Advertisement
Published: April 2nd 2011
Prince Edward Island Driving Tour
Our 2010 Driving Tour of Prince Edward Island was the perfect escape from the urbanization of Canada's East and West Coasts. There was a peaceful tranquility that washed over us when we crossed one of the world's longest bridges that connects New Brunswick to PEI, the tiniest province in Canada. The Travelling Canucks loved the charming and relaxing lifestyle on the Island, which only proved that we are getting old! Join us on our journey touring around the Gentle Island!
PEI is known for its potatoes, its sienna-coloured soil and golden/white sand beaches that line its shores. Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables series of books has brought its fans from around the world to visit the author's birthplace and setting for Anne Shirley's adventures that delightfully described growing up and living on the Island told through the eyes of its feisty, redheaded heroine.
PEI has often been called the Land of Anne, but the Travelling Canucks will remember PEI for its natural beauty. Although we missed the mountains of our home province of British Columbia, the beaches and shorelines off the Gulf of St Lawrence that surround the Island are
Birthplace of Confederation
Province House, National Historic Site in Charlottetown, PEI's Capital City.spectacular! The seclusion of the bays, beaches and tiny fishing villages and rolling green hills makes it a lovely place to drive and discover hidden treasures.
En Route to Charlottetown
Departing Halifax in the early morning hours of June of 29th, we drove from Halifax through Central Nova Scotia and Eastern New Brunswick to cross the Northumberland Strait to PEI via the Confederation Bridge, rather than take the ferry. We detoured to Pugwash, Nova Scotia which is one of the sleepy villages along the Sunshine Trail. Besides Pugwash being renowned for the Pugwash Conference of 1957, it wouldn't be worth the detour unless you happen to have a family connection, which is the reason for our stop. We were thrilled with our wonderful lunch in the small, colourful Chatterbox Cafe that offers fair trade coffee, homemade soups and sandwiches, and delicious baked goods. They have used books for sale and a nice gift shop. We stopped by the Seagull Pewter Store on the outskirts of Pugwash enroute to Sackville, New Brunswick. Seagull Pewter offered an amazing selection of pewter giftware - a great stop for buying a Christmas ornament, a Travelling Canucks tradition!
After a brief stop
in Sackville, Canuck Junior couldn't bear the thought of attending a university in such a small and uninspiring town, so she put the kibosh on touring the Mount Allison University Campus. So we jumped back into the SUV and got back on the road and headed over the Confederation Bridge. What an engineering feat! It's worth a short stop at the Confederation Bridge Visitor's Centre at Stanley Bridge, the Island terminus of the bridge, to pick up some brochures and friendly recommendations for making the most of your Island visit.
Although our final destination was Charlottetown, PEI's capital city, we headed back onto the country roads to stop by a few seaside villages along the western shores of PEI. We highly recommend visiting Victoria by the Sea, a quaint fishing village. Lovely Victoria offers some notable culinary stops. We highly recommend eating at the Landmark Cafe. The owner, service and menu were delightful. Don't forget to stop by Island Chocolates for handmade Belgian chocolates before seeing Victoria by the Sea in your rear view mirror.
Needless to say, the 9 hour drive from Halifax was longer as a result of the numerous stops along the way; however, we
Potatoe Fields Line PEI
Red soil is punctuated by green mounds all over the Island! Stunningly colourful! wouldn't be the Travelling Canucks if we didn't stop along the way to experience all that our travels have to offer! Unfortunately, the drive into historic Charlottetown is rather drab. There is a string of strip malls and fast food outlets that do little to impress upon visitors the historic importance of Canada's smallest provincial capital in Canada's smallest province!
Prince Edward Island Days
June 29th On our first evening, we decided to walk around Old Charlottetown after visiting Founder's Hall, a tacky multimedia exhibit highlighting Canada's founding and nation building over the decades! After dining at the Merchantman Pub, a favorite of the locals and enjoyed by visitors alike, we walked around Old Charlottetown with its leafy, historic streetscapes featuring shops, galleries and restaurants. On Great George Street, Province House, a National Historic Site, dominates the historic city centre and St Dunistan's, a neo-Gothic Basilica with its three towering stone spires dominates the skyline.
Before returning to our boutique hotel, The Great George, we headed down to Peake's Wharf Waterfront Merchants and Confederation Landing Park to see the site of the upcoming Canada Day Celebrations! We were really excited to be celebrating Canada Day on July
Landmark Cafe
Lovely cafe in Victoria by the Sea. Well-travelled owner and family exhibit their amazing photographs from their worldwide travels. Food and service were wonderful! 1st at the site of Canada's birthplace! We also were looking forward to see Cirque du Soleil parading down St George Street on June 30th!
June 30th On our first full day, we drove to the Eastern and Western Shores of the Island to visit Rustico, North Rustico, Cavendish, Summerside and the smaller villages that dot the Island.
We first stopped at the village of North Rustico that borders the Prince Edward Island National Park and features a classic, vibrant fishing village. In May and June, the lobster fishers are bringing in their yummy catch. We visited the wharves on the last day of the Lobster fishery - our timing couldn't have been better!
