Day 4: Sweet Treats, Lobster Rolls, Dalvay, & a Favorite Lighthouse
DAY FOUR: AT A GLANCE
Starting point: Cabot Beach Provincial Park, PEI
Ending point: Dalvay by the Sea, Dalvay, PEI
Starting mileage: 16,350
Ending mileage: 16,450
Daily total (miles): 100
Trip total (miles): 914
Another cool and cloudy morning to greet us, and my back was unfortunately a bit tight, so I was moving a bit more slowly this morning. Before leaving Cabot Beach Provincial Park, we took a few minutes to reorganize the van, as our next two nights would be indoors at one of our favorite places: Dalvay by the Sea. But first, a stop at another favorite for breakfast: The Willow Bakery and Cafe in Kensington. We split a blueberry scone (delish) and two cinnamon rolls (brown butter and cream cheese frosted)—if I could learn to replicate any recipe, the cinnamon rolls from The Willow Cafe would definitely be on the list! As we drove, the sun played hide-and-seek, and we kept our fingers crossed for a rain-free day (yes!).
Carbed up and caffeinated, we then moseyed over to Charlottetown for a bit. The city was quiet on this Sunday morning, as many of the stores weren’t open or not opening until noon. We walked around town, and I took a few photos, stopped into Shoppers to buy a reusable ice pack for my back (just in case!), and then we made our way over to Bookmark, an absolute gem of a bookstore that has moved into a larger location since our last visit. I could spend hours in bookstores, but I limited my browsing (and buying—but because Bookmark carries the Traveler’s Notebooks I love, I did stock up on a few!). While browsing the section devoted to L.M. Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables, I also noticed a sign advertising a pop-up shop for all things Anne and Montgomery over on the campus of UPEI, so we drove over there to check out the titles and made mental notes for my “to read” list. When I first visited PEI in 2018 and again in 2019, I had not yet read Anne of Green Gables; I know, I know, shameful. But I finally did in advance of our 2022 visit, and I was absolutely smitten. I get the hype. Had I known Anne was such a badass, I would have eagerly read the novel as a kid—but back then, I was such a tomboy that I didn’t want to read anything that was about girls who wore dresses. Harriet the Spy and Nancy Drew were badass and made the cut, but I was in my late 40s when I finally read Little Women and fell in love with the March sisters. But alas, I digress…
After leaving the downtown area, we were off to mothership location of COWS ice cream because, well, it’s COWS; G indulged in a fudge sundae with wowie cowie and brownie explosion; I had a single scoop of PEI strawberry in a waffle cone. A few stores down, we picked up a 4-pack of Lone Oak Brewing’s N/A Noble pale ale and then headed to check-in at Dalvay. Ah, Dalvay. G decided to leave and gas up the van, and I took a hot shower to help alleviate the back and (somewhat new and odd) leg pain. Then, we both crashed for a bit before heading out for dinner at, again, a favorite place: Richard’s at Covehead Wharf. There’s a pretty consistent theme here in PEI: a familiar place already with a solid list of favorites. It’s our fifth trip to the island in eight years, and this year more than most, I was craving something familiar to set my mind (and body) more at ease…and, of course, PEI delivered. The lobster rolls and fries were amazing (as they always are), and we watched the fog roll in as we ate. On the way back, I had to stop to photograph one of my all-time favorite lighthouses (and as a lover of lighthouses, that’s saying A LOT), Covehead Harbour Lighthouse.
