to pay attention and go in if the water starts trying to pull you along. (This has only happened to me once this summer, on the roughest day.)
Oh, also Inverness has washrooms and a beach-side cafe that serves burgers, hot dogs, crab cakes and lobster rolls. The washroom get locked up in the evening, but there’s also an outdoor changing station so you can change out of wet clothes after an evening dip.
As of next summer, the Inverness beach will be next to a Links golf course, to be called Cabot Links. I don’t golf, but those who do claim it’s going to be amazing. It’s certainly a beautiful spot, and built on land reclaimed from the old coal mine site.
To get to the Inverness, first come to Cape Breton. Then head along Route 19 to the town of Inverness and look for a sign that reads Beach Road #1. There is a Beach Road #2, but it’s temporarily closed for golf course construction.
Choose again, and change. 