After a couple of nights in New Brunswick, we headed back to PEI for more island sightseeing. Over the course of 5 days/4 nights, we stayed in two different locations. North Rustico was our home base while exploring the central part of PEI. Then we moved to a somewhat isolated inn, which served as our home base for more thoroughly exploring the Eastern section of PEI.

Side note – if you prefer to watch a video, here’s a link to Mr GeoK’s video covering Charlottetown, New Brunswick and our 5 days driving tour around PEI.

Day 1

Between Alma and North Rustico, we stopped at all the places we’d planned to visit on our drive from Charlottetown to Alma. Whereas that day we were up against the clock, on our return trip we had plenty of time to cover what turned out to be 472 km (293 miles).

Caledonia Mountain Road

After a delicious breakfast featuring ripe cantaloupe, crisp Asian pear, apple pancakes and local sausages, we loaded our bags in our rental car and I fired up Google Maps. To our surprise, it routed us northeast out of Alma. We ended up on the very scenic (but also very secondary) Caledonia Mountain Road, driving through amazing fall colour as we bumped along. When we passed yet another vibrant red blueberry barren, Mr GeoK decided to stop and fly his drone. I kept busy with some landscape photography.

Fundy National Park is mainly Caledonian Highlands. The highlands are what remain of a vast mountain chain, much eroded over the epochs. During the last ice age, the highlands were covered in ice caps. When the ice melted roughly 13,000 years ago, the land was covered with all the sand and gravel the glaciers had picked up when forming. As a result, the soil here is very poor, making farming very difficult for early settlers.

Shediac Giant Lobster

Shediac’s thriving lobster fishery qualifies the small New Brunswick town as “The Lobster Capital of the World.” For that reason, the Shediac Rotary Club commissioned New Brunswick artist Winston Bronnum to create a lobster sculpture weighing 55 tonnes and measuring 11 m (35 ft) long. It’s the World’s Largest Lobster!

We stopped to grab a couple of photos. There’s plenty of parking, because it’s located a few steps from the Visitor Centre. The Giant Lobster was dressed for Halloween, with power cords running to the light-up purple witch’s hat. All of that made our photographs a bit cluttered, IMO. Here are our best results:

At the same stop, we saw the New Brunswick sister to Charlottetown’s PEI 2025 sign. Again, Halloween decor cluttered things up.

Cape Jourimain Natural Area

Here, we learned many things are closed on Mondays in October. Including interpretive centres and washrooms! But the parking lot had a lot of cars. And people were walking the trails. Mr GeoK made sure he was clear of the Natural Area before launching his drone near Confederation Bridge.

Meanwhile, I wandered around with two cameras, one fitted with my favourite lens and other with Mr GeoKs’ favourite lens. We were both after photos / video of Confederation Bridge from the New Brunswick terminus. I particularly like the one where you can see the bridge’s shadow on the waters of Northumberland Strait.

Confederation Bridge

Yes, this was our second time driving over Confederation Bridge. But it was the first chance we had to stop and photograph it. Confederation Bridge fun facts:

• Ferry service between PEI and mainland Canada began in 1917;
• A seasonal car ferry route between PEI and Nova Scotia was added in 1941, part of the Trans-Canada highway;
• Fisherman, farmers, tourism operators and residents of PEI had sharply different views on how year-round access to the mainland would affect their lives and livelihoods;
• After heated debate throughout the 1980s, the decision was settled at the polls;
• In 1988, 54.9% of Islanders voted “yes” to a fixed link;
• Construction took 4 years, with more than 5,000 local workers;
• Confederation Bridge opened to traffic on May 31, 1997;
• At 12.9 km (9 miles), Confederation Bridge is the longest in the world crossing ice-covered water (seasonal);
• One of Canada’s top engineering achievements;
• Vehicle drivers pay a toll to leave PEI, but there is no toll to cross onto PEI;
• The passenger vehicle toll was $50 until August 2025, when it dropped to $20 as promised by Mark Carney’s Liberals in the 2025 federal election.

Marine Rail Park

With a great little museum about how rail service came to (and left) PEI, public restrooms, picnic tables, the Port Borden Range Front Lighthouse and great views of Confederation Bridge, Borden-Carleton’s Marine Rail Park was another great spot for Mr GeoK to work at getting drone photos of the bridge. As usual, I worked the scene from the ground.

