A tourist walks on the edge of the surf on Nova Scotia's Inverness Beach. (Ian Robertson, Toronto Sun)

Top imaginary destinations Travel like 007 Elementary, my dear Watson PLUS: Top mystical destinations

INVERNESS, N.S. -- Beneath a blazing autumn sun, white, green, blue and even red "Mermaids Tears" were easily spotted among strands of seaweed and other flotsam lying mere steps from the Atlantic Ocean.

The invitation to hunt for them came from Randy Brooks, a Nova Scotia Tourism official who for years has booked an annual family holiday in the same shoreline cabin at nearby MacLeod's Beach Village.

Bending down, it was easy to pluck the smooth pieces of coloured glass from the soft white sand.

"They're everywhere," Brooks said, as we drove the paved, winding Ceilidh Trail on the west side of Cape Breton Island.

I had read in my youth of the weeping sirens of mythology, who called piteously to unsuspecting sailors.

Blinded by trances, the sailors set out to rescue beautiful maidens in distress, only to find out they had been lured onto rocks by fish-tailed hags who laughed as their ships broke up and slipped into the ocean's depths. But what of their tears?

In another legend, a beautiful mermaid once calmed the seas around a storm-tossed ship, saving the life of its beloved captain. But she had defied the law of Neptune and the ancient god of the sea banished her forever to its depths, from where her tears continue to wash up on distant shores.

Without having heard of Mermaids Tears, I have found them by lakes, rivers and oceans since childhood.

Most people call them "Beach Glass." How unromantic!

The answer to Brooks' invitation lay scattered along beautiful Inverness Beach, not far from the village which, like many Cape Breton communities, got its name from early Scottish settlers.

With a wide grin, our guide shucked off his shoes and gleefully waded into the frothy, familiar foam.

Never had I seen so many sea souvenirs as on this day.

Like the more prolific seashells or grey, black-and-white speckled rocks surrounding them, the pieces of glass had been worn down by the salt water in a manner much the same as a jeweller's tumbler polishes the edges and faces of semi-precious stones.

Did these come from wrecks? Were they once bottles thoughtlessly discarded from passing ships, all breaking down gradually?

The most common are clear white and emerald green pieces that ranged from grains of sand to almost golf-ball size. Another companion saw several dark blue shards, the same colour as medicine bottles common in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Then, something more unusual caught my eye. It was a piece of porcelain that, by its shape and still-colourful flowers on the rim, appeared to be part of an antique teacup.

Could this palm-sized chunk of china be all that remains of a cup broken after a wooden ship foundered on a shoal, scattering its contents along the ocean floor?

After stopping along the coast several times, I was left with another puzzle: While driftwood, pebbles and shells are common, only this beach had so many Mermaids Tears.

I decided to ask Ivan MacLeod, whose family has operated facilities here since 1985, if he had any clues.

The genial host offered one, "not a theory" and not usually told to visitors, that long ago the town's garbage was routinely dumped into nearby Broadcove River.

Pshaw! With a little imagination, they are Mermaids Tears, just waiting to give you a whimsical tale to tell after a walk along one of Nova Scotia's gorgeous beaches.

MORE INFORMATION

To get there, exit Hwy. 19, drive down the main road until you hit the beach. For a cabin, contact Ivan and Anita MacLeod at Inverness Beach Village, Ceilidh Trail, Inverness, N.S., B0E 1N0, 1-902-258-2653. Or contact Ivan's brothers, Alistair, at the MacLeod Inn, Broad Cove, Inverness Co., 1-902-258-3360; or Gill at the MacLeod Beach Campsite, Ceilidh Trail, Dunvegan, N.S., B0E 1N0, 1-902-258-2433. Or visit their website at macleods.com.

TRAVEL TIP

From a slight rise above a magnificent view of the ocean and surrounding hills that curve down onto the breathtakingly beautiful shore, just north of the village of Inverness, you can see Margaree Island, a protected bird sanctuary. Near the beach, between Inverness and Dunvegan, three branches of the MacLeod family operate a variety of visitors' facilities.