This is part two of our cycling tour of PEI. Read part one here.
Montague
Montague is a town at the back of a long inlet. It is the biggest town in eastern PEI and a central hub to access various places in the area.
When the old railroad was transformed into the Confederation Trail, some of the old culverts were replaced, and these are now displayed along the trail. The prominent date stamps tell the history of railroad construction.
The harbour area of Montague has a lot of artworks on display. These musicians carved out of tree trunks allude to PEI’s Acadian history.
This mussel sculpture is a tribute to PEI’s shellfish industry. Mussels were in season when we toured around, and I must say they were some of the best I’ve ever had.
PEI is well known for its potatoes, and potato fields blanket much of the province. Here is a honour-box stand at a potato farm just outside of Montague.
Murray River and Murray Harbor
Murray River and Murray Harbor are two towns that are about 7.5 km apart. The Confederation Trail connects them. The Olde Anchor B&B is a key reason for visiting Murray River.
Relaxing in the sun room at the Olde Anchor. I read a book about local shipwrecks.
Many small towns on PEI have a general store, a place where you can buy milk, bread, cleaning supplies, screws and bolts, and fishing tackle. Sadly, Murray River’s general store seems to be no longer in business.
End of the line! This leg of the Confederation Trail ends in Murray Harbor.
Lobster boat coming in to port on a cold and windy day.
Memorial to fishermen now passed away. Murray Harbor.
The seafood chowder at the Haborview restaurant in Murray Harbor is said to be the best in PEI. It had big chunks of lobster floating in it – claw meat. It was simply outstanding.
Cycling one of PEI’s red dirt roads. This rough track is actually a numbered highway: highway 349.
Georgetown
Approaching Georgetown on the Confederation Trail.
We stayed at the Georgetown Historic Inn.
Georgetown was featured in an episode of the CBC series Still Standing. Host Johnny Harris presented his show in the community hall.
Lobster Suppers. Sadly they were not open yet for the season.
St. Peters Bay and Greenwich Beach
St. Peter’s Bay is close to Greenwich Beach. Greenwich Beach is the easternmost section of PEI National Park.
In St. Peter’s we stayed at Points East Coastal Inn.
There is a brand-new dedicated bike path running from St. Peter’s Bay to Greenwich Beach.
Boardwalk leading to the beach.
We took off our shoes and left them at the candy-stripe lifeguard’s hut, and proceeded barefoot for a hike down the beach. It was very windy.
On our return to the beach parking lot we tried to open the bike lock, as we had done dozens of times already, but it wouldn’t open. I spun the number dials, wiggled them, and tapped them, but the lock was seized up. Our bikes were firmly chained together to an iron bike stand, and my repair kit only had items to repair flat tires, not a faulty lock. After 20 minutes of struggling it became clear that we needed help. We called the bike rental guy in Charlottetown, and he agreed to come out. We were a long ways out of Charlottetown, so our wait was two hours. When Danny finally arrived he tried messing with the lock as well, shook his head, and then pulled some bolt cutters out of the trunk of his car. That made short work of it. We raced back to town because all our dinner options were about to close, but thankfully we made it just in time.
Saint Andrews
St. Andrews was our last stop before our return to Charlottetown. Between St. Peter’s Bay and St. Andrews, the Confederation Trail runs along the shoreline of St. Peter’s Bay. This section is quite scenic.
Along the Confederation Trail
We stayed at the Abbot’s Rest B&B
The Bishop’s Rest is named after Bishop MacEachern, a Scottish priest who became bishop of most of the Maritimes in the early 19th century. He administered his bishopric from St. Andrews and founded a religious college here. He is buried in a mausoleum at the end of the B&B’s garden. The B&B owner’s kids told us that the mausoleum is haunted. It didn’t take much to convince me. I bet this spot is pretty creepy on a night with a full moon.
The Confederation Trail runs through wetlands beside the upper Hillsborough River, and the views are quite nice here.
The finish line! A proud moment after 14 days and almost 500 km of cycling.
