CBIH is a registered non-profit organization composed of people from all parts of Cape Breton Island who enjoy the outdoors. We recognize that walking is a simple but effective form of exercise that enables us to discover the beauties of our island while increasing our personal health.



Volkssports [people walking] is what we call our activity. It is one of four 'volkssports' [sports for all people] supported and sanctioned by the Internationaler Volkssport Verband (IVV), or International Federation of Popular Sports, based in Germany, where members of the Canadian Armed Forces first encountered volksmarching. The other sports are swimming, cross-country skiing, and cycling. Our club is affiliated with the Canadian Volkssport Federation (CVF), which is the national body. There are other clubs such as ours right across the country. The CVF is in turn affiliated with the IVV and joins other national clubs in countries like the USA, Australia, and Finland, to name but a few.



Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport are the only island wide walking club. We walk in all four counties of the Island, in such places as Middle Head Ingonish, Uisge Ban Falls near Baddeck, Port Hawkesbury, Gull Cove near Gabarus and we have hiked in Cape North on the Money Point Trail, the most northerly part of the island.

We have also attended walk events in other Atlantic provinces; one of the first walking events we attended as a club was the Confederation Bridge walk in May 1997, from PEI to New Brunswick.



Most of our walk events are usually of about 2 to 2.5 hours' duration and the distance covered is a minimum of 10 km or about 6.25 miles; optional 5k or one hour events are now available for those who don't feel up to the full 10k walk.



Our scheduled  Guided Walks (GW's) and Year Round/Seasonal Events (YRE's) programs take place regularly at about two week intervals, usually on Sunday afternoons with some exceptions for holiday and special walking weekends.

Start Points for Mid-Seasonal Walk Events annually from 05 May to 28 October:



Baddeck, Telegraph House Hotel, 479 Chebucto Street B0E 1B0 (A CVF Cenotaph & Lighthouse Walk)



Louisbourg, Pecks Store, 2 Wolfe Street B1C 2J2 (A CVF Cenotaph & Lighthouse Walk)



Glace Bay, CO-OP Gas Bar, 99 Reserve Street, B1A 4W3 (A CVF Cenotaph Walk)



The year-round and mid-seasonal events are also available as self - guided walks to be done whenever you have the time and/or the inclination. These YREs, as they are known, are also found in every Canadian province, all 50 states, and many countries around the world; so you could, if you wish, incorporate them into your vacation plans.  Indeed, many volksmarchers plan their vacations around walking events in areas they have not yet visited.



Volkssporting is a safe and healthy walk program for everyone.



 One of the mottoes of the CVF is " Fun, Fitness and Friendship." That just about says it all. We walk to improve our fitness; we do it because it's fun and we meet new friends along the way. Most importantly, volksmarching is non-competitive.



 We recognize milestones such as the number of walks completed and distances walked, but these accomplishments are achieved at your own pace-if you don't feel like walking today, that's your choice; no one will try to coerce you. Across Canada, throughout the United States, and in more than 25 countries around the world, unique opportunities are available for safe, healthy exercise, without the stresses of speed and the strain of endurance. A distinctive hallmark of volkssports is that all participants who successfully complete the event of their choice at their own pace (with special provisions allowing the physically challenged to participate) are recognized as "winners"!



DETAILS ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS PROGRAM (IVV) ARE AVAILABLE AT ANY OF OUR SCHEDULED WALKS



Annual Membership and Walk Event Fees are very low and reasonable compared to other sporting events. Membership fees are $15 per person per year, application forms are available at all walk events or you may send a cheque or money order to the club president at:



Cape Breton Island Hoppers Volkssport Club c/o Joe MacKinnon, 25 Mt Florence Street, Coxheath, NS B1R 1T9. 



A donation of $2 per person is collected at each walk event to help defray the cost of club administration and the international awards program.

Trail Rating Guidelines

 Part 1 - Incline

1  Very little hill or stair climbing

2  Some moderate hill or stair climbing

3  Some significant hill or stair climbing

4  A good deal of significant hill or stair climbing

5  Many steep hills or high altitude trails



Part 2 - Terrain

A  Almost entirely on pavement, probably suitable for baby stroller

B  A significant part of the walk takes place on well-groomed trails with very little   more difficult terrain

C  A significant part of the walk takes place on somewhat difficult terrain (rocky/rooted paths)

D  A significant part of the walk takes place on very difficult terrain

E  The majority of the walk takes place on very difficult terrain

Extreme weather conditions could also raise the difficulty of the routes, thus walkers should take caution under certain weather conditions.