Remember Adventures

Remember Adventures: Pedal Buggies, Bikes, and Kayaks on the Butter Trail

Remember Adventures is a gear-rental shop and cafe on the Butter Trail in Tatamagouche, on Nova Scotia's Northumberland Shore, built around the idea that most visitors to the village want to get out onto the trail but do not arrive with the equipment to do it. The shop rents four-wheeled pedal buggies that seat up to five, bicycles, and tandem kayaks, all of which put the Trans Canada Trail and the Tatamagouche waterfront within easy reach without needing to bring a bike rack or a roof box on the drive up.

The business sits at 365 Main Street in Tatamagouche, within a short walk of Creamery Square and the Tatamagouche Farmers Market, which makes it a natural first stop for families and couples figuring out how to fill a day in the village. Alongside the rentals there is a cafe, a small book shop, and a gift shop stocked with local products, enough that the stop tends to turn into a longer one than planned.

Pedal Buggies on the Butter Trail

The signature rental is the pedal buggy. These are four-wheeled, surrey-style cycles with a canopy and bench seating for up to five people, pedalled by the adults in the group while kids ride along. They are designed for flat, paved, or hard-packed trail surfaces, and the Butter Trail, the local section of the Trans Canada Trail that runs through Tatamagouche, is exactly that: a converted rail trail, level and wide, running out along the old railway bed.

The appeal of the pedal buggy is that it turns a walk into a group activity. A family with young children, or a group that includes someone who does not cycle, can cover several kilometres of the trail together without leaving anyone behind. The rail-trail gradient is gentle in both directions, which means the ride out and the ride back take roughly the same effort; there is no long climb to dread at the end of the day. The buggies are rented by the hour or by a half-day block, and the shop briefs renters on the trail route and turnaround points before they set off.

Bicycles and Tandem Kayaks

For visitors who want to cover more ground, Remember Adventures rents standard bicycles for use on the same Butter Trail network. The rail trail connects Tatamagouche to the broader Trans Canada Trail system, and a cyclist can put in serious distance on a hard-packed, vehicle-free surface, out toward the communities along the Northumberland Shore and back in an afternoon.

The tandem kayaks open up the water side of the village. Tatamagouche sits at the mouth of the French River, where it opens into Tatamagouche Bay, and the bay is a sheltered piece of the Northumberland Strait, calm enough for paddlers who are not seasoned sea kayakers. Tandem kayaks suit pairs, including an adult with a child, and the relatively warm waters of the Northumberland Shore make this one of the more forgiving places in the province to get out on the water. The shop provides paddles and personal flotation devices and will advise on the launch and a sensible route.

The Cafe, Book Shop, and Gift Shop

The rentals are only half of what Remember Adventures does. The on-site cafe serves coffee and light food, which is the reason a lot of trail users end up lingering; a coffee and a snack on the way back from a ride is a hard pattern to break. The book shop carries a focused selection of new and used titles, with a lean toward the kind of slow, place-based reading that suits a holiday in a coastal village. The gift shop rounds it out with local products and crafts, much of it made in the region, which positions the whole operation as a single stop for an afternoon rather than a transactional rental counter.

Practical Details

Location: 365 Main Street, Tatamagouche, NS B0K 1V0, on the Butter Trail and a short walk from Creamery Square and the Tatamagouche Farmers Market.

Season: The shop operates through the warmer months, roughly late spring through early fall, when the Butter Trail is clear and the bay is workable for kayaks. Hours shift with the season, so check ahead before making a special trip.

Booking: Rentals are available on a walk-up basis, but pedal buggies book up fast on summer weekends and during local events, so advance reservations for the buggy are worth making. Bicycles and kayaks are usually more flexible.

Pricing: Pedal buggies, bicycles, and kayaks are rented by the hour or by a half-day block; confirm current rates with the shop. The cafe and shops operate separately from the rentals.

Who It Suits: Families with children, especially the pedal buggies, couples looking for an easy half-day on the trail or the water, and solo visitors who want a bike for the afternoon. The Butter Trail's flat, hard-packed surface makes the cycling side accessible to a wide range of fitness levels.

More Information: rememberadventures.ca.