Scenic Drive to Cape Egmont Lighthouse

We had planned to visit The Hand Pie Company for lunch and then the Bedeque Historical Museum. But between the time we did our detailed trip planning and our actual visit in early October, they both changed their hours and were closed on Mondays. So Plan B… 🙂

With the idea of doing part of the North Cape Coastal Drive, we set off. Our first stop was at the Catholic Church of St. Peter. The parking lot has another great view of Confederation Bridge.

Summerside

Next up, Summerside. Over the past several decades, I’ve regularly sent certain tax-related filings to the Summerside PEI location for the Canada Revenue Agency. So the accountant in me couldn’t help but notice when we drove past the nondescript building where I’ve sent all those tan envelopes over the years.

But our main reason for braving the horrible construction traffic in Summerside was to grab lunch. We had an impromptu picnic at one of the half picnic tables outside Water Street Bakeray & Cafe. That was after we’d gone inside to order custom sandwiches and grab a six-pack of chocolate chip cookies.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Parish Church

Back on the road, we continued along the North Cape Coastal Drive until an old brick church caught our attention. It turned out to be Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Parish Church, a late Victorian Gothic brick structure near the sea. It’s an imposing Roman Catholic church, built in the classic “T” formation with two bell towers at the front corners.

We later learned this is the third Catholic church constructed on the site since 1812. The current building was constructed in 1898, using funds raised by the parishioners. All of the estimated 450,000 bricks were made nearby, at Frederick Strong’s brickyard in Lower Bedeque.

It’s in somewhat poor repair, with the neighboring presbytery fenced off for safety due to pending collapse.

Cape Egmont Lighthouse

This lighthouse is a heritage place under the PEI Heritage Places Protection Act. In fact, it’s possible all the lighthouses we visited on PEI have this designation! 😉 Anyhow, Cape Egmont was built in 1883/4 and put in operation September 1884. It cost $1,695 to build the square-base, pyramidal structure that’s 12.4 m (41 ft) tall).

It’s the same design as Wood Islands, which we visited a few days earlier. You can tell them apart because this one has a blue band around the base and a yellow Acadian star on one face. The lighthouse was electrified in 1958. Due to severe shoreline erosion, it was moved back from the coastal bluffs in April, 2000. I wonder if the concrete pad I saw at the bottom of the bluff was the original foundation?

While on site, we also noticed a couple of nice sea stacks just off the cape.

Canadian Potato Museum

The town of O’Leary is located roughly in the centre of the North Cape of Prince Edward Island. Its population is less than 1,000 people and the town’s economy – like that of much of PEI – is tied to potatoes. We headed to this out-of-our-way town to visit the Canadian Potato Museum.

By way of context, way back in the late 1700s/early 1800s, as Europeans arrived to settle on PEI, they realized the island’s unique combination of ample rainfall, moderate climate and red-sandy loam was perfect for potatoes. The potato quickly grew beyond just a subsistence crop for settlers’ families; it became a major export to markets across Eastern Canada and the US. Until around 2022 or 2023, PEI grew more potatoes each year than any other province in Canada. All of which goes to explain why it makes so much sense that PEI is home to the Canadian Potato Museum.

Potato School!

We learned a LOT about potatoes during our visit, as the museum covers everything from the domestication of the potato by Andes Mountain peoples more than 10,000 years ago, to how it eventually became a food staple in Europe and then migrated back across the Atlantic to North America with European settlers. Other rooms covered the science of potatoes, including the many varieties, pest management, diseases, potato processing and more. There’s also a large space dedicated to potato farming equipment.

For more on how Alberta overtook PEI as Canada’s potato powerhouse, this December 2025 article in the Calgary Herald provides a good summary.

We bought a bag of plain, lightly salted Lay’s potato chips during our visit. They tasted completely different – in fact much better – compared to the plain, lightly salted Lay’s potato chips we buy in Alberta. It must be down to the potato. So while Alberta now produces more potatoes than PEI, we think PEI still produces the best potatoes in Canada. In fact, we stopped at a roadside stand in rural PEI to pick up a 5 lb bag of potatoes to bring home as a (now eaten and enjoyed) souvenir!

Rental Car Shuffle

Driving from O’Leary to our B&B accommodations for the next two nights, our rental car started making intermittent but alarming sounds from the driver’s side of the engine compartment. So we opted to make a side trip to the airport in Charlottetown, where we swapped our Hyundai Elantra for a Chevy Malibu. But less than 5 minutes from the airport, we turned around to request another swap, as the Malibu was emitting loud noises from the rear end. With two minutes to spare before the rental car counter closed for a few hours, we ended up with a VW Jetta.

