Prince Edward Island 2023

Arrived at Prince Edward Island (called PEI by locals) at about 12:30, a bit after noon. It feels surreal to be here after talking about it for over a year. The cabbie, who turned out to be the company owner, David, took me from the airport to the Rodd Royalty Hotel to claim my reservation and pointed the Island Walk Trail to me along the way—the hotel lies directly on the trail (not a coincidence), as shown by the pic of the hotel.

Would love to have celebrated my arrival with a lobster downtown, but the red-eye drained my enthusiasm and we’ll celebrate another day—main concern is to be well rested for my first day, around 15 miles and a fully loaded backpack. I ‘m eager to start.

A perfect day for starting my Island Walk: 15.9 mi (about 25 km) and a high in the low 70s. I finished Section 1 and walked into Section 2 of the Island Walk itinerary. After leaving Charlottetown, I found low hills rolling through forests and agricultural farms: corn and cereals. My first dirt road greeted me at 10.1 mi—woohoo, as pleasant change from concrete and asphalt.

At my pre-planned destination, my B&B had me picked up and brought to the tiny town of Victoria, my overnight venue some 10 miles beyond where I stopped walking. I celebrated the day at the local Lobster Barn with their famous Lobster Roll (4 oz of lobster)—what a treat.

The pic of the day was a fellow hosing down graded dirt next to the freeway with a cocktail of grass seed, fertilizer, green color, etc. to seed it with grass. Never saw anything like it.

Today’s short 9.8-mi walk with the sun at my back started along the ocean to my left and agricultural fields to my right—lots of string beans and potatoes, even a potato stand selling 5-lb bags for 5 CAD. Most was along the shoulder of a two-lane highway.

Then, a stretch of clay road took me up straight through forested hills and offered some shade. Small gurgling streams added to the scenery. It didn’t last long before descending back down with views of the ocean. The last mile or so headed directly into Victoria directly toward its lighthouse, now only a colorful monument.

Noteworthy is that most all houses along the walk have no fences and their large surrounding lot is covered with well-cut grass. Each day, I must have seen dozens of mowing operations in progress, either by the home owner or a professional. These are huge lawns to mow weekly.

Today I covered 13 mi (21 km), about 2/3 of it in a gentle rain interspersed with gusts of winds that tried to twist my poncho into a pretzel. A short piece of clay road became slippery with the rain, but I managed not to fall. I weirdly enjoyed the rain up until the nine-mile mark when I was seriously trying to get out of it to take a short break. Luckily I found a barn with the barn door open. No one was around so I made myself at home for about 30 minutes. After putting myself together again, I headed out expecting more rain, but it soon stopped. 

Along the way, several antique stores appeared with interesting goods including the one below with the VW bug and roof fan on top.

My destination today was at one end of Canada’s Confederation Bridge, opened in 1997 and claiming to be the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water.

My stay at the EBB Tide B&B was delightful with the hostess herself planning a Camino shortly; she and two of her best friends were celebrating a reunion after not having seen each other for many years. I left well after 9:00 and was shuttled to my starting point at Borden-Carlton where I started at 9:41.

I covered 15.2 mi (24 km) most of it with gusty headwinds and with my puffy jacket because it never really warmed up. On the way I saw many a newly harvested potato on the roadside trying to make a run for it from its fate in a frying pan!

With lodging getting scarcer as I go toward the northwestern tip of the island, it’s becoming more difficult to find availability. It took about 2 hrs of calls, but I think I have lodging for the next 8 days, including 5 nights at a hostel—still being negotiated. Shuttling can cost as much as CAD 100 (74 USD) per ride, depending on the distance.

An old African proverb proved true today:

When you plan a journey, 
It belongs to you 
When you begin a journey 
You belong to it.

From today on, I feel I belong to the Island Walk.

I covered 11.6mi (18.5 km) on what seemed like a perfect day: temperature between mid-50s and mid-60s, light backpack (am still in shuttle mode), flat, no way to get lost, and only one mosquito attacked me (and s/he paid the ultimate price).

