Joy Riding

We set off riding the south shore of the central coast from Summerside to Charlottetown with a stop in Victoria-by-the-Sea which is a small village that time seems to have passed by. There are children building red sand castles on a red sand beach! Prince Edward Island has three counties and this is Queens County. We take the by-pass around Charlottetown, the provincial capital, because we’re saving it for tomorrow as the forecast is for rain. We cross the Hillsborough River that divides the metro area and soon enter Kings County to begin the Points East Coastal Drive.
This coastal drive boasts four lighthouses, an outstanding golf course, some of the best beaches on the island, and some spectacular dunes. This eastern route is also the way to the Woods Island Ferry to Nova Scotia and the ferry to the Quebec Iles-de-la-Madeleine, neither of which we will take, as we want to ride the Confederation Bridge again. The scenery is gorgeous and the road is fairly smooth although there is a little construction. At Souris we stop for our picnic lunch as there is a rest area on the beach with a great view of the area. The water is warm as the tide is coming in and we do some wading after lunch. Our plan is to have a swim at Basin Head where the sand “sings” , however, hundreds of other bathers have the same idea so after we snap some pictures and walk on the sand we carry on.
We ride out to the East Point Light House as it is the most easterly part of PEI, and while Barry chats with some Newfie tourists, Marlene sees the first whale of the trip (to far away to determine the species as we’ve forgotten the binoculars). The Confederation Trail, made from the rail bed when train service ended on PEI, begins just west at Elmira. The trail lets you bike, hike, or snowmobile across the entire island. Although much of the trail runs inland, some sections, such as the one that runs through the gorgeous village of St. Peters, are very popular and attract many campers using the trail.
The north shore route, mostly Highway 16 and 2, is even more beautiful than the southeast shore and the road is better too. Near the end of the Points East Drive we stop for our long overdue swim at Morell where the municipality has built a first rate outdoor kitchen/bath house and installed a very hi-tech jet foam swimming wharf. The water is brown, not murky, not muddy, but brown and very refreshing.
At Tracadie we re-enter Queens County where we are riding the north shore of the central coast to Rustico. This route is busier as it lays north of Charlottetown and is both home to many commuters and a quick get-away for city residents. It seems like a long time since lunch and we are sufficiently hungry to stop at New Glasgow for the world-famous Lobster Supper. They have been serving lobster suppers here since 1958 and they are masters, serving hundreds every night! All meals include unlimited delectable rolls, seafood chowder, steamed mussels, salad, dessert and beverages. Although one can order roast beef or ham or Atlantic salmon for their entree, we order lobster, of course! We are not disappointed with the meal, the experience or the picturesque setting on the River Clyde. We only have a half hour ride back to our motel, through rolling farm country. We rode 361 of the best kilometres on this trip today, thank you PEI.