Three things:

• We appreciated the rental car staff’s cooperation through all of this;
• In the shuffle / re-shuffle, we forgot our Parks Canada annual pass where it was hanging on the rear view mirror of the first car and ended up having to pay $16.95 for a replacement pass once we got home (we’d only purchased it a month earlier); and
• The VW had only half a tank of gas and a filthy windshield, inside and out. Thanks to the attendant at the nearby Irving station who gave us half a roll of paper towels to help with our window cleaning job and to the car rental staff member who credited us for the half tank of gas when we returned the car a few days later.

North Rustico B&B

In the midst of the car shuffling, I called our B&B for the next couple of nights to let them know that we’d miss their designated check-in window. They told us where we could find our room key and when/where to find breakfast the next morning.

We arrived just as the sun was going down, having skipped supper and making do, once again, with our groceries to cobble together a picnic of cinnamon buns and apples.

We covered a lot of ground and saw interesting – though in many cases unplanned – sights/sites. Time for bed!

Day 2

Word of the day = windy! So windy, I wore sunglasses even when I didn’t need to, trying to keep blowing sand out of my eyes. And Mr GeoK struggled to control his drone flying over the Under the Spire music festival venue. But we are not fair weather travelers, so considered it a very good day of exploration.

Sunrise

Since my side of the bed was next to the window overlooking the inlet off Rustico Bay, I spotted the sunrise colour first. We hustled to dress, grabbed our cameras and headed down to the beach. Although we missed the peak, I think we arrived just afterwards. So we came away happy.

Those are oyster farming boxes floating on the water. Oysters are the second largest contributor to PEI’s shellfish industry (lobsters are first). Island producers use off bottom and water column oyster farming methods, which make it easier for oysters to access food, so they grow to market size in just 4 years (vs 5 to 7 years traditionally). These farming techniques also make it easier for growers to clean the oysters and equipment on a regular basis.

Breakfast

Breakfast at Barachois Inn Historic Bed & Breakfast is made to order from a pretty good selection of menu items. It’s also a communal affair, with all guests sitting at one large table. While we enjoyed oatmeal with fresh berries (me) and french toast with bacon (Mr GeoK), we heard all about the genealogy research our table companions from Maine were undertaking later that day. Here’s the full moon over the Inn (on the right), photographed on our walk back from the beach.

North Rustico Harbour Lighthouse

After organizing a few snacks and water for the day, packing extra layers and our camera gear, we headed towards North Rustico Harbour Lighthouse, our first planned stop for the day.

Along the way, we drove our first single-track, red-dirt road (thanks, Google Maps) and stopped briefly in the Village of North Rustico where a statue in the water caught my eye.

Built in 1876, the North Rustico Harbour Lighthouse and its attached dwelling have been relocated a couple of times. In 1899, a heavy northeast gale undermined the foundation to the extent the entire structure capsized! The buildings were moved back from the shore and repaired. North Rustico Harbour Lighthouse still operates today, with its electrified and automated beacon sending out five seconds of light every 10 seconds.

PEI National Park

PEI National Park is broken up into three parts: Cavendish-North Rustico, Brackley-Dalvay, and Greenwich. All three sections are on the central north shoreline of PEI. We spent part of the morning exploring the Cavendish-North Rustico section, and its environs.

By way of context, PEI National Park is very small compared to Banff National Park in our backyard (27 square km vs > 6,600 square km). So there is limited hiking vs the many options in Banff. Another point of comparison? You need a valid Parks Canada pass to visit Banff any time. Whereas all the infrastructure for PEI NP, including admission gates, interpretive centers, washrooms, etc., are only open in the summer.

Our first stop was along the Gulf Shore Parkway, at a parking area with a sharply angled view to a sea stack.

Next, we walked on the fenced wooden platform called Oceanview. Parks Canada installed a series of information signs here, mostly about how the shoreline and forest cover have changed, lessons learned about how to preserve sand dunes, etc.

While we were at the other end of the parking area taking photos of the Cavendish information center further down the beach, a tour bus arrived and disgorged its passengers. We hustled back the car and drove to our next stop, right at Cavendish Beach. Here, we headed down to the beach and then walked the underwhelming Dunelands trail, which included a floating boardwalk past a pond. The highlight was the juvenile bald eagle we spotted flying overhead.

French River Overlook

We stopped on the spur of the moment at the French River overlook. This location is also called Hostetter’s Viewscape, because the land was donated by “for our enjoyment” by Ralph Hostetter. Here, we learned that the first dimetrodon fossil ever discovered in Canada was found in French River in 1845. I remember from our kids’ dinosaur-obsessed days that land-going dimetrodons were carnivores distinguished by the large sail-like fins on their backs.

