As the sun begins to rise over Prince Edward Island’s Hillsborough River, casting beams of light across the floor of our room in the Bishop’s Rest B&B, I take in the scene and treasure it. Empty water bottles are lined up on the table, ready to be filled. Clear plastic bags are scattered around the room, displaying our clothes and what’s left of our food: an increasingly small variety of granola bars, trail mix, and M&Ms. Our panniers hang over the chairs, ready to be clipped to the bikes. In the bed across the room, our two teenage boys sleep soundly. This is the fifth and final day of our journey, and I’m sorry to see it end. Continue reading on AdventureCycling.org
Nuts and Bolts
Transportation: The day before our journey begins we drive into Charlottetown and stay at the Sonata Inn in the historic district. We use George Larter’s PEI Cycling Tours to get to the North Cape and back from East Point. If we had run into trouble along the way, George would have helped us.
Day 1: Our adventure begins! We’re dropped off at North Cape and enjoy a flat, 21-mile ride down Route 12 along the coast, much of which is lined with potato fields. Our day ends at the lovely La Petite France Bed & Breakfast, where we find a good dinner just a short ride away.
Day 2: Our toughest day. We ride 50 miles on the Confederation Trail to our next stop in Miscouche at Prince County B&B.
Day 3: Hills! We head off on our 33-mile day taking the Confederation Trail from Miscouche to Emerald. This takes us through more farmland and the city of Summerside, where we lose the trail for a bit but quickly find our way back. In Emerald we head off the trail, encountering our first (and only) significant hills of the journey. We arrive in the town of Stanley Bridge. At the Stanley Bridge Resort, we have an incredible meal.
Day 4: Our most scenic day! We start out on PE-6, which takes us to Cavendish Grove, part of PEI National Park. This brings us back to PE-6 for a bit, where we restock on snacks at the market in North Rustico. Then we make our way to the next section of the National Park and ride on a paved path that follows the ocean. 46 miles later, we arrive at the Bishop’s Rest in St. Andrews.
Day 5: Our final day, 50 miles! We begin on the Confederation Trail from the Bishop’s Rest and in St. Peters, we turn onto PE-16 (North Shore Drive), and follow it all the way up to East Point.
Sarah Hunter 