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There’s more to Prince Edward Island than Anne of Green Gables and her creator, Lucy Maude Montgomery. If you’re a biker, the Confederation Biking Trail offers over 200 miles of scenic riding. The island itself is only 126 miles long. The trail follows an abandoned rail bed, surfaced with fine gravel, taking you through the heart of PEI. It offers vistas of green meadows, patchwork-colored fields, red dirt roads, wooded areas, orchards, towns and villages, bays, rivers, and rich farmland.
In places, apples dangle from branches, begging to be picked, and children prowl parts of the trail, carrying buckets, gathering blueberries, mouths and clothes stained blue. No real wilderness exists on the Island, so you’re never far from a village.
Of course you’re not confined to the Confederation Trail. Dirt roads crisscross the island, offering other perspectives, and Prince Edward Island National Park on the north shore has a long stretch of road along the Atlantic. Light traffic and wide shoulders make for good biking. For those who prefer more of a challenge, you can find plenty of hilly areas.
PEI’s license plates—“the birthplace of Confederation”— remind you that in 1864, Canada’s founding fathers conceived of confederation in Charlottetown, the capital of PEI (Canada became a dominion in 1867). Province House in Charlottetown shows an excellent film recreating those momentous days (it’s very moving to step into the big dip worn into the threshold as you enter the historic building, knowing the founding fathers also walked there). You can view rooms where the discussions took place, including the efficient five-headed mousetrap set next to a brass spittoon.
The spirit of confederation lives on in the Confederation Bridge, linking PEI to the mainland. In 1864, no one thought an expanded Canada was a possibility; similarly, no one thought it was possible to build a bridge across the Northumberland Strait, between New Brunswick and PEI. In both instances, the doomsayers were wrong. The bridge itself, amazing to see, soars across the water, a modern wonder; and Canada, so far, at least, remains united. Ironically, Quebec—a province that has long flirted with separating from the rest of the country—was a strong voice in urging that first attempt at unity.
While PEI is part of the modern world, and tourism is a thriving industry, the island remains primarily agricultural, the source of its charm. It absorb visitors, never feeling overcrowded, except maybe in parts of Cavendish, Anne’s land, a place to be avoided if you don’t like tourist traps and commercialization.
Visiting PEI feels like you’re entering a time warp. On the day we arrived on the Island, an elderly man pulled out of a field onto the road in front of us, riding a poppy red horse-drawn wagon. My husband laughed and said, “The tourist office must pay him to come out at this time each day to wow the tourists,” but it was the real thing.
People are courteous and friendly, stopping for pedestrians at cross walks, giving other drivers (and bicyclists!) the right of way. Children can play in the streets, not needing constant adult supervision, part of a closely-knit community.
The neatly painted two-story white wooden houses with black roofs, wood shutters painted black, hunter green, or plum, surrounded by well-manicured lawns sloping down to the road, show that rural values dominate. In most places, we experienced order, cooperation, a sense of community, respect for the land, and recognition of interdependence.
The only discordant note in this idyllic place are the Mi’kmaq, the original settlers on PEI who summered there annually for 10,000 years before whites arrived. Located mainly on Lennox Island, they haven’t been integrated into Island life. However, the Acadians, early French settlers (they arrived in the 1700’s) whom the Mi’kmaqs helped when the English were persecuting them, have made a place for themselves on the Island.
We visited the Acadian Museum in Miscouche one day by bike. It chronicles the valuable contributions the Acadians have made to Island life. In late August each year, the Festival Acadian and Agricultural Exhibition showcases their music, art, and crafts.
Music—the glue that holds together rural communities and helps to preserve the past for various ethnic groups on the Island (Irish, Scots, and Germans also have settled there)—plays an important role on PEI. Musical events—ceilidhs (pronounced cay-lee)—happen every night somewhere on the island (the Celtic Music School produces some outstanding musicians that compete in festivals around the world), and pubs frequently have live entertainment.