Yankee Hill Lighthouse

We reached Yankee Hill Lighthouse after a short drive. It’s actually called New London Lighthouse, but has the nickname Yankee Hill because it’s near a hill where the bodies of many American fishermen were buried after they washed ashore following a huge storm in October 1851. That storm is called the Yankee Gale because so many American fishermen and fishing vessels were lost in the storm.

Built in 1876, New London Lighthouse is one of only four remaining lighthouses in PEI with attached keepers’ dwellings. It’s also notable because Maisie Adams, one of the few female keepers in Atlantic Canada, served here from 1943 to 1955.

In July 1883, Marco Polo, one of the fastest ships in the world at the time, wrecked on sand bars just 8 km east of the lighthouse. The three masted clipper ship had been built in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1851. The wreck site is a National Historic Site.

We also walked along the beach here, where there are old pilings not far off the beach. We also saw wave patterns indicative of a strong rip tide.

Cape Tryon Lighthouse

Cape Tryon Lighthouse sits on northward facing sea cliffs along the north central coast of PEI – facing the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It’s the second lighthouse on the site, built in 1967. Of all the lighthouses we visited on PEI, this was one of the busiest. And that’s despite the fact the 1 km access road was closed to allow a small crew to work at upgrading the lane. One of the workmen we talked to said the upgrade is needed because up to 50 cars at a time, mostly American, are looking for a spot to park near the lighthouse. The walk would have been very pleasant but for the dust and sand blowing around.

This lighthouse is particularly popular because it’s on some of PEI’s highest red cliffs and offers a view of Odin’s Ring sea stack. We also noticed a couple of sea caves just east of the cape.

The Handpie Company

Despite the excellent breakfast at our B&B, by this time we were thinking about lunch. We opted to drive almost all the way across the island to The Handpie Company, which had been closed the day before. It was worth the 35 minute drive to get there. We chowed down, trying three of the savoury pies: PEI pasty, BBQ pulled pork and chicken pot pie. And then we followed up with wild blueberry and cranberry dessert pies.

The Handpie Company story is fun! Here’s how it all started, lifted straight from their website:

Once upon a dark 2013 PEI winter, Chef Sarah Bennetto O’Brien was gifted a copy of Outlander Kitchen for her December birthday (on account of her obsession with the Outlander book series). Inside? A recipe for Brianna’s Bridies—a pork and potato handpie. It sounded too good not to try.

Loaded up with ingredients from the Summerside Farmers’ Market, Sarah got to work. The first bite? Ahhmazing. How were people not already making these here? The perfect way to celebrate PEI’s incredible local ingredients—wrapped in beautiful buttery pastry.

Little did she know, that bite would change her destiny…

The Handpie Company runs a summer location in Cavendish. There are no indoor dining facilities at the main location, so we sat at one of the outdoor picnic tables. They also have a port-a-potty on site – the cleanest one I’ve ever seen!

Chasing Our Tail

For the next hour and a half, we kind of chased our tail. Heading for the Keir Memorial Museum in Malpeque Bay, we made an impromptu stop at Under the Spire Music Festival venue – a repurposed church. I would have loved to look inside.

We returned to the site later in the afternoon so that Mr GeoK could try for some drone footage. Despite the wind, he managed a few shots.

After returning home, I learned the church was designed by William Critchlow Harris. We saw some of his other work in Charlottetown. The church foundation is Wallace freestone from Nova Scotia. The circular tower on the southwest corner is a dominant feature. It’s decorated with statues of the twelve apostles.

Malpeque Bay

Our next planned stop = Keir Memorial Land and Sea Museum in the Municipality of Malpeque Bay. It’s housed in the Keir Memorial Presbyterian Church, built in 1927. We figured it’d be interesting to see inside the repurposed church and that we’d also gain some knowledge about the commerce, shipbuilding, fishing, agricultural and cultural life of the area’s residents. Unfortunately for us, the Keir Memorial Land and Sea Museum was closed, contrary to the information on Google Maps. Lesson for any future off-season visits to PEI is to call ahead rather than rely on Google Maps.

While Mr GeoK took a business call, I popped across the street to photograph the white, Gothic Revival style Princetown United Church. The church is also referred to as Fisherman’s Church, due to its close historical and economic ties to the local fishing industry. Traditional fish fry meals support the congregation.

