Visitors to Prince Edward Island flock to Cavendish and other tourist hotspots, often neglecting other areas of pristine natural beauty. That's good news if you want to get off the beaten track.
BY SIMON GARNEAU
I have nothing against Lucy Maud Montgomery, whose books about Anne of Green Gables are beloved the world over - but there's much more to Prince Edward Island than a feisty, freckle-faced heroine.
The romantic in me sees a land of hills and valleys rolling gently away to the horizon, of hardy fishermen sailing back into port with boatloads of tuna, of swallows lifting off from the cliffs at dusk, of countryside dotted with charming wood churches, of endless pink-sand beaches, of extraordinary emerald-green vistas shot through with splashes of rust-red soil, of breathtaking sky and the piercing cry of countless crows.
This is the Island you, too, can experience, far from the madding crowds, by spending some time on the remote northeast coast.
Picturesque Panoramas
From Charlottetown, head northeast on Route 2 to St. Peters Bay in Kings County, identified on most tourist maps as the Bays & Dunes region. Photo ops await around almost every curve of the road, which follows the Hillsborough River through fertile farmlands and verdant hills marbled with red dirt roads against a backdrop of deep blue sky.
Over a rise, and tranquil St. Peters Bay appears below, dotted with thousands of mussel buoys. Like sentinels guarding the indigo waters, three white churches stand around the bay.
At St. Peters Bay, turn onto Route 16, which skirts the Island's isolated northeast coast. Place names like Greenwich and Marie evoke the long-ago struggle between England and France for control of Île Saint-Jean, the French name given to the Island before the British conquest. Still other names on this shore, like Savage Harbour and Shipwreck Point, evoke the inherent dangers of the seafaring life.
The coast road leads to what in these parts passes for the end of the world, East Point. Here at Prince Edward Island's easternmost tip, the Gulf of St. Lawrence meets the Northumberland Strait and creates a rocky ridge that's most evident at low tide, when you might spot seals basking in the sun.
While not well known, the East Point Lighthouse offers an interesting guided tour. Climb to the top and watch the dramatic "meeting of tides" as the waters of the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence swirl together.
From the lighthouse, you can embark on a walk along a near-deserted beach to North Lake Harbour (but check the tide schedule first). It's eight kilometres roundtrip and will take about four hours to complete, but is not overly tiring because the sand is fairly firm. Best of all, you're assured of a peaceful stroll, for very few people come out this way.
Artist's Palette
Prince Edward Island is fabled for its russet-red soil, but its beaches are an artist's palette of colours that range from pure white to crimson red, and you'll find the beach between East Point and North Lake varies in hue from soft beige to cedar red.
After a couple of hours of walking, you come to North Lake Harbour, a non-touristy fishing village that's refreshingly free of souvenir shops selling lobster-shaped saltshakers. North Lake Harbour may not be the most pristine place on earth, but its very ruggedness and isolation carry their own charm.
The last time I was there, three fishermen were bringing in a yellowfin tuna that weighed more than 250 kilograms - pretty much what you'd expect from the self-proclaimed "Tuna Capital of the World."
Natural Show
Late afternoon is a particularly pleasant time to head back to East Point. In the hours before sunset, scores of seabirds swoop low over the ocean waves, foxes emerge from their dens and swallows leave their nests to hunt for insects, making for a great natural show.
And with any luck, you'll get back to Charlottetown just before dusk, in time to marvel at the sight of hundreds of crows all flying towards one huge tree in Victoria Park, where they roost for the night. Evening after evening, it's like a scene straight out of Hitchcock's The Birds.
This, to me, is Prince Edward Island ― not waterslides or rollercoasters or Anne of Green Gables, but blissful tranquillity and an exhilarating sense of freedom.
source: Canadian Tourism Commision
This reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor has it been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Click here for more information on Prince Edward Island
BY SIMON GARNEAU
I have nothing against Lucy Maud Montgomery, whose books about Anne of Green Gables are beloved the world over - but there's much more to Prince Edward Island than a feisty, freckle-faced heroine.
The romantic in me sees a land of hills and valleys rolling gently away to the horizon, of hardy fishermen sailing back into port with boatloads of tuna, of swallows lifting off from the cliffs at dusk, of countryside dotted with charming wood churches, of endless pink-sand beaches, of extraordinary emerald-green vistas shot through with splashes of rust-red soil, of breathtaking sky and the piercing cry of countless crows.
This is the Island you, too, can experience, far from the madding crowds, by spending some time on the remote northeast coast.
Picturesque Panoramas
From Charlottetown, head northeast on Route 2 to St. Peters Bay in Kings County, identified on most tourist maps as the Bays & Dunes region. Photo ops await around almost every curve of the road, which follows the Hillsborough River through fertile farmlands and verdant hills marbled with red dirt roads against a backdrop of deep blue sky.
Over a rise, and tranquil St. Peters Bay appears below, dotted with thousands of mussel buoys. Like sentinels guarding the indigo waters, three white churches stand around the bay.
At St. Peters Bay, turn onto Route 16, which skirts the Island's isolated northeast coast. Place names like Greenwich and Marie evoke the long-ago struggle between England and France for control of Île Saint-Jean, the French name given to the Island before the British conquest. Still other names on this shore, like Savage Harbour and Shipwreck Point, evoke the inherent dangers of the seafaring life.
The coast road leads to what in these parts passes for the end of the world, East Point. Here at Prince Edward Island's easternmost tip, the Gulf of St. Lawrence meets the Northumberland Strait and creates a rocky ridge that's most evident at low tide, when you might spot seals basking in the sun.
While not well known, the East Point Lighthouse offers an interesting guided tour. Climb to the top and watch the dramatic "meeting of tides" as the waters of the Northumberland Strait and the Gulf of St. Lawrence swirl together.
From the lighthouse, you can embark on a walk along a near-deserted beach to North Lake Harbour (but check the tide schedule first). It's eight kilometres roundtrip and will take about four hours to complete, but is not overly tiring because the sand is fairly firm. Best of all, you're assured of a peaceful stroll, for very few people come out this way.
Artist's Palette
Prince Edward Island is fabled for its russet-red soil, but its beaches are an artist's palette of colours that range from pure white to crimson red, and you'll find the beach between East Point and North Lake varies in hue from soft beige to cedar red.
After a couple of hours of walking, you come to North Lake Harbour, a non-touristy fishing village that's refreshingly free of souvenir shops selling lobster-shaped saltshakers. North Lake Harbour may not be the most pristine place on earth, but its very ruggedness and isolation carry their own charm.
The last time I was there, three fishermen were bringing in a yellowfin tuna that weighed more than 250 kilograms - pretty much what you'd expect from the self-proclaimed "Tuna Capital of the World."
Natural Show
Late afternoon is a particularly pleasant time to head back to East Point. In the hours before sunset, scores of seabirds swoop low over the ocean waves, foxes emerge from their dens and swallows leave their nests to hunt for insects, making for a great natural show.
And with any luck, you'll get back to Charlottetown just before dusk, in time to marvel at the sight of hundreds of crows all flying towards one huge tree in Victoria Park, where they roost for the night. Evening after evening, it's like a scene straight out of Hitchcock's The Birds.
This, to me, is Prince Edward Island ― not waterslides or rollercoasters or Anne of Green Gables, but blissful tranquillity and an exhilarating sense of freedom.
source: Canadian Tourism Commision
This reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor has it been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Canadian Tourism Commission.
Click here for more information on Prince Edward Island
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