Cycling Prince Edward Island
We made two bicycle tours
in the fall of 2015. This blog describes the first of those;
“tip-to-tip” along The Confederation Trail on Prince Edward
Island, Canada.
The New Bicycles
To
prepare, we decided we should have new bicycles. After consultation
with our friends in Cape Breton Velo http://velocapebreton.ca/
, and with the experts at Hub Cycle Truro http://hubcycle.ca/
, we selected a “comfort” model, from Giant. Standard features
include 24 gears with indexed shifter, front fork shock absorber,
upright handle bars. The “hybrid” tires are designed for
reasonable performance on paved and gravel roads. We added options
of full fenders, shock absorber comfort saddle, puncture-resistant
tires, clip-in pedals with matching shoes, rear-view mirror, handle
bar bags and panniers. These bicycle frames are built for comfort,
not for speed, and accommodate the undeniable aging of our own
frames.
Additional
comfort items included gloves and pants with “gel” padding, and
sun-shading brims for our helmets www.dabrim.com.
The net effect of all these features is that we can ride further,
with pleasure.
We
trained regularly over the summer until we could cycle 30 to 50 km a
day for consecutive days. Avoiding injury during this training, we
were keenly aware of hardening leg muscles and posteriors. We
achieved our goal of pedaling 70 km on the weekend of Peter's 70th
birthday. We were pleased that Catherine had no trouble with her
knee, documented by X-ray and arthroscopy to have significant
deterioration of cartilage.
The Confederation Trail
This bike trail is on the
bed of the former Railway Line from Tignish to Elmira; 280 km.
https://www.tourismpei.com/pei-confederation-trail
The trail is well-groomed, usually a hard-packed fine gravel. There
is minimal grade. It passes mostly through forest. There are also
stretches of surprisingly scenic rolling hills of pasture and potato
fields. We enjoyed the covered picnic tables and benches distributed
at intervals along the trail. Very impressive are the numerous
information placards describing flora, fauna, habitat, and history.
We paused at every placard. The trail crosses numerous rivers and
estuaries on old steel railway bridges.
The Tour Company
We booked this tour
through Freewheeling Adventures www.freewheeling.ca
. It was a self-guided tour from B&B to B&B. We set our
own pace. It was a supported ride. Our support driver, Thomas,
carried our bags from each day's lodging to the next. He assisted
with the daily routine maintenance (lubrication, tire pressures,
etc), thereby teaching us quite a bit about bicycles. Each morning
he came to our lodging and drove us and our bikes to that day's
starting point along The Confederation Trail. We carried lunch and
selected scenic spots for our mid-day stop. At the end of each day's
ride, Thomas met us at a pre-arranged location, where a road
intersected the trail, and transported us to our new lodging. In
some cases, lodging was close enough to the trail that we cycled
directly to our bed.
The Ride
Over
five days we cycled from North Cape to Elmira, 35 to 60 km/day.
On Day One, we began cycling from the Wind Energy Interpretive Centre, North Cape.
It was raining lightly, and cycling into a head wind during the open first part, we were pleased to soon enter a forested section where we were at least protected from the wind. The weather gradually improved and it became a pleasant afternoon. Near the end of the day's ride we enjoyed the Tignish Community Museum with a diverse collection of historical memorabilia and artifacts, and a knowledgeable docent.
That evening we lodged at The North Port Pier Inn http://www.northportpier.ca/ overlooking the Oulton Lighthouse from our balcony. We enjoyed seafood chowders, oysters and the famous PEI mussels.
On Day Two our first stop was The O'Leary Potato Museum, which is surprisingly interesting. We came to appreciate the diversity of potato varieties, and the numerous diseases and pests to be combated by the dedicated farmers and scientists. The day's ride was through forest and, in some parts, close to potato fields, which we observed with new appreciation.
We pedaled directly to The Prince County B & B http://www.princecounty.ca/ in Miscouch, in a lovely old home with eclectic decorations and furnishings. The well-maintained hardwood floors were a particular delight. Rain began in the evening and continued all night.
The breakfast was outstanding, and left us well-prepared for the day.