Next, we drove the short distance to the “World’s Largest Float Pile,” a point of interest that someone added to Google Maps. It turned out to be a big pile of fishing floats. I learned from the landowner, who is first cousin to one of the four co-founders of Aqua Farms, that the pile was much smaller than at its peak! The floats are used to keep water open through the winter, around mussel and oyster lines. So the remaining pile is just a portion of the floats owned by Aqua Farms!

Thunder Cove Beach

Our next stop was Thunder Cove Beach, accessed at the end of Sandcastle Lane (isn’t that a great name for a road?). We were too late to walk around the point to view the popular Teapot Rock formation; it was already cut off from our direction of approach and the tide was still coming in. Mr GeoK went up and over the bluff to try to get an angle on it, but it was just too far around the corner.

We really enjoyed watching the Sanderling shorebirds as we walked back to the car.

Green Gables Heritage Place

If there was any doubt, the number of tour buses in the parking lot late on a mid-week afternoon in early October proved that Green Gables is famous around the world, recognized as the setting in Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic “Anne of Green Gables” series. In reality, this particular farm was the home of cousins of Montgomery’s grandfather, but Montgomery drew on her recollections of the Cavendish area, and the green gabled farmhouse in particular, to create her imaginary setting. Parks Canada bought the property, recognizing its significance relative to L.M. Montgomery, a person of national historic significance.

We forgot our Parks Canada discovery pass in the first of the three rental cars we went through as part of the previous day’s rental car shuffle. But I could show the staff the purchase amount for the annual pass on my most recent credit card transactions, which they kindly accepted as proof of purchase and allowed us entry.

Art Project

We wandered for maybe 90 minutes, through the main building where there is so much to learn about L.M. Montgomery and the phenomenon of Anne. One highlight for me was an extended conversation with local artist Susan Christensen, who was in year 1 of a 6 year project. Each year, she is selecting a Lucy Maud Montgomery poem to interpret with a painting. Once completed, she will share her painting with a local poet, who will write a poem based on the painting, not knowing anything about the L.M. Montgomery poem that started the chain.

We admired the Lego Anne of Green Gables house. It was a challenge to photograph through the glass enclosure.

We also spent a fair bit of time in the restored Anne of Green Gables house. And we finished off our visit with a walk down Lovers Lane. 😉

This is another instance (like the Fram museum in Oslo), where I was the reluctant one before we arrived. I’m glad Mr GeoK persuaded me we should spend some time visiting the site / setting of some of my favorite childhood books. 🙂

Route 6 Fish’n Chips

After several locations being closed when we thought they’d be open, it was about time fate tipped the scale the other way. We drove right past Route 6 Fish’n Chips, resigned to another supper of apples, nuts and potato chips. It was supposed to be closed! But when the restaurant we were aiming for (supposed to be open) turned out to be closed, we turned around and drove back to Route 6 Fish’n Chips.

We had a bit of a chat with the proprietor, Ronnie, and another local chap while our single order of 3 pieces of fish and chips was cooking. It turned out this was Ronnie’s last day of the season. He served us, the next customer and then closed up. He started hauling out cooling units and washing things up while we ate our meal. Lucky timing for us!

We arrived back at our B&B around 5:30, quite desperate for showers after walking through blowing sand and dust most of the day. Driving distance = 175 km (108 miles).

Day 3

This particular day began early – very early! About 3 in the morning, Mr GeoK poked me awake with the question, “Where’s the Tylenol you packed?” He had an aching tooth and was hoping for some relief so he could sleep. He’d already checked all my bags. I checked again. No Tylenol (turns out I left them at home). I did find a Tylenol “Cold” tablet – daytime version. He opted to take it, and slept for a bit and then woke up absolutely buzzing!

One of the couples we met at breakfast the previous day was leaving their room just as we left ours. We asked if they had a couple of pain relief tablets Mr GeoK could take. Bless them – they took a few out of their bottle for themselves and gave the rest of the bottle to Mr GeoK. Thanks, Jay and Debbie!

Emergency Dental Appointment

After breakfast, with our car loaded for the transition to new accommodations, we headed to Cornwall. Mr GeoK booked an emergency dental appointment at the practice that opened earliest within a 30 minute drive of our B&B. While he was at the dentist, I wandered along a few streets in Cornwall. It’s a small town (pop. ~ 6,000) that’s close enough to Charlottetown to be a bit of a bedroom community. Farming is the main local industry. Two things of note from my wanderings: 1) Halloween is a BIG DEAL in PEI; and 2) based on the quality of the treats I bought, it’s no surprise Mary’s Cornwall Bakery has been in business 25 years.

