12 Things to Love about Prince Edward Island

I’ve had a fascination with and a long distance love affair with Prince Edward Island ever since I read Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books as a young girl. Her descriptions of the island and its many natural spaces have held my interest for decades. As fortune would have it I was able to visit this beautiful Canadian province this past summer. And it was absolute slow travel bliss. Come along and let me take you on a joyful journey of this gorgeous island and tell you about twelve things I found endearing about PEI. Not necessarily the typical touristy things, but things that I chanced upon that are unique to Prince Edward Island. This province is sure to make you fall in love with it, as I have.

1) Anne of Green Gables House

Of course the Green Gables Heritage Centre is at the top of the list for anyone who loves LM Montgomery’s books and her most famous character Anne Shirley. You can read my post about the centre and the Green Gables house where Maud visited often with her cousins. https://lifewithalegria.com/2022/09/27/walking-in-the-footsteps-of-lucy-maud-montgomery-at-green-gables/

This of course includes The Macneill Homestead where Maud grew up and lived for many years until 1911 when she married and moved to Ontario. An absolute must visit as you explore Cavendish and everything Anne around this beautiful island.

2) Red Sand Beaches

These unique beaches are a signature of Prince Edward Island and you can find them anywhere in the province as there are over 500 miles of red sand beaches, but only in PEI. Of course there are many popular beaches marked on all the tourist maps, but explore the province of PEI and you are sure to find a secluded red sand beach, which can become your own for the day.

3) Rugged Red Cliffs

If you’ve got red beaches then certainly you must have red cliffs. And there are plenty of them around the island. Thanks to the abundance of iron deposits, the soil in PEI is red and the ocean waves have carved beautiful cliff edges reminiscent of a fabulous Maeve Binchy book set in Ireland. Is it any wonder that as Irish immigrants arrived on these shores they felt very much at home. Over ten thousand Irish people settled here in Prince Edward Island by the mid 1800s. And you can just imagine red-haired Anne Shirley standing on the edge of one of these rugged cliffs looking across the waters and longing to see the world. Oh Anne, I look across hoping to be exactly where you are.

4) Potato Farms

And if you have Irish people then you must have potato farms. Oh I love everything potato and it was thrilling to see acres and acres of potato farms lining the country roads. Many of the farms offer their potatoes using a stop and pick-up honour system. And we all know that the best potatoes come from PEI. The rich red iron oxide soil and the island’s climate are most beneficial to potato farming creating an industry worth over 300 million. The famous McCain’s Food brand has a plant here, shipping their frozen fries worldwide. I was drowning in potatoes as I left PEI. Thank goodness for road trips where you can carry bushels of potatoes home no questions asked.

5) The Atlantic Ocean

Prince Edward Island is surrounded by Atlantic waters and just about anywhere you look you’ll see the ocean up close or in the distance. It is said that no matter where you are in the province, blue waters are no more than 13 kms away. Many homes are waterfront and we saw several for sale. Very tempting!

6) Lighthouses

Of course with the ocean comes lighthouses and there are plenty. If you love marine photography then you will love wandering the island photographing all the beautiful lighthouses. Some of them like the East Point Lighthouse have a long history and are now a tourist attraction. Others can be discovered as you explore the island and chances are you’ll be the only one around. See some in the video below.

7) Stunning Scenery

All around Prince Edward Island I could barely put my camera down. Between the lighthouses and sandy beaches there are so many photographic opportunities to capture nature at its best. Old fishing houses boarded up and surrounded by Golden Rod and Queen Anne’s Lace give a nod to a time now passed. And boats, bays and harbours all call out to be noticed in their quiet unassuming way. The sunset over Cardigan Bay was also inspiringly spectacular and country roads lined with Fireweed are simply exquisite to witness. I cannot say enough about the natural beauty of this gorgeous island and easily see why LM Montgomery fell in love with nature here.

8) Mont Carmel and The French Connection

Prince Edward Island was discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and was settled by the French in the early 1700s. In the Evangeline Region which is in the southwest of the province we came upon the stunning Notre Dame du Mont Carmel, a French Canadian Catholic church that was built in 1812. Here and in other parts of the province the Acadian community thrived and this beautiful church which was built with 450,000 bricks stands proudly in the summer sun more than 200 summers later. It was fascinating to explore and a chance find for us, but don’t miss it if you do visit PEI. You can see the exterior of this magnificent building in the video below.

9) The Bailey Bridge

As you well know, they just don’t build things as they used to. Not the church as mentioned above and certainly not Bailey Bridges. I was interested to discover this wooden bridge and learn the history of how they came to be. Developed by the British during World War II these bridges require no special tools or heavy equipment to assemble. They are portable, constructed by hand of heavy timbers, and can support the weight of tanks and machinery. You can see the Bailey Bridge in the video below and hear the echo over the harbour as cars drive over it. It was a fascinating find and an example of superbly intelligent engineering.

10) The Confederation Bridge

This incredible modern engineering feat connects PEI to the mainland in New Brunswick. At 12.9 kms it is the longest bridge in the world that transverses ice covered water. It took 4 years and 5000 people to construct the bridge that opened to traffic in May 1997. The $50 fare is well worth the price to enter or exit the province, or both. In order to experience all possibilities we took the ferry in from Nova Scotia and crossed the bridge as we left. You’ll see it towards the end of the video below. What an incredible experience to witness this example of human ingenuity.

11) The Island Camino

If you’ve heard about the Camino de Santiago from Portugal to Spain then you know where the idea of the Camino began. Newish to Prince Edward Island is the Island Walk, a 700 Km trail that skirts the perimeter of the island giving way to beautiful ocean vistas. It follows the Confederation Trail in parts, winds through small coastal communities and moves through large cities like Charlottetown and Summerside. Of course you can walk just a short portion of it or the entire trail. I walked a smidge of it. Go at your own pace and enjoy the beauty of this exceptional Canadian province. More about The Island Walk in the links below.

12) Quiet Country Roads

Driving around PEI is such a joy. Quiet country roads have few vehicles on them at any time of day and even driving in the big city of Charlottetown was a great experience. Every road leads somewhere and there is so much to explore on this little island that fills your heart with joy and wonder. Sometimes we ended up on red dirt roads, but that just added to the adventure. My joy of slow travel was fulfilled every day either on a quiet country walk, a new serendipitous discovery, or while driving the serene country roads simply exploring without a destination in mind.

Shortly after we returned home from PEI the island was hit by Hurricane Fiona. The rugged coastline was forever changed, but the resilience of the people of Prince Edward Island speaks to who they are. The island and islanders as they are lovingly known certainly live up to their slogan, “The small protected by the great.” Their greatness and resilience inspired my video which showcases many of the places mentioned above. I hope you enjoy my tribute to Prince Edward Island and share in my love for this beautiful little Canadian province. I can’t wait to go again.

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Links

Green Gables and Walking in Maud’s footsteps: https://lifewithalegria.com/2022/09/27/walking-in-the-footsteps-of-lucy-maud-montgomery-at-green-gables/

Anne of Green Gables House: https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/pe/greengables

The Macneil Homestead: https://www.lmmontgomerycavendishhome.com/

The Lighthouses of PEI: https://www.tourismpei.com/what-to-do/attractions-sightseeing/lighthouses

Mont Carmel and the North Cape Coast: https://www.tourismpei.com/what-to-do/beaches-parks/union-corner-provincial-park

The Confederation Bridge: https://www.confederationbridge.com/

The Island Walk: https://www.tourismpei.com/trip-ideas/blogs/the-island-walk