I’m one of those people who love planning trips and tend to spend a ton of time researching destinations and activities before I book anything. I also really enjoy long distance walks and did my first one in 2019 (my second was booked for 2020 but we all know what happened then…). So, when travel became possible again, I decided to look into a long-distance walk closer to home as I wasn’t quite ready for international travel yet. The Confederation Trail had been on my shortlist for a while and then I read about the Island Walk last year, which combined quite a bit of the Confederation Trail with beaches and red dirt roads and more to circumnavigate Prince Edward Island (PEI), and I was sold. A long distance walk with beach walking? How could I not want to go?

While I knew I couldn’t do all of it – I would only have two weeks vacation to work with in October and the full Island Walk takes approximately 32 days – I can still walk a lot in two weeks. So, I started tentatively planning my Island Walk adventure last winter, with my research ramping up in early spring. By May, I had booked my flight and by June, I had planned my route (about 180 of the 700km as I was going to take it easy and have some off days to chill) and booked my accommodations. And wow, was I excited to go. I spent the summer following along the Island Walk Facebook group – a great source of information and inspiration – and looking forward to my trip in October.

And then hurricane Fiona hit PEI.

My first thought was I needed to cancel my trip after seeing the destruction (the photo above is just a small taste). It was probably my second and third thought too as it was only three weeks away. And then, of course, I felt bad about worrying about my vacation when there was so much damage and even loss of life on the East Coast. I decided to wait a bit before doing anything and get more info. After speaking with a friend who has family in PEI, she also counselled me to wait a bit and then to reach out to the accommodations to see what they would prefer. So, I did. And all but one of them said that they would be (re)open by the time I would arrive. Of course, based on the tree damage (which was even more devastating seeing in person) and closures, I knew I would have to adjust my route. But based on the Island Walk Facebook group, I knew it was possible to still have a fabulous walk, even if it wasn’t the one I had originally planned.

So, I reconfirmed with my accommodations, made adjustments to my route, and I was off on my not quite Island Walk, Island Walk.

Before I go any further, I want to say that each and every place I stayed was fabulous and I would recommend them all – in fact, I have or are in the process of doing so both here on my blog and on various other sites because I greatly appreciate how wonderful they all were, especially given it was only a couple of weeks after the hurricane. I will be mentioning them all in my later posts (there will be 4 or 5 more) and if you’re planning on doing the Island Walk or simply visiting PEI, they are all great places to stay. I also want to thank Val at North Lake Boat House Eatery for staying open for me past her official ‘closed for the season’ date. It’s a wonderfully friendly restaurant with the best fish tacos and delicious, filling breakfasts. If you’re in PEI, go eat there next summer! And thanks to Bryson, the Chair of the Island Walk Committee, who checked in with me during my walk, and who provided great info and advice beforehand. Definitely join the Facebook group (link below) if you’re planning on doing the Walk.

My not quite Island Walk, Island Walk Route

My original plan was to fly in on Friday (it was oddly the cheapest day to fly in or out of Charlottetown when I was booking my flight, so my trip was Friday, October 14 to Friday, October 28) and spend the weekend exploring Charlottetown. Then on Monday, I would take the bus (which only runs Monday-Friday) to a stop close by the Confederation Trail between waypoints 18 and 19 on the Island Walk to start my walk to Mount Stewart (or just outside it). From there, I would walk the Island Walk until Souris, take the bus to Cardigan, walk to Montague, spend two nights there exploring the two micro breweries (I like good beer) before heading to Prince Edward Island National Park for a day before I flew home.

My re-vamped plan started the same. I flew into Charlottetown and spent the weekend exploring the city before catching the bus on Monday. And that’s where the original plan stopped… I took the bus all the way to Mount Stewart and then walked along the side of the road to my B&B. I spent the day wandering down random red dirt roads, exploring the area, and reading all the signage at the nearby church. Then I walked back to the bus stop the next day and took it to St. Peter’s and my B&B there. I spent the first day randomly exploring and my second walking a beach and country roads. Then it was off to North Lake for four days of beach and road walking (mostly on the Island Walk route but with some adjustments) before heading to Montague for three days of exploring and beers. A final bus ride to Charlottetown before my only walk on the Confederation Trail… to the airport. (More on all the specifics in my next articles.) And while I didn’t get to walk on the Confederation Trail, other than the 7km from downtown Charlottetown to the airport, I still logged more than 180km, much of that on beaches and red dirt roads.

On one of my last days, I was asked if I would recommend coming to PEI to walk the Island Walk given my altered experience and my answer is emphatically YES! My walk may not have been what originally I planned and it may not have followed the Island Walk route exactly (due to trail closures mostly) but it was fabulous. And I think it would have been even better if I could have done the Confederation Trail portions so I would unreservedly recommend the Island Walk and I plan to go back. PEI is beautiful, the people are super lovely, and there was lots of great seafood. What’s not to love?

For more info on the Island Walk, check out their website and Facebook page.