The dentist charged $88, for an examination with x-ray, which showed no infection, no cavity and no crack in the afflicted tooth. The dentist recommended alternating Tylenol and Motrin every two to three hours and heading home to see our family dentist ASAP. (Side note – due to the 2x/week flight schedule between Calgary and Charlottetown, we couldn’t get a direct flight back any sooner than Day 5, which we were already taking.) So, off we went to buy some Motrin/Advil and lunch supplies.

Shaws Beach

Provisions on board, we looked at our Plan A for the day, cut some things out and headed back to the north shore to drive east along the Central Coastal Drive. Our first stop = Shaws Beach, a lovely white sand beach in the Brackley Beach segment of PEI National Park.

Covehead Harbour Lighthouse

This is one of the smallest lighthouses on PEI, standing just 8.2 meters (26.8 feet) from base to vane. Constructed in 1975, it always ran an electrified light (and foghorn), so has never been staffed.

Dalvay-by-the-Sea

We stopped briefly at Dalvay-by-the-Sea National Historic Site, featuring the Queen Anne Revival style hotel. Alexander McDonald, a wealthy Scots-born American industrialist built the home in 1986. He partnered with JD Rockefeller in the oil business, later became president of Standard Oil Company of Kentucky, and was a director of several large organizations. He and his wife resided part-time in PEI for twelve or thirteen years, with their last summer in Dalvay just a year before his death in 1910.

Because we already had lunch provisions, we didn’t even go inside. We’re glad we stopped, because we later learned this is where some friends of ours stay whenever they visit PEI.

Attempt to Find Old Tracadie Harbour Pilings

This turned out to be a case where we should have done more advance research. Old Tracadie Harbour made it onto my list of potential photo stops, but it turns out it’s on the far side of an island and you need about 15 minutes to walk there and another 15 to walk back. Since we didn’t see it from where we parked, we missed out. Note to self – consider staying at the Blackbush Beach Resort next time we visit PEI.

St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse

Our final lighthouse stop of the day, St. Peters Harbour Lighthouse is a 10.4 meter (34 foot) square, tapered wooden tower with an atypical hexagonal lantern. Built around 1878, it’s been moved several times, illustrating the portable nature of the plan and the island’s changing coastline. It changed to a warning light in 1951 when the namesake harbour was abandoned. Fully decommissioned in 2008, it’s now best known as the lighthouse viewed from the Greenwich segment of PEI National Park, across the bay.

We sat in our car in the parking lot and enjoyed a simple picnic – sandwiches made with supplies from Superstore and baked goods from Mary’s Cornwall bakery.

PEI National Park – Greenwich

With a sore tooth, Mr GeoK wasn’t especially keen on a long walk. But he humoured me; I was feeling a little antsy after so much driving time over the past several days. So our objective at the Greenwich segment of PEI NP = the popular Greenwich Dunes Trail (< 5 km return), incorporating a floating boardwalk and ending at parabolic sand dunes and a beautiful beach on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. However, RAIN!!! As a result, we turned around and drove to our next accommodations, arriving about 3:30 pm.

45 Steps Inn

Located just 45 steps from the shoreline, 45 Steps Inn is a recently-constructed purpose-built boutique inn, offering a range of room configurations. It’s scenic, but remote – cell service was next to non-existent!

We had enough supplies to cobble together a reasonable snack. The on-site option is a 3-course dinner in the dining room off the large, open kitchen. Dinner service is exclusively for hotel guests and only with prior reservation (which we had not made). I was impressed with the stand alone electric kettle (many hotels require guests to produce hot water by running it through the coffee maker – yuck!) and David’s Tea teabags.

While cell service was virtually non-existent, they had great WiFi and a TV set up that allowed us to log into our home TV service to stream Toronto Blue Jays baseball and even recordings we’d set up at home!

During a break in the rain, we took the 45 steps down to the beach to make a few photographs.

Day 4

Unfortunately, Mr GeoKs’ toothache (see Day 2) worsened overnight. He spent part of the morning on the phone, trying to reach our family dentist. The non-existent cell phone coverage at our accommodations added to the challenge. TLDR = his dentist forecast the need for a root canal, and meanwhile suggested he try to get on a course of antibiotics to prevent infection.

After an extensive (but exclusively cold menu item) breakfast buffet, we headed out to drive along the north shore to the eastern tip of PEI, then on to Georgetown, where Mr GeoK would take a business call while I explored the streets of the village.

