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Map of Bike Trip through the maritimes Including
Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick
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Bike tour in the Maritimes Day 1 Elmsdale, Nova
Scotia to Lansdowne Resort, Nova Scotia Get up
at 730 am to put the bike together. Took off
from Elmsdale towards Musquodoboit. Weather is
pretty humid and overcast not the best for
cycling! Sun finally came out at 1230, and the
temperature warmed up quickly. Countryside is
pretty, but also feels kind of rough, and
bleak. Nova Scotia is relatively prosperous, but
much of the land is unsuitable for farming. Some
areas life is a real struggle.
Afternoon, there was an intense rain shower,
stopped in Gays River for a cold drink. Going
uphill, stopped to buy some stove fuel to make
lunch. Overcast again, then sudden shower. Took
shelter in some dense, prickly woods beside the
road. Finally got to Upper Stewiacke. Asked if
there were any campgrounds, and was told about
Lansdowne Resort. Was allowed to set up my tent
beside the river for free. Hospitality of people
was amazing.
Home to the highest tides in the world, historic
landmarks, sandy beaches and harbour fronts, Nova
Scotia will leave you with more than memories, it
will leave its mark on your soul. Located on the
Atlantic Coast of Canada, Nova Scotia is a
remarkably scenic province that is known for its
friendly hospitality and abounding maritime
culture. Nova Scotia is Latin for New Scotland,
and the region's Celtic heritage makes it an
appealing destination for visitors from around
the world.
It is the most populous province in the
Maritimes, and its capital, Halifax, is the
economic and cultural centre of the region. Nova
Scotia is the second smallest province in Canada,
with an area of only 55,284 km², and its
population of 937,889 Nova Scotians (or, less
formally, Bluenosers) makes it the fourth least
populous province of the country about 3 of
the population of Canada. Its name is Latin for
New Scotland.
Distance for the day 79 km
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Day 2 Lansdowne Resort to Lord Selkirk
Provincial Park Got going by 830 am. Weather
was cool and foggy (typical Nova Scotia morning).
Countryside was empty except for the occasional
cluster of houses. Gradually climbed through
forests towards Lansdowne, and then towards
Pictou County toward the Northumberland Strait.
Got into Pictou around lunchtime. Lots of
Scottish character and history, who settled here
about 230 years ago. Had the daily special at a
local restaurant Ham and Potato Scallop (for
3.75). Good but plain just cooked ham and
slightly vinegary potato scallop. Recipe was
probably the same for a hundred years.
Made it to the ferry terminal at Caribou, to get
to Prince Edward Island. The ride is free (but
they charge you to leave PEI!). Lots of tourists
on the ferry. Tourism in the Maritimes seems to
be doing better than ever. The bright red soil
of PEI was wonderful to see again, with lots of
black-eyed susans lining the road. Reached the
campground at Lord Selkirk, settled in, and then
had some beers and played with some of the locals
at a nearby tavern until 11 pm. Had trouble
getting up the next morning!
Distance 101 km
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Day 3 Lord Selkirk Park to Charlottetown,
PEI Got going at 1030, not that bad considering
my goal was Charlottetown, only 45 km away. Went
to Orwell Corner Historic Village one of the
best sights on the island. It used to be a very
industrious little place, but by the 1970s,
couldnt keep going. Government bought it and
restored it, without any commercialism. Then
set off for Charlottetown, on a magical afternoon
quiet road through beautiful farmland, pedaling
happily. Although the campsite, Stratford RV
Park, was a little expensive, set up my tent by 3
pm, and headed into town. PEI only has 140
thousand people, and even though Charlottetown is
the capital, it only has 32 thousand people. But,
its still the birthplace of Canada, and so has
much history to offer. The Charlottetown
Conference of 1864 set the foundation for the
nation of Canada as we know it today. Although it
took many years for all of the provinces to
commit to Confederation, it was at this pivotal
conference that the idea of the unified provinces
was brought forward and the road to Union was
paved. The Confederation Centre of the Arts was
founded in 1964 as Canadas National Memorial to
the Fathers of Confederation, and every year
brings the Charlotte-town Festival. this Festival
of laughter and music features Canada's finest
performers, designers, playwrights, composers,
and directors in a profes-sional showcase of
musical theatre and comedy. Since its inception,
The Charlottetown Festival has sought out and
commissioned over 66 new Canadian musicals. The
most popular and successful of The Charlottetown
Festival musicals remains Anne of Green Gables -
The Musical
My journey there was on a beautiful sunny
afternoon. There are many older homes and
churches scattered through the city. It was built
at a time of unprecedented prosperity and
optimism in Island history. Had a very good
pasta a stylish little bistro, full of happy
tourists. Charlottetown is a gem.
Distance 55 km
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Day 4 Charlottetown to North Rustico
Left campground at 9 am. Front rack had started
to bend, and needed new ones. Had a proper
touring bike, which increased my speed by 25,
and better design reduced hand and shoulder pain.
Riding position made me look down, not
around, and so had to look more at the road
than at the scenery.
Took Highway 2 north out of Charlottetown, and
then west at Highway 6. This was pedalling
paradise. Beautiful farmland, ocean views, lots
of peace and quiet. Doesnt get much better than
this. Enjoyed the time so much, forgot to put on
sunscreen! Got a bad sunburn, and this hurt for
the rest of the trip. Got to Prince Edward
Island National Park, and headed for Brackley
Beach for the campground, but everything was
booked. This park includes most of the beach and
dune areas along PEIs northern Gulf of St.
Lawrence coastline. The road goes just behind the
dunes in many places, with vivid blue ponds and
shining green beach grass. The beaches are great,
with warm water (20 Celcius), but all I could
think about was getting some shade. Found a
private campsite in North Rustico, and discovered
my sunburn. Took a shower to try to cool down. In
town, the restaurants offered french fries and
coleslaw. Seems a shame, since this is a land
brimming with farm produce and fish. Distance
82 km
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Day 5 North Rustico to Crapaud, PEI Got up at
8am and pedalled to Cavendish, for the must-see
Green Gables tour. I was warned to get there
before 930, because the tour buses arrive then.
This was the house that Montgomery used in her
stories, but her house was about a kilometer
away, and was pulled down in the 1920s went it
became rundown. There are still a lot of fruit
trees and birch trees, the old pathway behind the
house. It is very peaceful, and made me think
about an older time long ago. I went back to the
campsite, packed, and left at noon. I was fearful
about the sun, and the rolling hills keep coming
one after the other, making the cycling really
difficult. Stopped in New Glasgow for some
lemonade, went through Hunter River, and arrived
at Crapaud at 4 pm. It is a pretty town with not
a very pretty name. Checked in at a bike hostel
Simple Comforts Bed and Breakfast and Bike
Hostel. The community supper that night was
fantastic chicken, boiled pottatoes, assorted
vegetables, home made pickles, etc, simple but
delicious. PEI is famous for potatoes, and these
were boiled in buttery water perfect. No
point on Prince Edward Island is more than a
short distance from salt water. Called
"Abegweit," a Native American word meaning
"cradled on the waves," Prince Edward Island is
the quintessence of North Atlantic charm.  The
island's population explodes by 500 percent when
summer visitors flock here to enjoy surprisingly
warm waters, Victorian villages, lobster bakes,
steepled churches, and quaint farms. Prince
Edward Island draws its life from the sea,
harvesting large numbers of shellfish and Irish
moss, source of the food stabilizer carrageenan.
Rich soils support crops of potatoes, tobacco,
and vegetables as well as numerous dairy
farms.  Distance 56 km
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Day 6 Crapaud, PEI to Moncton New Brunswick Got
up at 730 and left by 9am. Got to Borden in
about an hour with a helpful tailwind. Borden is
the entrance to the Bridge. Before, many families
had to wait many hours to get back and forth over
the water. An era of isolation and tradition came
to an end in the summer of 1997 when the
highly-controversial Confederation Bridge was
completed.
Now, there is the 13 km Confederation Bridge,
which linked Prince Edward Island to the Canadian
mainland for the first time.  It can be used in
any weather, its ice-proof, and reinforced
concrete, with tall guard rails to protect cars
from strong winter winds. An era of isolation and
staunch tradition came to an end in the summer of
1997 when the highly-controversial Confederation
Bridge was completed.
This bridge was discussed for over a hundred
years, and people were undecided if it was a good
idea or not. Maybe it could damage the
environment? Anyway, it has a large impact on the
island, and certainly brings in more tourists. It
is not a very beautiful structure, but there
isnt much to see except water anyway. When I got
off in New Brunswick, it was cloudy, the
countryside looked poor and kind of depressing.
Hard times and pessimism seemed to permeate NB, a
stark contrast to bright and cheery PEI.
Approaching Moncton, couldnt help noticing how
ugly the outskirts of the city were. No trees, no
curbs on the roads, no paint on the buildings.
The downtown was ok. I stayed in a bed and
breakfast that evening, and the shower felt
really good. Moncton is home to many Acadians,
descendants of French settlers who came in the
1700s. Most were deported by Britain in 1755, and
many settled in Louisiana, to form Cajun culture.
Many also came back eventually, and the culture
is strong again. In Acadia,, the American First
Nations (Mikmaq) and France weaved bonds of
friendship, fraternity and exchanges unparalleled
on the American continent, with profound and
sincere mutual respect.  The Acadians would ask
permission to live and fish in the First Nations
area. However, the deportation and expulsion of
the Acadian population and the nearly total
decimation of the First Nations in Acadia have
almost entirely severed this beautiful
relationship in the 21st century. Hereditary
features and traces of this relationship still
remain in the language, the genes, the physical
features and the social and cultural traits of
todays Acadians. This is a distinctiveness
inherent to present day Acadians. The same
applies to the First Nations people who have
vestiges of this French-Acadian relationship.
The French never asked the First Nations people
to recognize the French Sovereign as their own
and never asked them to swear any type of Oath of
Allegiance. This was quite the opposite from
other European Nations in the Americas.