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Bays & Dunes
RED POINT PROVINCIAL PARK / JOHN SYLVESTER
This eastern tip of PEI is rich with rare and special places, many of them quiet and undiscovered. Visitors
touring Bays & Dunes will find abundant opportunities to enjoy the best of the Island's natural features -
the landscape, fishing ports, beaches and
trails.
Learn whatever you always wanted to know about trout, salmon and other fish at the
Cardigan
Water Science Centre.
Souris is the main commercial centre of eastern
Kings county and also the terminus for the ferry
service to the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. A provincial heritage site documents the Island's fishing industry at
Basin Head which is
also the location of the Island's best beaches where
pure white sand stretches for miles. A nearby campground at
Red Point Provincial Park
makes an excellent touring base or classy four- and five-star country inns along this coast offer rooms with a view,
fine dining and a quiet escape. While touring Bays & Dunes, keep your eyes peeled for some charming tea
rooms and cafés; Mount Stewart,
Cardigan and Naufrage
are a few suggestions for a nice break.
In Elmira, where a
railway museum marks the
most easterly point of the Confederation Trail,
a tip-to-tip hiking and
cycling trail developed on abandoned rail line.
Elmira is also home to the new PEI Miniature Railway and one
of the largest model railway collections in Canada.
At East Point, just a few miles away, a trip
to the top of the lighthouse
yields a dramatic view of the "meeting of the tides," where the waters of the Gulf of St. Lawrence blend with those of
Northumberland Strait. For those participating in the tip-to-tip program this is the spot to have your certificate
validated.
At the interactive Interpretation
Centre at Greenwich, Prince Edward Island National Park, exhibits explain the ecology of a rare parabolic sand dune,
while walking trails lead visitors through the natural and cultural history of the area. Before driving down to the
Greenwich peninsula, visitors will want to stop in
St. Peters for a snack, bicycle rental or even to check in
to one of several accommodations in the village, which range from campgrounds and B&B's to fine country inns.
Bays & Dunes also attracts golfers
of all kinds. Ambitious golfers will want to try their hand at the
Links at Crowbush Cove,
one of North America's top courses according to Golf Digest. And for those looking for some family fun,
smaller courses are not far away.
In Mount Stewart, visitors can shop, sign
up for tours and dine out. The village is located on the Hillsborough
River, a Canadian Heritage River, and the Confederation
Trail passes through the centre of town, making it a perfect base for a kayaking
or cycling excursion.
A summer-long series of ceilidhs features the fine Celtic traditions of eastern Prince Edward Island.
The Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival has been presenting traditional music since before the fiddle became trendy again. New
on the schedule this year is an evening of music and storytelling at the St. Peters Courthouse.