Shipwreck Point Lighthouse

The wind was gusting at our first stop – Shipwreck Point Lighthouse in the small community of Naufrage (literally shipwreck, in French). Located at the outlet of Naufrage Pond, which is fed by the Naufrage River, we immediately noticed the two long piers. We later learned these were constructed to stabilize the pond outlet.

Anyhow, the first lighthouse at Shipwreck Point was built in 1913. The current lighthouse, built in 1967, is an octagonal concrete tower, one of only two on the island. The location is called Shipwreck Point due to multiple shipwrecks over the past centuries: a French ship in 1719; the Asia in 1839; four vessels over one week in November 1906, and more.

We were also intrigued by the olden wooden bridge across the pond outlet. The nearby information sign describes it as a Bailey Bridge, developed by the British during World War II as a portable bridge that requires no special tools or heavy equipment to assemble. It’s a vital point of access for local fishermen, and sustained damage during Storm Fiona. From what I’ve read, locals want it removed and replaced with a new bridge. However Fisheries and Oceans Canada views it as non-essential to fishing operations, so has no immediate plans to do anything.

We drove across the bridge, turned around on the beach (with some difficulty in the soft sand) and then walked the piers that were soaked with splash from the wind-driven waves.

At one quieter spot along the shore, I spotted orange sea foam (not the usual cream colour). Apparently it’s possible because of a combination of natural organic pigments (from marine algae) and the iron oxide eroding off the red sandstone cliffs and sand! Who knew?

Random Roadside Stops

We had a short list of places to stop, so keep a lookout for impromptu points of interest.

Tumbledown House

Ewok Tractor Driver and Wind Turbines

East Lake Creek

East Point Lighthouse

Located less than 90 minutes from Charlottetown, East Point Lighthouse is one of PEI’s best known attractions. It is “Canada’s Confederation Lighthouse” owing to the fact it was built in 1867 and is the only Lighthouse built that year still operating.

Standing 19.5 meters (64 feet) tall, the lighthouse has been moved twice. In 1885, it was moved after a shipwreck caused by inaccurate navigational charts. At the time of that move, the lighthouse sat 61 meters (200 feet) back from the shoreline. By 1908, advancing erosion prompted a second move. Erosion continues, at a rapid pace, as we noted from the Parking sign now outside the barricade fence and the old foundations that are basically at the cliff’s edge.

We enjoyed the drama of the wind gusts and waves, opting not to pay admission to climb the 67 steps to the top of this particular lighthouse.

Basin Head Provincial Park

I added this to the itinerary because I figured we’d be able to join a one-hour guided tour to learn all about the geologically unique white sand of the area. It is called “Singing Sand,” because its high silica content means it “sings” when stepped on. This was another case where the website said one thing and reality was quite another. At least the public restroom was still open!

We went down to the beach to photograph the rolling waves and some birds that were hanging about. Again, the wind was so strong that we didn’t hear a single note of singing from the sand. 😉

Souris East Lighthouse

We stopped only briefly at the Souris East Lighthouse. Time was ticking away and we needed to be in Georgetown in time for Mr GeoK to park and get settled for his business call. One of the notable things about this lighthouse is that its light guides the ferry between Souris and the Magdalen Islands, among other vessels. And coincidentally, the ferry was in the harbour!!

Georgetown

We parked near the Wheelhouse (closed for the season) with a few minutes to spare before Mr GeoKs’ call. He was on the line for about 75 minutes.

Meanwhile, I wandered the little town (population ~ 550). I was impressed by the relatively large number of late Victorian buildings, constructed when the community was at the height of its importance in the wooden shipbuilding industry. At one stop, I noticed the mostly red sandstone Kings County Courthouse (constructed 1887), designed by the same William Critchlow Harris we heard about in Charlottetown and encountered in other towns across the island.

I wandered through the AA Macdonald Memorial Park, the largest garden on PEI, commemorating one of Canada’s Fathers of Confederation. And I also saw the East Isle Shipyard (looked disused), owned by JD Irving Limited.

After Mr GeoKs’ meeting ended, we walked over to Maroon Pig to pick up some treats for the evening. The turkey dinner that was cooking smelled absolutely delicious!! We ended up buying too many treats and saved some for the next day.

We headed back to our accommodations, so that Mr GeoK could make some more dental-related calls. Our single stop en route = Dreadnaught, where we enjoyed excellent chicken burgers from a very-highly rated takeout only place.

Then we settled in for our last night in PEI and watched another Toronto Blue Jays game.

