melmerby beach provincial park

We spent the afternoon at Melmerby Beach in early August 2014. The road leading into it was great, there was lots of parking, and good washroom facilities. A little wooden bridge led us through a grassy area to the beach. The grasslands add a romantic touch to this quaint beach. There was lots of space to play, or to settle down on a beach towel. We did not experience large crowds. Although it was windy, it wasn't too choppy to swim. Afterwards, we found a convenient foot wash station near the parking lot. If you are looking for a nice day at the beach, this is a relaxing place to be.

We were told this is one of the nicest beach there so our way back from Cabot trail we stopped by here the water was clean and the beach was beautiful but we couldn't get into the water because it was so cold. I couldn't even get in couple steps. The locals there told us usually the water is warmer but because it was a windy day the warm water was replaced with the cold water. So it was our bad luck. But even if we couldn't swim we enjoy the view and relaxed a little at this beautiful beach. One more thing it is a little hard to walk by the water because of those little rocks. You might wanna bring your water shoes.

Every time we return to Nova Scotia for a summertime visit, we plan an entire day at this beach. This isn't the open ocean, its the Northumberland Strait so it's not as cold as the legendary frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Here, you can usually wade in and swim quite comfortably. When the tide goes out, it exposes huge sand bars perfect for the kids to build sand castles and play. On a clear day, you can just make out the shoreline of distant Prince Edward Island.

This is a wonderful beach. Kept so clean. A favorite with the locals. A small drive from New Glasgow but so worth it.

Not a bad spot if you like the crowds. I think they could definitely do more with this location, it would be nice to see the canteen open again and update the facilities. I didn't relize the washrooms further down the beach were outhouse style, but maybe they don't have running water that far down, not really sure. They could clean the beach up a little more as well, but that is probably not a priority. Overall, its a good beach for a hot day, however there are nicer ones in Pictou County that offer more privacy.

I tend to only visit the beach during off-season. Since tourist season hasn't really kicked in in Nova Scotia yet, it's still off season. That being said, I think that what we saw of this beach was stunning. There were several places where you could drive in and park. Each of those places had bathrooms and a place to rinse off. Farther on down the beach, the road is unpaved. Unfortunately, we did not go father down since due to recently washing the car.There are boardwalks over the dunes to the beach and I have to say that the dunes are well-preserved. The beach front is very long, good for a walk or a swim. From my wading around, the beach and the shallow water are a bit on the rocky/pebbly side, but still all right for getting in the water.There were only two other people there during the time we were, so the place was pretty much deserted. It looks like there will be an issue of crowding during the peak summer months, though I could only guess by the amount of parking available.The weather was beautiful, and even if you go when it is too cold to swim, a walk on this beach with the breeze coming off the water is very relaxing.