Iles de la Madeleine & PEI advice sought



E

Eric

Guest
Has anyone biked on the Iles de la Madeleine (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, part of Quebec province),
or Prince Edward Island. If so, would you recommend them, and how many days should we plan on
spending on each? Any other comments would be appreciated. A friend & I are thinking of going there
this summer. We'd prefer not to take camping gear.

Thanks. Eric
 
We spent a couple of weeks in Nova Scotia & PEI in 2002. PEI is a pretty little island with almost
no traffic except right around the "Green Gables" house. There's a rail-trail that runs right down
the center of the island that you should avoid. It's almost totally in the woods with no views and
too many mosquitos. The coast roads and lighthouses are interesting. There are LOTS of B&Bs and
motels at good rates.

Eric wrote:
> Has anyone biked on the Iles de la Madeleine (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, part of Quebec
> province), or Prince Edward Island. If so, would you recommend them, and how many days should we
> plan on spending on each? Any other comments would be appreciated. A friend & I are thinking of
> going there this summer. We'd prefer not to take camping gear.
>
> Thanks. Eric

--
Munged email address.
 
Personally, I would recommand Nova Scotia, more diversity than PEI.

"Eric" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Has anyone biked on the Iles de la Madeleine (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, part of Quebec
> province), or Prince Edward Island. If so, would you recommend them, and how many days should we
> plan on spending on each? Any other comments would be appreciated. A friend & I are thinking of
> going there this summer. We'd prefer not to take camping gear.
>
> Thanks. Eric
 
Les iles de la Madeleines is very nice, but there is way too much wind for any cycling at all.
Moreover, it is too small to make it worth going there just to ride.

H

Eric <[email protected]> wrote:

> Has anyone biked on the Iles de la Madeleine (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, part of Quebec
> province), or Prince Edward Island. If so, would you recommend them, and how many days should we
> plan on spending on each? Any other comments would be appreciated. A friend & I are thinking of
> going there this summer. We'd prefer not to take camping gear.
>
> Thanks. Eric
 
>Personally, I would recommand Nova Scotia, more diversity than PEI.

I agree with this thought. It has been since 1997 when I bicycled both as part of a trip across
Canada. I was through there in July (about a month after the Confederation Bridge opened) and PEI
was relatively busy and felt more "touristy" though both cater well for tourists.

Nova Scotia has some busy parts, but a fair diversity and seemingly more quiet roads and little
towns. NS is probably nicer for a multi-day tour where each evening is in a new place.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen

p.s. Newfoundland is also an excellent province to visit. Wasn't as focused on tourists but
interesting places and a genuine sense about
it.
 
I've already toured in Nova Scotia. (FWIW, I loved Cape Breton Island but was disappointed with the
mainland, though I liked the city of Halifax).

We're not looking for a long tour, just a short getaway. If we go, we'd probably end up flying to
PEI, so that's why we need to figure out how much time to plan for. We both have folding bikes (Bike
Friday), which are especially practical for a short trip like this.
 
Here are some pics of our PEI trip on BikeFridays

http://www.gfarnsworth.com/FamaZine/Detail.cfm?ID=127

Eric wrote:
> Has anyone biked on the Iles de la Madeleine (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, part of Quebec
> province), or Prince Edward Island. If so, would you recommend them, and how many days should we
> plan on spending on each? Any other comments would be appreciated. A friend & I are thinking of
> going there this summer. We'd prefer not to take camping gear.
>
> Thanks. Eric

--
Munged email address.
 
>We're not looking for a long tour, just a short getaway. If we go, we'd probably end up flying to
>PEI, so that's why we need to figure out how much time to plan for. We both have folding bikes
>(Bike Friday), which are especially practical for a short trip like this.

I spent just three days on PEI. The entire Island is ~300km tip to tip, so probably reasonable to go
from central place like Charlottetown. Definitely more than enough to see for 3 days I spent. In my
time there, I cycled through potato fields, up to visit Cavendish (Green Gables) area, some of the
Acadian areas, tour a boat tour around Confederation Bridge and went through Charlottetown. I didn't
do much beach stuff and there was more I could have seen in Charlottetown. If I had wanted to ride
more of a "tip to tip" route, then perhaps a few days more as well. I wouldn't be bored if I had a
week to spend on PEI.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen