N.S. retreat not only offers a peaceful stay, but an up-close look at Scottish Highland cows

A picturesque retreat in Nova Scotia’s Hants County promises to provide a peaceful place for people to recharge all while enjoying their natural surroundings.

Founded by Heidi Pennings and Jim deVries, the Ravens Rest Retreat in Moose Brook, N.S., was built with nature in mind.

Pennings describes the retreat as an agritourism coastal farm stay getaway.

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“So, it’s more than just a place to rest your head when you’re going one place to another,” she said. “It’s an experience of slowing down and being in nature, interacting with animals.”

“It’s about nature and just, barefoot grounding yourself and I hope that’s what our guests get when they come here. They’re barefoot, they're on the ground, there’s the sky, there’s winds, all the other elements.”

The 65-acre retreat offers three rustic cabins and a deluxe cottage to choose from when booking. It sits on almost 1,000 feet of shoreline overlooking Burntcoat Head Park.

Ravens Rest Retreat in Moose Brook, N.S., is pictured. (Source: ravensrestretreat.com)

“They (guests) can interact with our chickens, our mini fowl, we’ve got alpacas. So, it’s their time just to be,” said Pennings.

Pennings believes the retreat’s main attraction is their nine Scottish Highland cows, often known as the gentle giants of Scotland.

“An interesting fun fact about them actually, they are the oldest breed of cattle in the world,” said Pennings. “They are used to extreme conditions, obviously coming from the Highlands in Scotland.”

Highland cows’ distinctive long hair is double coated, keeping them warm in the winter.

A brown-haired Highland cow with hair hanging over its eyes and curved horns stands in a green field.

“In the summer, they almost are able to self-regulate themselves and cool themselves as well,” said Pennings.

“They are a smaller breed of cattle, so they’re more sustainable on the land. They don’t get bigger than about 500 kilo. And a lot of guests ask, ‘Oh, you have all boy cows here?’ And I say, ‘All the Highland cows have horns, whether they be a cow or a bull.’”

Pennings says the Highland cows are very mild-tempered and friendly, not to mention cute and fuzzy.

“People just love them,” she said. “What people say when they come here, and I have not put their words in their mouths, but they say ‘magical.’”

Ravens Rest Retreat in Moose Brook, N.S., is pictured. (Source: ravensrestretreat.com)

Pennings said the retreat opened in 2021 when they bought the land site-unseen.

“Never been to Nova Scotia before and honestly, when we came to this place, we pulled out a bottle of sparkling wine and went to the cliff there and we said, ‘We’re home.’”

Click here to see more pictures of Ravens Rest Retreat’s Scottish Highland cows.

For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page.