Dark Lake

A glorious morning greets us, absolutely unexpectedly. Still waiting on hurricane Lee, and prepared to leave early if necessary, but today looks all clear.

First stop, Cavendish Beach. There are distant beach walkers out with us, few and far away, so the sense of openness while we walk along with the waves is still very peaceful.

There's a lighthouse on a point that looks walkable, if you have time. PEI apparently has the highest concentration of lighthouses in Canada, which is hard to fathom after Nova Scotia! Wanting to make the most of the sunshine while we have it, we elect to drive over to the even prettier New London lighthouse. As at Cavendish, with nothing beyond but the wide expanse of the Gulf of St Lawrence, the emptiness is wild and serene at the same time.

A detour around a very deep, very red mudpuddle sees us eventually arrive at our final beach, Thunder Cove. We're in search of its iconic flower pot rock, akin to the famous Hopewell Rocks. Although evidence of similar formations is present, we don't see it. Still, the contrasts of deep maroon rocks, gold sands, deep blue sea and light blue sky make it an incredibly picturesque spot.

After a quick lunch stop break at the cottage, the guys elect to stay and relax. There's extra beer that can't come home with us, and naps to be had, so their duties in the next stage of the journey are pretty evident🙂

We've chosen our location in part for it's proximity to the Green Gables attraction. Yvonne and I set out to walk the Haunted Woods trail, under increasingly unsettled skies. The trail begins by the graveyard, burial place of Lucy Maud Montgomery, and ends at Green Gables. We're not too far into it before the first fat raindrops begin pattering down, and we cross the bridge over to the house in a full downpour!

Many finds this attraction disappointing, perhaps because the imagination and ability of Montgomery to create such an evocative, magical character leads devoted Anne fans to think they will somehow capture an image or a feel of a charming little redhead flitting about. You want to see her, because to us she's so real. Still, visiting the home and grounds that are described so vividly as the backdrop in the beloved novels feels like a way of paying homage to a talented author. Maybe we are all hoping to capture a little of her magic by sharing her space.

By time we have walked back to the graveyard to find Lucys burial site, we're under a full on deluge. From under her umbrella, Yvonne manages to capture a quick picture of the stone, with its assorted pens left on top as tribute.

It's going to take days to dry our clothes and shoes, but we are very pleased with a single day that managed to include so many highlights.Read more