Cycling Eastern Loop (6 nts / 7 days)

You'll take the new active transportation path across the Hillsborough Bridge and connect up to the Island Walk trail, aiming to complete the sections between waypoints 32 & 30 today, before you branch off to our suggested accommodations.

Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 64.5 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Morning departure through coastal communities and rolling countryside to the small riverside town of Montague in eastern PEI. Stop enroute at the Orwell Corner Historic Village, one of seven PEI Museum and Heritage sites. Adjacent is the well-preserved MacPhail Homestead and the MacPhail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, an admirable initiative of the Environmental Coalition of PEI.
We recommend delving into local history at the Croft House / Selkirk Heritage Center. The Polly Cemetery (on the Pt. Prim road) will also provide a window on how the area came to be settled by Scottish immigrants 200+ years ago.

Route link A moderately hilly circular mixed terrain cycle route, mostly on roads, approximately 50.3 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Return to the Island Walk route and cycle today from Belfast to Murray River, between waypoints #30 & 29. You could stop enroute for a hike at the Gairloch Trail. Check out Fleece & Harmony. Or visit Hedwig at her studio, Koleszar Pottery. Or visit the Broken Rock Fossil Shop, also nearby. Steve Knechtel is famous on PEI for his sourdough breads which he sells at the Farmer's Market. You'll pass Island Baking & Milling enroute.

Option 1: via Island Walk route (as described)
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 46.6 km long.

Option 2: via paved road (TCH)
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, mostly on roads, approximately 68.3 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

We highly recommend extending a second night in Murray River and looping out to visit some of the local wineries, cideries, museums, bakeries, wharfs, handcraft outlets, lighthouses, provincial parks and more. Your final itinerary will include links to maximize your cycling, cultural and dining experience in this corner of the Island.

Local sculptor Abe Waterman has carved mermaids into the rocks at one of the beaches along this south shore route, but it's mostly just a locally-known secret. His work can also be viewed at the Rossignol winery.

Route link A moderately hilly circular mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 58.4 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Your route hugs the coast today and passes through Murray Harbour North before circling around to the Panmure Island peninsula. A picturesque white sand beach connects via a causeway to an Island and PEI's oldest wooden lighthouse. The beach is supervised in the summer and has dining and washroom facilities. PEI's native Mi'kmaq population traditionally visited the sandbars at this beach for clamming in the summer. The area features a provincial park and small rural community. Your destination is the county hub, the town of Montague, in the Three Rivers municipality.
Waypoints #29-28
Waypoints #28-27

Route link Distance: 48 km Ascent: 358 m Descent: 355 m Terrain: Mixed

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Panmure Lighthouse and its History
Panmure Island Provincial Park

Montague's a small town located within the Three Rivers municipality in Kings County. Also known as “Montague the Beautiful”, you'll find a tranquil river, tree-lined streets and and number of stately heritage homes. At the heart of Montague is its wharf and marina. Enjoy the boardwalk which runs along the waterfront and is part of the Confederation Trail. The town also features a couple of excellent local craft breweries.

Attractions
Artisans on Main
Garden of the Gulf Museum
Town of Montague
Montague Marina
River Run Dining Cruises
More Montague Activities

Bike through other areas of the Three Rivers municipality and meander through rural countryside along a scenic coastal drive to the port of Souris. The Boughton River trail is enroute if you feel like getting off the saddle for a hike. Bridgetown's also home to a new Amish community.

Option 1:
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, approximately 65.0 km long.

Option 2: the Island Walk route, waypoints #27-26, 26-25, 25-24
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, mostly on roads, approximately 55.7 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Situated amidst an absolutely stunning seascape vista, Souris serves as the economic hub of Eastern Kings County. Heavily dependent on both land and sea, preserving the rich farming and fishing traditions of the region, Souris residents maintain a very comfortable rural lifestyle that enhances the community’s charm. The Basin Head Fisheries Museum gives visitors a glimpse into the region's history while the neighbouring white "singing sands" beach is one of the province's finest. A number of retail stores, restaurants and public services are available in town while a ferry service connects the travelers the Quebec Magdalen Islands.