Day 5

With a 14:35 flight back to Calgary, we had a final half day to enjoy PEI. But there was another constraint to factor in – a return visit to the dentist for Mr GeoK!

Fall Colours

En route to Cornwall, we spotted a narrow dirt road off Highway 2, somewhere between Bedford Corner and Marshfield. This turned out to be the highlight of the day for me, with absolutely amazing fall colours. Mr GeoK found a spot to fly his drone. I’m pretty sure the UPS driver that came roaring past me walking along the red-dirt single-track wondered what the heck I was up to!

Cornwall, reprise

Yep, we returned to Cornwall, where the young dentist came in on his day off – how kind and amazing was that!? He confirmed Mr GeoKs’ tooth had markedly deteriorated over the past 48 hours and wrote a prescription for antibiotics to address any resulting infection.

While Mr GeoK was at the dentist, I took a power walk to get in some steps and cardio minutes. Highlights included finding a street with our friend, Lorrie’s, name on it!

Victoria-by-the-Sea

Leaving Cornwall, we headed back to Victoria-by-the-Sea, stopping on the way to pick up some apple and some wild blueberry and cranberry treats from The Handpie Company. These were tucked away into a carrier bag to take aboard our flight home. We froze them when we got home, and shared them with all our “kids” when we had an early Christmas dinner.

We also stopped at an honor system roadside stand and dropped $5 for a 5 lb bag of PEI potatoes. Those were part of our early Christmas dinner, too.

In Victoria-by-the-Sea, our main goals = photography and a drone flight. We simply hadn’t had time to do either of those things when we stopped at Island Chocolate on our way to New Brunswick 6 days earlier.

We also did a little more souvenir shopping – some PEI potato soap (haven’t tried it yet) and some gyotaku fish print note cards from Michael Stanley Pottery, which features a number of local creators.

Veseys Seeds

From there, we slowly made our way to the airport. We stopped at Vesey Seeds, just outside Charlottetown, where I loaded up on vegetable seeds for our 2026 planting season.

Charlottetown, reprise

Next, we stopped in at the Sydney Boutique Inn & Suites, to ask if we could park there for an hour while we wandered around. The desk manager remembered us from the start of our trip, and said it was no problem, as long as we left before 15:00. It felt good to stretch our legs and take in a few more scarecrows before heading to the airport. I also noticed a beautiful bee-themed mural.

Farewell, PEI and Hello, Home

After we dropped our car at the rental return, we checked with the rental desk in the airport for our missing Canada Parks pass. No joy. 🙁 Then we cleared security and waited for our plane, which arrived on time. Mr GeoKs’ phone pinged after we fastened our seatbelts – the car rental guy had found our pass, did we want to come and pick it up? Too late! We had him message us photos of front and back, and back home in Banff we went to the Parks Canada office to get a replacement ($16.95 vs $151.95 for a new pass).

I had the window seat, so grabbed photos as we took off, of the beautiful sunset, and of a race track just north of Calgary as we approached YYC.

As much as we enjoyed our 10 days in PEI and New Brunswick, we also appreciated being back home, where Mr GeoK could visit our family dentist (and the specialist who extracted the tooth, and the specialist who implanted a peg for a new tooth, and that journey continues…).

Final Thoughts

• PEI is both larger and smaller than we thought; we covered more ground in a day than we realized we would when planning our trip, but there are still portions we did not visit despite driving more than 1,000 km (621 miles);
• The Confederation Bridge is really quite remarkable, and now that the toll is $20 (previously $50), PE Islanders find it much easier to justify a shopping trip to the nearest Costco (in Moncton, NB);
• Next visit, we’d want to reach the North Cape and surrounding area, and be more aware of how many things shut down beginning early September;
• We visited at least 15 lighthouses on PEI plus one in New Brunswick, perhaps exceeding the total number of lighthouses we’d seen over our lifetimes to that point, but only about one-quarter of the total number of lighthouses on the island;
• The beaches on PEI are amazing;
• People are very friendly and helpful (the dentist who saw Mr GeoK twice being a case in point;
• We saw the beautiful fall colours we’d hoped to see; and
• We didn’t learn until the end of our trip that Alberta gifted PEI some bison for PEI’s centennial celebration in 1973 and the descendents of those original 15 now roam Buffaloland, where the herd size is stabilized around 50 thanks to a male castration policy! This is somewhere we’d definitely go visit on a return trip.
• Highlights = Charlottetown walking tour, seeing our friends in New Brunswick, and The Handpie Company (we hope their frozen product eventually reaches grocery stores in Alberta).