I walked entirely on what’s known as PEI’s Confederation Trail, a former railway track that tended to be straight as an arrow for miles on end. PEI bought the right-if-way in the 1990s and the 470-km recreational rail trail was born. The tracks were removed and stone dust was placed over the traditional railway crushed rock ballast, giving a surface suitable for walking/ running, and biking. Although well drained, marshes run along the sides where mosquitoes breed. Beyond the narrow marshes are agricultural lands: mostly potatoes and corn.

Every few kilometers, a bench or picnic table present a welcoming sight. I included a picture of the Linkletter mega farm whose owners, now 7th generation farmers tend to over 500 acres much of which planted with potatoes—their storage structures were most impressive.

The last few pics are of the Warm House B&B located adjacent to a local cemetery and where I’m staying for 2 nights. Noteworthy is the picture of a sidewalk, which you’ll only find on one side of the street—I’m guessing as a cost cutting measure.

My B&B from last night “Warm House” dropped me off at my new B&B “Summerside Inn” to check in and leave some of my things to lighten my load—they had family coming and couldn’t host me these next two days. Then they shuttled me to my starting point (and picked me up at the end of the day).

I proceeded to cover 14.6 mi (23.4 km) on the rail trail, pretty much straight again. The mosquitoes were especially pesky today and I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to buy some Off—I only needed to cover my hands, neck and face.

I have one picture of a bridge in the trail, only as a reminder that these were all railway bridges!

I enjoyed a down day in Summerside after completing the first 80 miles of my Island Walk. I caught up on laundry and things, did  a bit of sightseeing, enjoyed a scrumptious cioppino the night before and a marvelous lobster BLT croissant with salad, and recharged for another 80- or so mile week.

Below is a picture of the B&B where I’m spending my down day—it’s close to good eateries!

Today’s walk from O’Leary started out on the Confederation Trail but veered away from it just short of the six-mile mark. While on it, I encountered remnants of the concrete foundation of a water tank used to fill the steam engine trains that ran on this track. They were all over, of course, but this foundation was conspicuously viewable as a piece of history. Note the solar powered outhouse right next to it!

The third pic has the colors of the French Flag with a star on top on each side of the driveway—a sign that the owners are Acadian (the French forerunners of our Cajuns at New Orleans)—small parts of PEI, along with New Brunswick, etc. compromise Acadia, home of the original 16th/17th century French settlers. There’s an extensive history here!

In all, I covered 14.6 mi (23.4 km). Near the 9-mile point, I really needed a break. In desperation, I turned into a driveway where I saw a man working on the wheels of his car. I asked if I could sit on his steps and take a break. That led his wife to invite me in for coffee and homemade fresh cinnamon rolls along with cheddar cheese. Tony and Judy were so delightfully hospitable—thanks to both of you. And what’s more, Tony authored a historic book about PEI’s abandoned properties and gifted me an autographed copy—a real treasure for me (see picture of book).

My stay is at the Kildare Lodge at Alberton, for 5 days. Kim stocked me up on food, and she’ll shuttle me the next five days. Although full last weekend and next weekend, I’m here alone during this week—and I mean alone—no one else here! Very peaceful. Last two pics enjoying a beer at Kildare Lodge.

Today’s walk covered 13.3 mi (21.3 km) from Way Marker 8 to 9 all on highway route #14 with essentially no shoulder. All the oncoming traffic, however, courteously veered away as far as possible. I was never far from the ocean and the oncoming breeze kept the mosquitoes from landing on me—no spray needed.

The surprise of the day came at the 8.6 mi mark as I arrived at the Stompin Tom Centre and had a great seafood chowder even with bits of lobster and listened to live country and western music—an outstanding break.

Kim picked me up at Way Mark 9 for my second of five stays at the Kildare Lodge, again as the only guest tonight.

Today’s walk took me 12.3 mi (19.7 km) past North Cape, the northwestern most part of PEI. Most of the walk was with a misty fog and gusts of headwind up to the Cape which changed to sidewinds past the Cape. An exciting boardwalk 5 km nature trail just before arriving at the Cape offered astounding views of the landscape: marshland, sandstone cliffs dropping down to the ocean, black bog, all in the midst of the giant windmills whirring in the background.

