In 1497, the navigator John Cabot, fresh off explorations of eastern Canada, returned to England to a hero’s welcome.
More than 500 years later, a global brand that bears his name is planning a homecoming of a different kind.
Cabot, the prominent golf and real-estate developer with a portfolio of marquee properties around the world, on Monday announced its latest project: Cabot Wilds, a destination resort in Nova Scotia anchored by an 18-hole course from Canadian architect Jeff Mingay, set to open in late 2027. The project is being developed in partnership with Canadian businessman John Bragg, a longtime Cabot investor who recently increased his stake in the company.
The launch brings Cabot full circle, back to the province where it built its first golf resort more than a decade ago.
“We are honored to work with John Bragg and his family to bring Cabot Wilds to life and shine a light on this beautiful corner of Nova Scotia,” Cabot CEO and co-founder Ben Cowan-Dewar said in a statement.
That corner of Nova Scotia is Cumberland County, roughly 90 minutes north of Halifax along the foothills of the Cobequid Mountains, near Oxford, in a community called Collingwood Corner, which is known as the “wild blueberry capital of Canada.” The detail is fitting as Bragg and his family founded Oxford Frozen Foods, the world’s largest wild blueberry farming operation.
The property itself sprawls across 2,500 acres of rolling terrain, with the River Philip winding through the land, a natural centerpiece that will star in Mingay’s routing as well as in the resort’s broader outdoor offerings. Community master planner Hart Howerton is overseeing the resort’s design.
Cabot Wilds sits roughly three and a half hours by car from Cabot Cape Breton, the company’s flagship Nova Scotia property. That resort traces its roots to the 2011 opening of Cabot Links, followed by Cabot Cliffs; both courses are on GOLF’s list of Top 100 in the World.
Courtesy of Cabot (both)
As at other Cabot properties, golf will be a central attraction at Cabot Wilds but only part of the draw. The clubhouse will house an indoor-outdoor restaurant and bar, a living room, private dining room, social lawn, pro shop and locker rooms, with onsite dining drawing fresh seafood, seasonal produce and local products. A recreation pavilion and racquet sports facilities round out the on-property offerings, along with wellness and spa facilities. Fishing in the salmon-rich River Philip will feature among a collection of outdoor experiences that will also take advantage of surrounding maple forests and blueberry fields.
Also like other Cabot properties, Cabot Wilds will be enrolled in Audubon International’s Platinum Signature Sanctuary certification program.
Real estate is part of the plan as well. A limited release includes two-, four- and eight-bedroom cottages, along with home lots offering golf course, hillside or river views. Preview play could begin as early as next summer.
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