Day 11: A Return to a Favorite Island--PEI
DAY 11: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Kouchibouguac National Park, New Brunswick, Canada
Ending point: Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Starting mileage: 12,062
Ending mileage: 12,253
Daily total (miles): 191
Trip total (miles): 1,725
I’ve already written about the gazillion iterations of the itinerary that existed in my head and on countless sheets in my notebook. Yup, I’m old school—I love taking notes and brainstorming with pen and paper. The final itinerary was, of course, typed (with color-coding!) into a spreadsheet and shared with G (he loves spreadsheets). Returning to Prince Edward Island was not part of the original itinerary; in fact, we weren’t even planning to return via New Brunswick and Maine. But once the route shifted and PEI would be within striking distance, G and I decided returning would be a great ending to the trip.
Our first visit to PEI was in 2018, when G had a conference and I tagged along to play tourist—and I absolutely fell in love. In fact, that visit set in motion the plans for our 20th anniversary trip the following year to be a road trip through coastal Maine and the Maritimes, and we made sure to include two nights (you can read about those here and here) in PEI during that 2019 trip. We returned again in 2022, and have been excited to get back ever since. This time, we’d be staying three nights—one night camping at Cabot Beach Provincial Park in Malpeque and two nights at Dalvay By the Sea, a historic inn that located within Prince Edward Island National Park.
After crossing the 8-mile long Confederation Bridge, we made our first stop in Charlottetown, where we met up with friends and former colleagues from UNH who, upon seeing our posts, reached out in case we just might be in the same place at the same time—and we were! And where else to catch up than at COWS! From there, I wanted to pop into a bookstore on Queen Street to purchase a copy of The Island Walk guidebook. I’m a little obsessed with the idea of long-distance walking routes such as the Camino de Santiago, and now that PEI has created its own long-distance walk, I’ve been collecting alllll the info and starting to hatch some plans.
And then we were on our way to tonight’s stay at Cabot Beach Provincial Park in Malpeque. The best part of this campground—besides the sandy dunes at the beach? The fact that we can walk to dinner at the Malpeque Oyster Barn. Double win! We ordered a dozen large oysters to start, and I had the mussels (my favorite!), while G ordered a lobster roll and potato salad. And while we don’t usually order desserts, I couldn’t pass up the rhubarb crisp, and G ordered the chocolate turtle cake to satisfy his sweet tooth. There’s a reason PEI is called Canada’s Food Island!
After dinner, as G headed back to the van, I took a walk to the beach area for photographs—and I’m so glad I did! PEI has fast become one of my favorite places, and it’s also one of my favorite places to photograph. Between sandy dunes, the red clay cliffs jutting out over blue water and red clay roads, the deep greens, and gorgeous lighthouses, I would never run out of subjects. And having a sunset to close out the day is pretty fantastic, too!
