It’s not hard to imagine how Belle Côte got its name.

Located along the Cabot Trail in Inverness County, Cape Breton, the coastline here is breathtaking.

From the pullout for the aptly named Lookout Point, at Saint Joseph du Moine, you can look down the coast toward the south, past Belle Côte and see the lights of Margaree Harbour in the distance.

As night falls, and the sky gets truly dark, the Milky Way rises above the burning lights of the harbour like a column of smoke, the Dark Horse readying herself to gallop away from the ethereal fire below.

In that moment, the stars feel close enough to touch, and time stands still.