Artisans on Main
Wildlife
Souris Show Hall
Fiddling Fisherman Lookout

Cycle past the Black Pond Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Stop at the Basin Head Provincial Park, beach and Basin Head Fisheries Museum. The "Singing Sands" nickname comes from the sound the geologically-unique pure white sand makes when you step on it, due to a high silica content. The Elmira Railway Museum is one of just seven PEI Museum and Heritage sites, marking what was the end of PEI's rail line. You'll see the East Point Wind Farm and you could skip over to see the hexagonal wooden East Point Lighthouse marks the northern & easternmost tip of PEI. It's also where the Gulf of the St Lawrence tides meet the Northumberland Strait. If you're looking for branch trails to explore, the area features the Glen Road & the New Harmony heritage road with its tree-shaded tunnel and colorful rumrunning history. Island Walk sections to complete on today's ride:
Waypoints #24-23 to Bothwell
Waypoints #23-22 to Elmira
Waypoints #22-21 to New Zealand

Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, mostly on roads, approximately 58.5 km long.

Points East Coastal Drive
Rock Barra Retreat
Hermanville-Clearspring wind energy development

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Option 1: Island Walk route
The Confederation Trail leads to St. Peters, where you can take an optional extension to the Greenwich section of PEI's National Park, a natural gem of a hiking trail. If you're feeling ambitious, you could extend your mileage by looping around to discover the paved north shore byway.

Waypoints #21-20 to St. Peters

Option 2: north shore & Greenwich
Ride the secluded north shore west, visit the Greenwich section of the PEI National Park before riding to St. Peters.

Option 3: (long)
Head east to North Lake, visit the Elmira Railway Museum, one of just seven PEI Museum and Heritage sites, marking what was the end of PEI's rail line. Then loop around past the East Point Wind Farm to the East Point Lighthouse. The hexagonal wooden East Point Lighthouse marks the northern & easternmost tip of PEI. It's also where the Gulf of the St Lawrence tides meet the Northumberland Strait.
Stop at the Basin Head Provincial Park, beach and Basin Head Fisheries Museum. The "Singing Sands" nickname comes from the sound the geologically-unique pure white sand makes when you step on it, due to a high silica content. Your route to Souris includes the New Harmony heritage road with its tree-shaded tunnel and colorful rumrunning history.
Take the Confederation trail to St. Peters.

Option 1: Island Walk route + Greenwich extension
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 57.2 km long.

Option 2: north shore & Greenwich
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 48.3 km long.

Option 3: (long)
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 91.5 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.

Shipwreck Point Lighthouse
Naufrage
Naufrage River

The Greenwich Peninsula extends northwest from St. Peters, creating St. Peters Bay. The pristine white sand beach and sand dune field is part of the Prince Edward Island National Park, and is a hidden gem. Visit the interpretive center, walk the trails and the floating boardwalk, and bask in the beauty of the untouched ecosystem of this corner of the Island.

St. Peters is an extraordinarily picturesque rural community in northeastern PEI. Its church, aquaculture operations in the bay, proximity to the Greenwich section of the PEI National Park, scenic sections of the Confederation Trail, shopping, summer theater, dining and dairy bars make it an especially attractive destination for cyclists.

St. Peters Bay Community
Artisans by the Bay
St. Peters Courthouse Theater

The most scenic section of PEI's Confederation Trail runs from the community of St. Peters Bay to the village of Morell. You'll see cultured mussell farming along the way, plus a lookout to dunes of Greenwich beach in the eastern section of the PEI National Park. The Morell river's popular for kayaking, paddling and fishing for trout and salmon. The bridge is the longest on the trail and if you stop to look as you cross, you can see the turning mechanism.
There are a number of U-pick berry farms in the area but McCardle's Berry Patch in Mt. Stewart offers 3 kinds - ready-picked or U-pick strawberries, raspberries & blueberries.
You'll also pass by the Scotchfort Reserve and National Healing Forests, and along the banks of the Hillsborough Canadian Heritage River, a traditional hunting and fishing ground for the Abegweit First Nation. They welcome Abegweit Tourism and feature Epekwitk Gardens & Preserves and Atlantic Canada's first National Healing Forest.
Vesey's Seeds and gardens in York has been supplying gardeners since 1939, and have a retail shop and trial gardens on site.
Stop in at Upstreet Brewing for a celebratory cold locally-produced craft beer or soda when you return to Charlottetown. They're right in our neighborhood.
Waypoint #20-19

Option 1: trail
Route link A relatively flat A to B mixed terrain cycle route off-road, approximately 60.9 km long.

Option 2: trail to Mt. Stewart, less-traveled road to Ch'tn
Route link A moderately hilly A to B mixed terrain cycle route, partly off-road, approximately 58.7 km long.

Routes available for confirmed participants only.