The Gulf Shore Parkway East - PEI
Day two of our trip to PEI began with a good breakfast in our hotel before heading back to the north side of the island and the Gulf Shore Parkway, this time heading east. We began with a visit to the Prince Edward Island National Park, it was blowing a hoolie and low clouds filled the sky but there was no rain.
At the main car park there is a small information block with toilet facilities leading to a long boardwalk that slowly climbs the dunes toward the beach.
Once at the beach a monstrous pile of timber provides an option of steps or a ramp down to the sand, I can't help but think there must have been a better way of achieving this access.
Once down on the shoreline the sand is whipping up in the strong wind and the usually calm waters of the Bay of St Lawrence has a good three foot swell.
Being from the UK this just made us feel right at home and we took a nice walk along the beach which, for some unknown reason, we had all to ourselves.
After beachcombing for a while (with no luck) we decided to return to the boardwalk, the sand whipped up directly into our faces as we made our way back and almost covered our footprints immediately after our feet had left the mark.
Back on the boardwalk there is absolutely no sign of the usual "it's warmer than I thought" statement from Sarah as she positions herself behind the dunes to escape the wind.
The dunes are really reminiscent of Balmedie on the north east coast of Scotland and they are similarly protected by national park status
We continued as far as we could along the protected peninsula that forms Rustico Bay, still stopping where possible to take another 'bracing' stroll on the beaches and occasionally finding a shell to add to the 'homeward bound' collection.
After going as far as possible in the park we returned the same way and continued along the Gulf Shore Parkway East to the bridge that separates Covehead Bay from the Gulf of St Lawrence where we saw someone else making the most of the day.
We stopped to watch the windsurfer for a while and spotted this tiny lighthouse tucked away in the dunes, reason enough for another beach wander.
Covehead Harbour lighthouse began life in 1879 and is still operational though now electrified. The building bears a plaque in tribute to the 'Yankee Gale' that hit on October 3rd 1851 and reads as follows:
The Gale of 1851
The forenoon had been particularly balmy. Schooners had sailed into the shallow waters in search of Mackerel and Cod, but darkness found the vessels trapped in the stillness close to land. There was no breeze to carry them offshore. That evening a strong wind blew from the northeast. By midnight it had raged into a powerful gale.
For several days the wind and waves gathered strength. On the morning of the fourth day, the sea subsided. Battered ships were strewn along the north shore. Bodies of sailors and fishermen were entangled amongst the wreckage.
Many men were buried here in Prince Edward Island. Their graves are a silent reminder of the changing moods of the sea.
The Gale of 1851
The forenoon had been particularly balmy. Schooners had sailed into the shallow waters in search of Mackerel and Cod, but darkness found the vessels trapped in the stillness close to land. There was no breeze to carry them offshore. That evening a strong wind blew from the northeast. By midnight it had raged into a powerful gale.
For several days the wind and waves gathered strength. On the morning of the fourth day, the sea subsided. Battered ships were strewn along the north shore. Bodies of sailors and fishermen were entangled amongst the wreckage.
Many men were buried here in Prince Edward Island. Their graves are a silent reminder of the changing moods of the sea.
The harbour entrance has a string of small businesses, mostly closed for the season now. When open they provide food, fishing tours and a fresh seafood market.
At the end of the gulf shore highway we took the veterans memorial highway and continued east to St Peters Bay where we stopped to hike a trail in Greenwich alongside the cocklebeds hoping to see the fishermen there. Unfortunately there was no harvest while we were there but we did have a nice hike in a quiet location and the strong winds had died down by now to almost nothing.
Soon after Greenwich we turned off the highway again to visit Naufrage Harbour, more due to hunger than any particular desire to see the harbour, though there was another lighthouse to admire as well as the wonderfully named cafe, unfortunately it was closed so we took our rumbling bellies back to the highway and continued east.
We soon found ourselves at the eastern most point of the island (aptly named East Point) where the water of the Gulf of St Lawrence crashes into that of the Northumberland Strait. Even though the skies had cleared and the wind had entirely stopped the sea churned as the two bodies of water came together.
We were able to satisfy our rumbling bellies at the lighthouse cafe and explore the gift shop before taking a wander around the picnic area and coastal point.
The Canadian Coast Guard maintain the lighthouse here as a navigational aid beacon, no doubt in an effort to prevent more vessels running aground. In 1945 HMCS Assiniboine ran aground here while being towed to the breakers yard delaying her demolition by 7 years.
We continued our journey along the coastal highway which was now following the peninsula westward on the south coast of the island where we came across the small town of Souris with its quaint gift shop and yet another lighthouse.
The small town certainly had some good sized vessels in the harbour as well as a couple of coastguard boats too. We had a great chat with the lady in the gift shop who had an enormous collection of sea glass and items of jewelry made from sea glass.
Though she was manning the fort alone and unable to accompany us we were given permission to go inside and up to the lamp room of the lighthouse, free of charge. The first floor was well kitted out with artefacts and really looked the part.
The second floor was a staging area where items were stored including this huge 'Double Flashing Fresnel Lens' from the original lamp (now replaced with a modern electronic lamp)
There is a great view out over Colville Bay toward Northumberland Strait and the ferry route to Cap-aux-Meules in Quebec's Magdalen Islands
There is also a great view across the harbour and the ferry ramp looking inland toward Souris Beach Provincial Park. Built in 1880 and still functional the lighthouse had an official keeper until 1991 but is now fully automated.
We followed the coast stopping here and there for the rest of the day, we saw quaint harbours, lobster boats and pots, boardwalks and blue skies before we finally arrived back in Charlottetown for our last night on PEI.