The community of New Ross, nestled between the South Shore and the Annapolis Valley has so much to offer. We love the beautiful countryside, the amazing food and of course, the people. Now, there is another reason to add New Ross to your road trip itinerary…Ruby’s Trail!

New Ross

There is a lot of history packed into the small town of New Ross. Originally settled by Captain William Ross in 1816, and whose family members maintained the farm until 1969 when the Ross Farm Museum was established. The museum today is one of the greatest attractions and attributes to the area.

The village built itself around everything from barrel & lumber production to gold & manganese mining. It was home to over 50 power mills along the many lakes and rivers, and is known for its Christmas Tree farms. The war memorial outside the New Ross Royal Canadian Legion is said to be Nova Scotia’s first honouring the dead of WW1. New Ross is also home to “New Ross Castle” an archaeological ruin of stonewalls that has many interesting interpretations from Viking heritage to English Royalty and maybe even connections to the Templar Knights and the Holy Grail. These facts and more about the New Ross Area can be found at the Community of New Ross website. 

The New Ross Regional Development Society began working on the concept of developing a “Trail Plan” for New Ross in 2016. Much work has been done to build a plan to create a “spectrum of trail opportunities in New Ross to appeal to a wide number of user types”.

A chance meeting at a Christmas festival between Marty and Wanda Murphy, and members of the Trail Society, brought to life Ruby’s Trail, which is dedicated to their granddaughter, baby Ruby Webber, who had a short but beautiful existence.

Ruby’s Trail

From start to finish, the trail is about 2.5 km each way so 5 km round trip. The trail entrance is located at the New Ross Legion/Credit Union parking lot located at 64 Forties Road. It’s about 400 m from the parking lot up to Ruby’s Spot.

“Ruby’s spot is a tribute and memorial to Baby Ruby Webber who’s short but beautiful existence will live on through memories and her legacy. The area encourages users to relax and reflect while surrounded by nature and beautiful landscaped gardens.”

The gardens, painted rocks, lights and general attention to detail at Ruby’s Spot is truly remarkable! This is a labour of love and a tremendous gift to the community. A perfect spot for a picnic lunch and to admire the scenic view of New Ross.

Ruby’s Travelling Rocks

When you walk along Ruby’s Trail, you can’t help but smile at all the sweet painted rocks left by visitors, including those placed by the Murphy family. You may notice a large number of ladybug rocks. The ladybug has a touching connection to Ruby for her family and they use the ladybug to share her spirit and story.

Some of these ladybug rocks have been made into “travelling rocks” each with their own number and message on the back. These rocks are given to people who wish to take Ruby travelling, and then leave for others to find. They even have their own Facebook Page, Ruby’s Travelling Rocks. As you scroll through the photos, you can see that these little ladybugs have literally travelled the world. If you are interested in a travelling ladybug rock to take on your next trip reach out via the Facebook page and Ruby’s Nanny Wanda will be happy to help you out. 

Ruby’s Trail is just one of the trails in New Ross. They have a separate 2.5 km (5 km round trip) trail where they hosted a successful 5 km walk/run last fall. They are also currently working on another stretch of trail. The New Ross Trails Society has a Facebook page, so that would be the best place for people to check for info/ask questions.

So start planning your Day Trip to New Ross and be sure to visit Ruby’s Trail. What’s your favourite thing to do in New Ross? Leave a comment and let us know!

*Thank you to the New Ross Development Society for sponsoring this trip inviting us out to spend the day in New Ross.