WHEN it comes to links with Scotland, you don’t have to look too far in Nova Scotia. There is the map with place names such as New Glasgow, Caledonia and Lochaber scattered around. There is the changeable weather, which can range from brilliant sunshine to dreich rain. There is even a popular dish called poutine – often dubbed "heart attack in a bowl" – consisting of chips smothered in gravy and cheese curds, which brings to mind some of the less refined examples of Scottish cuisine.

And there is of course the name, flag and coat of arms of the province, which arise from the first early attempt at Scottish settlement of "New Scotland". The story goes like this: in 1621, Sir William Alexander, a Scottish courtier and poet, received a charter to establish a Scottish colony in North America. In 1629, his son brought a group of settlers to Port Royal and built a fort. They departed just three years later, when in a long-running battle over the colonial capital between the French and the British, the territory was ceded back to the French – but the name stayed.

It is typical of the complex history of Nova Scotia, which was home to the native Mi’kmaq people when French colonists – who became known as Acadians – first arrived, with English, German and of course Scottish settlers later adding to the mix.

Nowadays, getting to Nova Scotia from Scotland is easier than ever, thanks to daily direct flights from Glasgow with Canadian carrier Westjet, which have been introduced this year. With patchy public transport, the best option for touring the region is to hire a car – and the good news is that with just under a million inhabitants across the province, traffic jams are few and far between.

Wandering through the streets of the tiny town of Annapolis Royal, it’s not hard to imagine back to the time of the first pioneers. The historic buildings dotted around include the oldest wooden house in Nova Scotia, which dates back to around 1708 and has always been a private home. My bed for the night is in Hillsdale House, the town’s longest serving inn, which was established around 1860 and counts Prince George – later King George V – among the previous guests. Before retiring for the night, we take part in a candlelight tour of the oldest English graveyard in Canada. Led by Alan Melanson – a 10th-generation Acadian dressed in traditional Victorian mourning attire – it’s more of an interesting wander through the life and times of the town’s long departed residents than a scary ghost tour.

Surrounded by more than 5,000 miles of coastline, Nova Scotia might feel like an island, but it is a peninsula connected to the rest of Canada by a 50km stretch of land. The centuries-old relationship with the sea is evident everywhere: the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in the charming tiny town of Lunenburg – which is a UNESCO world heritage site – features displays on the development of cod-fishing and of the Bluenose, a celebrated racing ship which was built in the town in 1921.

In Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia, the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic has some fascinating displays on the darker side of the sea. It features a poignant memorial to a disaster in 1917, when a collision between two ships in the harbour resulted in a massive explosion which killed than 2,000 people and reduced a large swathe of the city to rubble and ruin.

There is also a hugely popular display on the city’s links with the Titanic. As the closest major port to the sinking of the ship in 1912, crews and ships from Halifax were involved in the rescue efforts. There are three cemeteries in the city where around 150 victims of the disaster are buried – many without any name on the gravestones, as the bodies were never identified. The museum houses what is generally recognised as the world’s finest collection of wooden artefacts from the doomed ship, such as a near perfectly preserved deckchair. But the most eerie object is a pair of tiny shoes believed to have belonged to a young boy who died in the disaster.

One thing you can’t escape in Nova Scotia is lobster. It is surprising to learn that the much prized food, now a billion-dollar export industry, was once just a local staple and referred to as the “poor man’s dinner”. There are fluffy lobsters, lobster-shaped earrings, lobster snow-globes, and the dish features on the menu of almost every restaurant. There's even the McLobster sandwich from a well-known fast food chain.

A mission to see some bigger fish is less successful, when a trip to try to catch a glimpse of the numerous humpback, minke and finback whales which inhabit the Bay of Fundy is cancelled due to the weather. But the rain clears the next day for a hike out to Cape Split overlooking the Bay of Fundy, which is also famous as being home to the world’s highest recorded tides. The walk – which starts from a tiny hamlet known as Scots Bay – is a pleasant 16km meander through woodland, which ends at a headland with spectacular views of the ocean. For added excitement, we have a pre-walk briefing on how to deal with coyotes, which had been sighted on the trail in the weeks before. The drill includes backing away slowly, making lots of noise and carrying a big stick as defence. In the end our only brush with wildlife turns out to be a curious red squirrel which attempts to join us for lunch and a brief false alarm in the form of furiously barking dog being walked by another hiker. The Kejimkujik National Park, one of two national parks in Nova Scotia, also offers plenty of hiking trails and canoe routes to explore. It provides a fascinating insight into the Mi’kmaq heritage, with guided tours on offer to see petroglyph rock carvings and the chance to walk through ancient portages – trails used for carrying canoes across land – which are still in use today.

The final stop of our tour of Nova Scotia is a winemaker located in the Annapolis Valley region – the third most important fruit growing area in Canada, thanks to a combination of fertile soil, maritime breezes and sunshine. When we arrive at Luckett Vineyards, owned by Pete Luckett, from England, to sample some of the wines, there is one more surprising reminder of home: standing among the vines is the curious sight of a red telephone box.

Getting there: Westjet operates daily non-stop flights between Halifax and Glasgow from May 2 in 2016. The flight time is around five hours and 15 minutes. For more information and bookings visit westjet.com

Where to stay: Hillsdale House Inn, 519 St George St, Annapolis Royal: hillsdalehouseinn.ca; The Mariner King Inn, 15 King St, Lunenburg: marinerking.com