Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province, packs more than its weight when it comes to photogenic possibilities. We find everything from long stretches of magnificent beaches to rugged red cliffs, sand dunes, picturesque fishing villages, gorgeous country roads with a view around every corner, lighthouses galore, pastoral farming scenes, historic sites, and more – all in a compact package.
In future postings we will be looking at specific places in more detail. This time around is meant as an introduction – places and scenes that caught our eye as photo subjects. This was our first visit to PEI, so everything was new. Despite this being a relatively small island, we could only see a small selection of places in our week-long visit, and the weather didn’t cooperate all of the time. If we had one top recommendation to make to those considering a trip to PEI, and especially to photographers, is to be sure to allow enough time. Even though places are close to each other, our progress was quite slow because it seemed like we were stopping around every corner for another photo op.
One thing that really stands out on PEI is the colour red – red cliffs, red sand, even the farmland soil is red. Tourism PEI even calls the central south coast the Red Sands Shore. The red cliffs and sand are striking throughout the day, but if you can visit in the early morning or late in the afternoon or evening, the colour looks almost unreal.
Another defining feature of PEI is the melding of coastal scenery and rural agriculture. Both fishing and farming are major aspects of PEI life. The Island is justifiably famous as the Canada’s top potato producer. It is even home to the Canadian Potato Museum (the subject of a future article). While many other parts of the country have coastal landscapes or rural landscapes, here they seem to come together in perfect harmony. It’s not unusual to have potato fields next to the sea or grazing dairy cattle with a backdrop of brilliant red cliffs.
Depending on the season, the wildflowers can be phenomenal. Early summer is lupin season. During our travels, there were so many lupins that we had to discipline ourselves not to stop every time that we found yet another brilliant display.
For another important aspect of Prince Edward Island, check out our article on Anne of Green Gables “Real” Home
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Hello there.
I was just looking at your photos, but you don’t have to go to prince edward island,
As I live in south wales,in carmarthenshire, I live in a fishing village,( BURRY PORT,and PEMBREY ) were we have a light house,and you can just collect mussels off the beach,there are sand Jun’s like in your photos,and our beach is 8 MILES LONG,at the PEMBREY end we have a country park and a wood land,dry ski slope,and more.
But saying all that a few years ago,my partner and I visited prince edward island, and went to that famous house,and what you say is just how we saw it,but as a retired mechanic, I bought a prince edward car number plate that I have hanging on my wall,and every time I see it,it reminds us of our holiday there.
So thank you for your photos and comments.
TONY
P.S perhaps one day you might like to come and visit our part of the world …yackidar ( that’s welsh for good health )
Tony – Thanks for your comment. It sounds like you live in a very special part of Wales. Yes, we would like to visit sometime. We’re pleased that you enjoyed our article on Prince Edward Island, and that you were able to travel there to appreciate what a lovely place it is