Day 12: Among the Dunes in PEI
DAY 12: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Malpeque, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Ending point: Dalvay, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Starting mileage: 12,253
Ending mileage: 12,377
Daily total (miles): 124
Trip total (miles): 1,849
Today, we woke to another gray day, but we were confident the forecast would hold true and the skies would clear—and they did! We started our day off right, with a trip to The Willow Bakery and Cafe in Kensington. We had stumbled across this delightful place on our last trip and fell in love with their delicious baked goods. While I’m not really a sweets/dessert person, I’m definitely a bakery girl! And this bakery has amazing cinnamon rolls, scones, and biscuits—among many, many other delicious treats as well! The cafe is adjacent to the old Kensington Railway Station, a National Historic Site of Canada (and perhaps familiar to readers of Anne of Green Gables!).
Fully fueled (y’know, carbs!), we were on our way to the eastern part of the island, to the Greenwich section of Prince Edward Island National Park. We planned on doing the trails in that part of the park; I’m a huge fan of the Greenwich Dunes trail, namely because I LOVE sand dunes (and love photographing them!!), and this particular trail features a floating boardwalk over Bowley Pond. Then, as G was feeling up to walking more, we tacked on the other two—Tlaqatik and Havre Saint Pierre.
The views from the Greenwich Dunes trail are some of my favorites in all of PEI. Since we visited on July 1, which is Canada Day, the park was free to all, and this particular trail was pretty busy—though with some patience and careful planning, I mostly managed to take photos without other folks in them!
The two other trails were empty compared to the dunes trail. We took our time and, as always, enjoyed the views!
By mid-afternoon, we were ready to meander back to the center of the island and to Dalvay By the Sea, where we’d be staying our final two nights of the trip. We love historic inns, and this one is certainly one of our favorites. Built in 1895, the inn is a National Historic Site of Canada. We checked in, relaxed for a bit, and then made our way down the street a few miles for dinner at Richard’s Fresh Seafood—home of what we think might just be the best lobster rolls in all the land. And we love lobster rolls.
And just like that, we were down to just one more day and two more sleeps before heading back home. Tomorrow, our final day in PEI…