Mother Daughter Trip -- PEI or Newfoundland?
 

Hello all :)

I posted earlier in the month in another section of the forums, concerning options in England for a mother daughter trip in 2015 or 2016. My mother and I had settled then on York, England.

This was before she started reading about Maritime Canada, which she is now entranced with. So, we are going to explore the idea of visiting that part of Canada, and are trying to decide what island may be a good fit .... either PEI or St Johns Newfoundland.

We will have 7-9 days total available to us, and a modest budget. While I like hiking around outside in parks and trails, my mother has arthritis in her knees, so excessive walking / hiking is not an option. Really, what she wants to be able to do is leisurely drive around to varying villages and sit and have tea or lunch in a local place and just absorb local culture. Historical things fascinate both of us. She loves quilting and knitting, crafting of all sorts really ... and pastoral type places. We both prefer staying at a B&B as opposed to a hotel.

I suspect that PEI is going to be more her style, but I wanted to verify. :)

PEI is definitely more pastoral and it does sound like your mother's kind of destination. It's quite a small island however and you could explore from end in end in much less than 7-9 days. Have you considered Nova Scotia? Lots of quaint villages, maritime history and the lovely Annapolis valley. Newfoundland has the most distinct culture, some great BnBs and historical sites of the aboriginal people and Vikings as well as European immigrants so it has lots to offer in addition to the rugged natural areas. St John's is built on quite an incline that would challenge those arthritic knees, but with a little planning I expect your mother would find more than enough to enjoy within her capabilities.

Tough choice.

not newfoundland...pei is lovely especially if you want some beach time. get the "doer and dreamers" book from nova scotia tourism. it is very good. with only 7-9 days, you would have to pick an area...not enough time to see it all including cape breton island. lots of great little towns to visit and some nice beach areas.

Thank you for responding :) My thought was to arrive in Halifax and spend a day or two exploring and then making our way to Pictou, and then at some point taking the ferry to PEI.

You know, we hadn't thought of doing Nova Scotia ... just using Halifax as a stepping stone as airfares were cheaper that way. I will refocus some reading and explore that option, too :)

Is your mom familiar with LM Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables novel? It not it is a great read if you are visiting PEI!

We are both familiar, yes :)

I think what we might do is fly into Halifax, spend a night there, then make our way to Pictou, spend a day/night there (or surrounding), and then get on the ferry to PEI. Four days in PEI, and then back to Halifax to fly out on the 7th day.

Is four days too many for PEI?

Of course, as I look at the map, an alternate route is Halifax _ Truro - Amherst - PEI.

pictou is a lovely town and if you want to sit on a beach - caribou/munroes provincial park is close by, has a nice beach and enjoy the view. 4 days is not too much for pei.

If you go to PEI, be sure to visit Belfast Mini Mills (http://www.minimills.net). They design and manufacture small-scale equipment for making yarns of various kinds, and you can get a tour of their facilities and see the entire process. It really is fascinating. They have a gift shop that sells yarns made from exotic hairs, too. My mom loved it, and she is not even a knitter.

We spent 5 days on PEI, visiting Anne of Green Gables sites as well as Charlottetown (the AoGG musical was delightful, and Province House is especially significant as the "Birthplace of Canada") and both ends of the island. We also spent several days in Nova Scotia exploring Halifax and the Bay of Fundy area.

Note that the bridge and ferry tolls are charged only when you leave PEI, not when you arrive. As the ferry is more expensive than the bridge, consider taking the ferry TO PEI and then the bridge FROM PEI.

Bookmarking!

Thank you so much for the advice on the ferry and bridge, that is very helpful in planning. I believe we have settled on PEI, and I believe she will find the Mini Mills fascinating. Thank you for the link! :)