We walked along the seaside boardwalk that takes you from the village centre to the marina and working wharf. Strolling along the harbour, watching the boats coming and going, and getting a close-up view of the lighthouse, we ended up sitting on the sandy beach and watching the tides come and go as they crashed up against the red stone cliffs and white sand dunes covered in grasses that swayed in the wind.
We then drove through the beautiful landscape of rolling
hills dotted by quaint country homes, farms and churches to Rustico where we toured an Acadian museum and settlement.
We then headed to Cavendish, home of Anne of Green Gables and the author who brought her to life. We explored the places that inspired her books, including: the house that inspired Montgomery to write Anne of Green Gables; her modest birthplace in New London; and the family summer homes at the MacNeill homestead in Cavendish and Silver Bush in Park Corner. Most famous of all, of course, is Green Gables, the former farm belonging to LM Montgomery’s relatives that is now part of the LM Montgomery National Historic Site. While we enjoyed Parks Canada's interpretative programs, strolling on trails, and visiting the author’s gravesite, the town of Cavendish is not that quaint; however, it's worth visiting the surrounding small farming communities and fishing villages as they are delightful, as are the Dune Shores. With its warm waters, white sandy beaches and impressive sand dunes, it’s little wonder that Cavendish Beach and the Dune Shores is a favorite! Unfortunately, if we could have only stayed a week longer, we could have enjoyed the world renowned music festival with Taylor Swift
Delicious Island Cuisine
Mussels and oysters - it doesn't get any better. and Keith Urban headlining this year.
After enjoying a delicious lunch of oysters and mussels at the Shipwright's Cafe in Margate, we drove to Summerside on the western shores of PEI. Summerside was rather disappointing so our stay was short given we were eager to take in the parade along St George Street later that evening with everyone else in Charlottetown!
July 1st What better way to celebrate our nation's birthday than relaxing and getting in touch with nature at Greenwich's beach? With vast expanses of secluded sandy beach, Greenwich Beach was a highlight of our Island visit. The sun, wind, crashing waves and white sand and green grasses on the dunes that line the shoreline were unforgettable. We roamed the shoreline without anybody in sight. It was spectacular!
Although the landscape was not nearly as picturesque as our drive along the Eastern Shores, we drove to Souris to visit the Souris East Lighthouse built in the late 1800s, a white and red square tapered wood constructed tower standing on the cliffs of Knight Point. We climbed the 45 steps to the lantern room, proceeded to the outer platform to enjoy and photograph the panoramic view of
Colville Bay, the fishing, pleasure and commercial boats docked at the port, the Northumberland Strait, and the Town of Souris. Given many lighthouses have been decommissioned or automated and most are not open for touring, we enjoyed the interpretative tour by a young Islander who talked about the history of the lighthouse when at sundown, the keeper lit a kerosene oil lamp magnified by a catoptric reflector (a silver-plated mirror) creating the red beacon light. The lighthouse also housed Souris by the Sea Treasures, an interesting display of sea glass where visitors are invited to send their sea glass finds for display.
Our plan to tour Province House on Canada Day was next on our day's agenda. Province House is not only a National Historic Site, it houses the Legislative Assembly for the Province of Prince Edward Island. You might ask why is Province House a National Historic Site? It was at Province House that Canada’s union of the British North American colonies was conceived at a conference in September 1864. The birth of Canada on July 1, 1867 was enacted in Britain when the British North America Act established the Dominion of Canada with its own federal system
Travelling Canucks See the Light
Lighthouse tour at Souris' historic lighthouse - interesting sea glass exhibit! of government under the British Crown. It included the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. In subsequent years, the Dominion grew to include; Manitoba and Northwest Territories (1870), British Columbia (1871), Prince Edward Island(1873), Yukon(1898), Alberta and Saskatchewan(1905) Newfoundland(1949), and Nunavut(1999).
Not only was watching Canada Day fireworks in Charlottetown memorable, it was wonderful to see on our travels across PEI, homes decorated with Canadian flags. PEI is truly a patriotic province.
Travelling Canucks Enroute Again
On the morning of July 2nd, the Travelling Canucks reluctantly had to pack our bags and hit the road again. We were thrilled with our accommodations at The Great George, a highly-rated historic boutique hotel nestled in the Great George Street National Historic District, just footsteps away from historical landmarks, boutiques, restaurants, and the Charlottetown waterfront. The Great George is a unique cluster of 15 heritage buildings that have been lovingly restored. We stayed in the Carriage House, a small one bedroom self-contained unit with a washer and dryer, a welcome feature after travelling for 5 days. What makes this property unique? Continental breakfast was served in the hotel lobby, complimentary wine party in the hotel lobby at
Papa Canuck Rocks at Driving
4-wheel driving at its best! 4pm and delicious chocolate chip cookies baked throughout the day! The best chocolate chip cookies ever! Needless to stay, we wished we could have stayed longer and highly recommend staying at this unique property.
Prince Edward Island - land of green rolling hills, red soil, white sands and churches. The Gentle Island definitely lives up to its reputation. We fell in love with PEI and definitely hope to return one day! Another long travel day, we drove from Charlottetown to Wolfville, our first stop on the northern shores of Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy. Check out our Travel Blogs:
Trailing Around Nova Scotia's North Shore and
Planting Our Feet In Nova Scotia
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.014s; cc: 12; qc: 22; dbt: 0.0538s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
