On the second day of my tour of Prince Edward Island, I decided to go hit the south shore of the island from near Summerside and drive the rest of the coast going east and ending around Cape Bear. The reason I chose this route was because of the lighthouses along this trip. As I mentioned before, I am a lover of lighthouses so this seemed like the best idea for what I’d like. It would also take me through Charlottetown which I had not seen much of yet due to landing at night in the dark via airplane.
Much of the drive to the coast was another jaw dropping drive. I highly recommend anyone whom is a fall lover to take a trip here once in your life. I know that New England also is gorgeous but I think that people will be mightily impressed with PEI’s fall showcase as well! It’s simply stunning – especially when mixed with the red roads and vibrant green grass. Can you tell I’m a photographer?
Enjoy the second set! Third set is to come tomorrow 🙂
The Hillsborough River is a tidal river near where my hotel was located at. The first day when I drove by it in daylight, the level of the river was MUCH higher. So when I saw that it was a) lower and b) had a scenic look pulloff I had to stop and take a few pictures.
I took a wrong turn when trying to find my first lighthouse and ironically found a spot to turn around here, at the Lower Bedeque School where Lucy Maud Montgomery taught. This is where LMM fell in love for the first time (and it was unrequited) and was the final school which she would teach at (she taught at three schools all together). I guess this wasn’t a wrong turn after all!
This is the view looking west from the picture above – to me this was the picture perfect view of a beautiful fall drive! I am quite glad that I turned right instead of left at that intersection now!
This was the lighthouse I wanted to start my day at, Seacow Head Lighthouse. Road to Avonlea lovers may be saying to themselves that something here looks familiar… as it should. This was the inspiration for Gus’s Lighthouse in the series and was used for all of the ‘long’ shots of the lighthouse and cliffs. All close up shots and interior shots were done on set in a lighthouse that was rebuilt to match Seacow Head. Another lighthouse that wasn’t quite easy to get to but was worth the effort!
The Victoria Seaport Lighthouse was one of the easiest to find! Right on the road, right by the water! Easy! This lighthouse is also a museum during the summer months.
I pulled into this park when reading on the map what a great beach it had and how busy it is during the summer. I knew that it wouldn’t be packed since it was cool but I figured that people would still be out. When greeted with the high water, I was questioning if I was in the correct spot. I was, but when the tide comes in, this park looses it’s ‘beach’ which essentially is sand that’s open when the tide goes out. To go on the beach here, you climb down steps from the cliff and lounge on the sand. Having never seen such a drastic change in tides before, it mystified me a bit until later I saw what they were talking about!
Blockhouse Point Lighthouse was definitely one of my favorite lighthouses of the trip. I love the unique design of it and the idea that in the summer, this home is rented out! It’s still all original (1851!) inside save for a few modern items that have been added. I’m glad that I was here in the fall though so I could walk around, during the summer this is private property and cannot be accessed. The views from the lighthouse are amazing and it overlooks the harbor into Charlottetown.
This is the Province House National Historic Site in Charlottetown which was taken while I was sitting in my car at a light. This building is known as the birthplace of the confederation in Canada and is the seat of PEI’s legislature. This was also used in filming for Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story and Road to Avonlea.
Point Prim Lighthouse is the only brick lighthouse on PEI and the tallest one on PEI. When I got here, the tide was going out and I followed a family down to the area of beach left from the tide going out. I finally got to see what they meant by this land being used as a beach when the tide is out. I wandered around for a while but I will admit to being a nervous Nancy and going in pretty quickly because I was afraid of the tide coming back in, even though I know full well it wouldn’t come whooshing back in like it was in my head. This is one of my favorite lighthouse shots that I’ve ever taken.
While not the best picture, I have to share this because Cape Bear is pretty awesome to me. I love lighthouses, I love the ocean, I love PEI and I have a bit of a thing for all things Titanic. Ironically, this lighthouse is everything rolled up into one. This lighthouse was the first place on land to receive the distress call via their Marconigram and subsequent notification that the Titanic sank. This lighthouse was also very useful during WWII for spotting German U-Boats off the coast. For such a small lighthouse, it’s had some major impact on history.
I stayed for my duration at Rodd Crowbush – which was one of the few hotels that were still open during my stay. After the busy summer season, most attractions, hotels and restaurants close for the rest of the year. Some stay open through the shoulder seasons and when I came it was the very end of the shoulder season. This resort is well known for their golf course which is legendary and often named one of the top courses in Canada. There was some famous golfer there when I was there – as you can guess, I know virtually nothing about golf. But I do know that I love the beach and this hotel was the only one left open with beach access. I chose to stay in one of their townhouses instead of in the hotel for fun more than anything and I believe it was a wise choice. The bottom level of the salmon townhouse was “mine” and it was a one bedroom suite with a living room, fireplace, kitchen, porch, and a massive bathroom complete with a jacuzzi! I loved it!! If you are ever traveling to PEI, I highly recommend staying here!
After dropping off my stuff inside, I grabbed my camera and headed down to the beach (which is a bit of a hike!) to watch the sunset. I was a bit too late for the sunset but I did get some amazing views on my way to the beach. Here is a water trap nestled in the dunes near the beach and the sunset colors reflecting off the water. Yes, the sunsets are that colorful!
On the way back from the beach (which was virtually dark!) I spied this amazing Great Blue Heron sitting in the water trap from above. I snapped a few shots and later loved this one because you can see the Heron and its reflection perfectly. The sunset colors are a bit lighter here since I changed my settings to let in more light to see the Heron.
Hope you enjoyed another day of Virtual Vacation!
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Ooooh, I’m so enjoying your PEI pics. I’m a closet Anne of Green Gables fan, and those lighthouses … well, just wow. Love those late evening dune shots too, so pretty.
aww, i’m jealous! i’ve been wanting to go to PEI for a couple years now…it’s only, like 10 hrs from where i live (driving), but i’ve got SO much going on…i seriously doubt it’ll happen this year. so i’ve got tentative plans for next year.
Hi there,
I work on behalf of Tourism Prince Edward Island and enjoyed your post with its beautiful pictures! We just launched a site today called Share Your PEI (www.shareyourpei.com) where other travellers would likely benefit from seeing these great pics. Here you also share your vacation stories. I hope you enjoy the site!
Awww thank you!!! Another Anne girl? YAY! I knew that we were meant to be friends!
I’m jealous you are that close, I’d have gone back by now for sure! I highly recommend waiting until fall, prices are cheaper for hotels etc and the views are awesome!