The Wind Energy Institute of Canada hosts an interesting Interpretive Center at the Cape that I visited—very professionally appointed.

Other points of interest along the way include the many wooden lobster traps I spotted, the North Cape Lighthouse, and the Seacow Pond, a small fishing boat harbor.

I covered 14.1 mi (22.6 km) to end the day at the Kildare Lodge for my 4th night. The day started misty then became sunny and even turned warm. Along the way, I ran into a Kiwi couple, Mary and Andy, doing the Island Walk by camping. We shared experiences and continued on. 

Stacks of lobster traps could be seen everywhere, ready to be sold to fishermen as replacements—I’m told a certain amount of traps will get damaged or simply break. My noon snack was on the steps of an Anglican Church I passed. I also saw an oyster farm with row after row of oyster cages.  It’s not uncommon to see large fishing boats on the properties—I’m loving the seafood👍❤️

I treated Kim (Manager of our Lodge ) to dinner close by at the Northport Pier Restaurant—I had flatbread filled with Lobster along with a salad, and it was scrumptious (at 16 USD, it’s kind of affordable!). It was my own concoction as I try to avoid the breadiness of lobster rolls!

This is my last day at Kildare Lodge, a fabulous stay of 5 days. Kim struck the perfect balance with me: enough to take good care of the guest but not too overbearing to strangle him/her. The 15.8 mi (25 km) especially the last hr in 80 deg heat wore me down, but the extra bottle of Gatorade purchased this morning came in handy. Am trying my best to stay hydrated—so far so good.

Lodging is now confirmed at least 4 days ahead taking me to the midpoint (marker 16)—that gives me a comfortable feeling.

In SOCAL, you might see cars parked on the lawn, but here it’s a fishing boat as in the picture—quite a common sight. At 8.7 mi, a general store appeared, but it only sold antiques—can’t eat or drink those! Still used it as a mid-way break.

For dinner, Kim bought some lobster dip that I had with crackers, along with hummus, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, grapes and blueberries—and a cold beer. All this I had as a surprise thunderstorm blanketed the area with a huge downpour that lasted less than an hour.

Successfully hooked up with Mary Anne who shuttled me to her B&B in Summerside where I’ll stay two nights (stayed here 2 nights going up, and now 2 more coming back down and going east).

I covered 12.3 mi (19.7 km) all on the Confederation Trail (rail trail), which was boringly straight— miles and miles and about half was coming back on the same section I went up on. The one pic says it all; I did manage to see a few sparse ticklers for fall colors.

The day ended with another dynamite cioppino at the Evermore Brewery, but this time topped off with a double-scoop of homemade rum-raisin ice cream at Holman’s Ice Cream Parlor just two blocks down from the B&B.

The scenery vastly improved today over the 13 miles (20.8 km) as did the trail itself, that started on hard-packed clay and even went along the fields following the ruts made by tractors—tough to keep my balance on the uneven dirt. Spotty cloud cover kept the temperature in the mid-70s.

Interesting sights along the way included oyster farms, stacks of logs from harvesting forests, potato fields needed harvesting, and automated equipment that covered round bales of hay with plastic continuously one bale behind the other. The biggest challenge was finding a place to sit and snack, the first being farm equipment, a few hrs into the walk, but then nothing for 4 hrs. I ended up snacking while standing—I didn’t want to sit in mud or dirt having bugs crawl on me, or mosquitoes have me for their snack. Just grateful all ended well: no dirt and no bites!

Rain all day tomorrow!

Today’s walk was an amalgam of half local walk on Summerside’s Boardwalk and half on the Confederation Trail directly from Summerside to Kensington’s B&B. I replaced the portion from Lady Slipper (where I left off yesterday) to Summerside with the local boardwalk (5.4 mi)—much more interesting! In all I walked 13.3 mi (21.3 km).