The Wash Out
On Day Three it was
raining so heavily that we elected not to ride. Instead, by
utilizing our support driver, we spent the day visiting museums and
historical sites. Touring the beautifully preserved Wyatt and
Lefurge Mansions gave us insight into the history of commerce, wealth
and culture in Summerside. The Fox Museum introduced us to the boom
and bust of the fox farming industry. The Eptek Art and Culture
Centre displays a diversity of high quality local art work and has a
nice review of the history of Summerside. The Acadian Museum
provided a look at what French Canadians had to endure after the
British seizure of their homesteads. Yet another sad example of the
“ethnic cleansing” repeating throughout history to this day.
That evening we were
impressed with the diverse amenities offered by the Chez Shea B&B
in Kinkora www.chezshea.ca ,
including spa facilities, marvelous meals, and a welcome their
competitors would envy. There is a nearby pub with draft beer and
acceptable pub fare.
On Day Four we
cycled along the Dunk River through Hunter Valley, where the scenery
resembles parts of The Appalachian Trail (after all, PEI's hills are
an extension of the Appalachian Mountain Range). Click on the short
video.
We thought that this was
the most beautiful section of The Confederation Trial. We ended the
day's ride at the Village of Hunter Valley and met our support
driver. After sandwiches, fruit pie and ice cream cones at a charming riverfront deli, we transferred by van to the north coast, stopping at the Cavendish Dunes.
We elected not cycle the next section due to the high winds and continued by van to our lodging.
Spectacular ocean scenery in any weather!
We elected not cycle the next section due to the high winds and continued by van to our lodging.
We enjoyed the hospitality of Dalvay-by-the-Sea. Especially comfortable and welcoming are their Great Rooms with fihttp://www.dalvaybythesea.com/
That evening we atended a
musical in Charlottestown, “Bitter Girl”. Emotionally cathartic,
“Bitter Girl” follows three women in their plunge from what they
thought was perfect romantic bliss to abandonment and breakdown.
Then there is the journey back to self-esteem and independent
happiness. Checkout www.charlottetownfestival.com
On Day Five we
transferred by support van back to The Confederation Trail to
continue our ride toward St. Peter's, along the spectacular
Hillsborough River, the first Canadian Heritage River. We identified
a wide variety of upland birds and waterfowl. Active Osprey nests
are located close along the trail.
It was a scenic, tranquil ride along the shore of St. Peter's Bay.
Fortunately, we arrived at The Inn at St. Peter's www.innatstpeters.pe.ca before the deluge, and our room was supplied with umbrellas to shelter us on the short walk to the dining room. It was a splendid seafood dinner!
On Day Six we rode to the end of the rail line at Elmira and enjoyed the restored station train museum, and the Lighthouse marking the end of the Confederation Trail.
It was a scenic, tranquil ride along the shore of St. Peter's Bay.
Fortunately, we arrived at The Inn at St. Peter's www.innatstpeters.pe.ca before the deluge, and our room was supplied with umbrellas to shelter us on the short walk to the dining room. It was a splendid seafood dinner!
On Day Six we rode to the end of the rail line at Elmira and enjoyed the restored station train museum, and the Lighthouse marking the end of the Confederation Trail.
Returning by support van to lodging at Willowgreen Farm B&B, www.willowgreenfarm.com/, we said goodbye to Thomas, who had provided reliable support throughout our tour. In our opinion, the extra cost of his support was well worth it.
We enjoyed the well-deserved in-room Spa at the Willowgreen Farm and had a good night's sleep.
The next morning we
started south towards New Hampshire to visit our dear friend, Inga.
This stop was en-route to our next bicycle tour, with
Adventure Cycling passing through five states from Arlington, VA to
Pittsburgh, PA, 600 km along the Chesapeake-Ohio towpath and Great
Allegheny Gap rail-trail. Look for it's description in our next blog
posting! Coming Soon!
“Begin at the beginning,
go on to the end, then stop.” Alice in Wonderland.
Peter and Catherine, now
wintering aboard S/V Charlotte D in Eastern Caribbean.
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