Canada - Prince Edward Island

Cycling Confederation Trail - Starting Point of Cross-Canada Path

May 31, 2007

The idea of a Trans Canada hiking/cycling trail across the country was first mooted in 1992 as a project to mark the country's 125th birthday.

It is a huge undertaking but when finished it will be the longest trail in the world at 16,400 kilometres, winding its way through every province, linking major cities, small towns and communities along its path. The land for the trail comes mostly from existing trails wherever possible, often using abandoned railway lines to join up the trail between different communities.

Canada - History of Confederation Trail

Prince Edward Island's section of the Trans Canada Trail is known as the Confederation Trail, named after the Fathers of Confederation who met in Charlottetown in 1864 to discuss the unification of all the provinces into the country we know today as Canada. In August 2000 the island became the first province in Canada to complete its section of the trail, a feat made easier by the island being the country's smallest province.

All many people know about P.E.I is that it has red soil, lots of potatoes and lobsters and, of course, it is the home of Anne of Green Gables, heroine of Lucy Maud Montgomery's novels about the red-haired little orphan girl who loved long words. Nowadays Anne has her own musical which has been playing in the capital Charlottetown since 1965. And no, it's not corny. It is funny, beautifully performed, has great dancing, and not to be missed.

The trail stretches across the island, from the eastern Trailhead at Elmira to the western Trailhead at Tignish and covers 356 kilometres of pathway built on the island's abandoned rail line that passes through over 30 communities including the capital Charlottetown. There is no rugged wilderness on P.E.I, the trail is a winding route through the heart of the province, weaving its way through small villages and ports, pine woods and rolling farmland.

Like most long distance paths, the trail has its best bits and its boring bits. Much of it is heavily wooded on either side and although it's wonderful at first with the smell of pine in the air and the silence of the forest around you, after a while there's a feeling of wanting to get out into the open, especially by the water.

Prince Edward Island - Mount Stewart - A Good Starting Point for Confederation Trail

Mount Stewart is right on the trail and a good starting point as you can spend the night here and be up and off right after breakfast. It's a pretty little village on the Hillsborough River. The trail runs close to the Trailside Inn. They run an excellent small restaurant and also a bicycle-rental business.

A specialty of this area is the delicious Island Blue mussels and the nets for the commercial mussel farming can be seen stretched around nearby St. Peter’s Bay. Just a short ride, about 5km, from Morell, you come to some of the best beaches on P.E.I, - an almost unbroken strip along the 22 km shoreline, part of the Prince Edward Island National park.

Prince Edward Island - Confederation Trail Suitable for all Ages

The Confederation Trail is suitable for any age and you don't have to be in particularly great shape to do it - it's flat all the way. Don't forget to treat yourself to a lobster supper. Most small towns along the trail will have a restaurant offering succulent, fresh from the sea, lobster at around $25 a head. Where else can one afford to eat lobster every day?

As Anne of Green Gables said "What a small big world it is". That just about sums up P.E.I.

The copyright of the article Canada - Prince Edward Island in Historical Travel is owned by Cathy Smith. Permission to republish Canada - Prince Edward Island in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.