Today’s Confederation Trail from Summerside on did not disappoint with mosquitoes—they were out in force, nor did it disappoint with its straightness. It really only drizzled during the morning, and not at all this afternoon. And more is predicted for early morning. Doreen, the B&B owner here in Kensington drove me to a restaurant for dinner where I enjoyed the best yet lobster roll (minimally bready along with potato salad)—so scrumptious.

Tomorrow I reach my midway mark (#16–Bayview)—the Island Walk is going by very fast, although each day passes very slowly!

My 14.6 miles (23.4 km) started out on the Confederation Trail this morning for less than an hour, but it paid me back by making me miss my turn off of it. So I lost a total of about 2 km due to backtracking.
The day was full of surprises: drizzle that wasn’t forecast along with gusts of headwinds, lots of interesting turns in the country roads, a couple of respectably steep hills, and a luncheon place with irresistible seafood chowder. So I didn’t quite make my goal today—I fell a few miles short, but I’m happy with having reached my midway of the Island Walk at 193.3 mi/309.3 km.

As the Confederation Trail passed through Kensington (where I‘m staying), there’s a little section of rail that was left with shops on both sides, giving it the look of the “old days.”

The trail went through the countryside over rolling hills, a definite welcome departure from the all-flat.

Doreen shuttled me to Bayview (#16). This day was one of the most amazing ones in terms of ocean shore landscapes—not as rugged as some folks expect, but the reddish beaches add an unusual mystique I’m not used to seeing. The boardwalk (in lieu of a sidewalk) through Cavendish was special—it’s known as a resort area and for the cultural sites of Prince Edward Island National Park.

After relishing the Park’s beach areas (along with other tourists, cyclists, walkers and joggers), I arrived at North Rustico, a quaint fishing village that apparently also draws numerous tourists. I was successfully shuttled back, showered, had all my laundry done (so sweet of Doreen), and went out to Kensington’s highly recommended Stonepub for a lobster/ crab roll—I’m hooked. This walk is turning me into a lobster snob! It’s a Pavlovian thing: walk 15 miles/get lobster!

Tomorrow will test the transportation services that I need to use to get from the end point to my lodging that I went beyond today.

Doreen’s husband Bill (Briarton’s B&B) graciously shuttled me back to Cymbria, Way Marker #17 and I proceeded to cover 13.6 mi up to Brakley Bay where PEI’s National Park hugs the ocean for nearly 8 miles along the Gulf Shore Parkway. The coastal dunes, however, prevents one from seeing the ocean or the beach, except for a few spots where one can go off trail 50 or so meters.

The promised rain finally materialized the last few hours of the walk, and it really poured the final half hour waiting for my shuttle service—the van came as promised, and will bring me back tomorrow morning.

I checked into the Barachois Inn, and soon discovered that there was no dinner available. The daughter, however, made me a sandwich, but I’ll have to be prepared for tomorrow.

Am monitoring Hurricane Lee, and it doesn’t look as ferocious as originally thought. Note pics from last hurricane of uprooted trees. It’ll hit PEI Friday night and I will walk Saturday morning to Way Marker #20 from where the Johnson Shore Inn will pick me up, check me in for 4 nights and feed me on site—it’s very isolated, but has great reviews (all is now confirmed).

I was able to get my breakfast early (before 8:00). Red Sand Tours shuttled me to the start of today’s walk that began with 5.6 miles on country road shoulders, after which I veered onto the Confederation Trail for the remaining 8.7 miles; total was 14.3 mi (22.9 km).  The change was very welcome in that I could count on seating and places for breaks with certain regularity (not possible on roads).

Anticipating Hurricane Lee to hit PEI tomorrow evening, I was most impressed by the visible damage caused by last year’s hurricane. Over a million trees were uprooted on the Island. They tell me that the cleanup effort was massive!

On the way, I spotted numerous soy bean fields ready to be harvested—they‘re the plants with the yellow leaves on top. Most of the potatoes have already been harvested, but not all—farmers are hurrying to finish their harvest before the heavy rains.