The ceilidh we attended at the Irish Hall in Charlottetown featured a PEI fiddler, Roy Johnstone, who electrified the audience. Tall, lanky, and self-conscious when he first came on stage, he resembled a farmer—except for the earring he wore in his left ear.
But when he started playing, he became incredibly graceful, his body an instrument itself, passionately engaged with the violin that he played with soul and tremendous technical skill. We felt transported into the world of jigs and reels and plaintiff Celtic melodies—taken back in time.
Time itself slows down on PEI. The island being small, there’s no need to rush through it. And that’s why a bike is a perfect vehicle for exploring the place. It also fits in better with an older, simpler way of life, the land providing abundant harvests of potatoes, wheat, barley, apples, plums, blueberries, corn and a variety of other vegetables—and much more.
When you bike through the village of Summerside, be sure to stop at Brothers Two Restaurant and order a serving of their steamed mussels. We entered fish heaven there, feasting on at least four dozen morsels, the largest serving on the Island and the tastiest.
Fishing accounts for another income source on PEI (many fish farms exist that grow cultured mussels, oysters, and lobsters). For fish lovers, it’s paradise. The last night we were on the island, we stopped at the New Glasgow Lobster House for their famous all-you-can eat-dinner. Our B&B hostess had warned us not to eat that day so we could load up later. When we entered the huge, barn-like building (it has two levels, the downstairs being licensed to serve alcohol, and seats 500 people), we understood why.
Smiling young waitresses paraded out of the kitchen carrying bowls of seafood chowder and vegetable barley soup; steamed mussels; potato salad and coleslaw; freshly baked golden dinner rolls; a choice of entrees, including platters of succulent lobster fresh from their own lobster farm, served with drawn butter; blueberry, apple, cherry, raisin, blueberry, and lemon meringue pie; ice cream or frozen yogurt; cake; coffee and tea. It felt like a church social.
Biking a couple of hours a day assuaged any guilt we might have felt for all the delicious meals we consumed and gave us multiple ways of experiencing the Island. We discovered that though small in area, it’s big in spirit, a civilized bit of Eden set down in the Atlantic.
On our final day, we bought gas from a local high school student working at Petro Canada. He told us that a man who’d vacationed on the island for two weeks, exploring every part of it on bike, had stopped in for gas. The attendant said, “He told me PEI is the greatest place on earth!”
It’s difficult to disagree.
Where To Get Info
Tourism PEI can be accessed at http://www.tourismpei.com/index.php3
Where to Stay
B&B’s abound on the Island. Check the PEI website to browse the wide choice available.
The Inn at Bay Fortune
In season (902) 687-3745
Winter (860) 296-1348
Email: innatbayft@auracom.com
Website: http://www.innatbayfortune.com/
All rates include a sumptuous breakfast.
17 guest rooms with private bath (14 with fireplace sitting area)
2 summer houses with three bedrooms and fireplace.
This is where we want to stay during our next visit to PEI. The Inn has another property down the road from the original site and can accommodate more guests there. The hosts have paid careful attention to detail and to retaining the past, and the place exudes graciousness and charm. They also offer gourmet dining on the verandah overlooking the water.
Where to Eat
Brothers Two Restaurant: We only had mussels here so we can’t recommend the other dishes. Also, it has a sterile location in a small shopping mall. But the mussels and warm, home-baked bread served with them definitely compensate for the setting.
New Glasgow Lobster House: (902) 964-2870. Located on Highway 258 off Hwy 13, 10 km from Cavendish Beach—all you can eat. The Lobster Suppers are served daily from 4-8:30 PM, including Sunday, overlooking the River Clyde. Local housewives bake the homemade breads, rolls, pies and cakes.
Claddagh Oyster House, downstairs from The Olde Dublin Pub in Charlottetown, has a fine restaurant. The pub serves meals as well and features live entertainment regularly. We had a very tasty light dinner in The Claddagh Room of oysters Florentine, escargot, and delicious spinach salad.
The Inn at Bay Fortune gourmet dining. One of twelve restaurants in Canada awarded Where To Eat in Canada’s highest designations.
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Copyright © 2009 Lily Iona MacKenzie
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