Discovering Prince Edward Island - Part 1

 

Blog 40

I returned from my trip to Prince Edward Island and Halifax/Dartmouth. I was on the island once before, in the spring of 1998, when our family returned to Ottawa from a six-month stay in Halifax. However, we were limited in our adventures because of our toddler and dog. Therefore, we had a lot to explore this time.

We flew to Halifax on September 9 and arrived in the early evening. The night was warm, and after eating a nice Indian meal in the closest restaurant to our hotel, we went to the waterfront to enjoy a magical walk along the lit harbour area. 

On the following day, a gorgeous Sunday morning, we wanted to go for another walk downtown but couldn’t find any parking. We left the city to drive to PEI, taking the scenic Sunshine Trail along the coast. We stopped at the Blue Sea Beach Provincial Park to enjoy a picnic. With temperatures in the high twenties, the place was busy. People were walking their dogs, spending time on the beach or swimming.

After a short drive through New Brunswick, we crossed the impressive Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island. We continued our drive along the shore on the Red Sands Shore Drive to the Blue Spruces Cottages in Hampton. Our cottage, set back from the beach, still offered a view of the Northumberland Strait. It was already late, and we went to the neighbouring Victoria-by-the-Sea for dinner. The search for a table at any restaurant on this balmy evening was futile. Therefore, we ordered food-to-go and enjoyed a quiet evening at the two-bedroom cottage.

Unfortunately, there was a fine rain the next morning. The sun-filled landscape of the previous day had changed to a bleak sight under the grey sky. We followed the Red Sand Shore Drive to Summerside, where we walked on the Baywalk Boardwalk until we reached the lighthouse.



The sun reluctantly peaked through the clouds during our walk, and it got muggy. As many restaurants and stores were closed on Mondays, we were happy to find Moment’s Cafe, a small Asian restaurant, where we enjoyed their delicious bubble waffles.

On our way up along the coast, the weather got increasingly miserable. Cabot Beach Provincial Park looked desolate in the rain, and we only stopped at French River to take some photos of the colourful huts at the harbour.

As the weather didn’t look any more promising the next day, we drove to Cavendish to visit the Green Gables Heritage Place. The site was busy with tourists who looked for things to do on a rainy day. We started with a walk through the visitor centre, which offered information about the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and her famous novel, Anne of Green Gables. We visited the Green Gables House and took the Haunted Wood Trail to the Cavendish Cemetery, the author’s Cavendish Home and the Post Office with its exhibition. We finished with a stroll on Lover’s Land Trail.

We took the Gulf Shore Parkway West to see the white sand on the north shore. We stopped at the Cavendish Beach East Dunelands and witnessed the destruction from post-tropical storm Fiona in September 2022. The coastal erosion and the loss of large areas of trees were shocking. However, there are signs of new growth that give hope.

Many restaurants and shops were closed after Labour Day. We finally found the Blue Mussel Café in North Rustico. While we ate our mouthwatering food on the outdoor patio, the water of the Rustico Rustico Harbour glistened in the sun.

We walked on the boardwalk along the North Rustico Harbour Trail, where we saw many grey-blue herons looking for fish despite the noise of the fishing boats. A short trail brought us to North Rustico Beach, where we walked on the beach, listening to the rushing waves in awe.



Next week, I will post Part 2 of the PEI travelogue.