P. E. I. National Park

Established in 1937, Prince Edward Island National Park was set up to protect a 40 kilometre (25 mile) long coastal area along the north of the island, which includes red sandstone cliffs, estuaries, offshore bars,  and some of Canada’s longest and most popular beaches. Just inland from the protected coastline the farmhouse that featured in the novel ‘Anne of Green Gables’ has also been included in the National Park, creating an unusual mixture of nature conservancy and literary history within the park.

Dining Room at Green Gables

The interior of Green Gables has been restored and furnished to reflect the era of L M Montomery’s novels. Although this was the home of her relatives,  she never lived here. She grew up nearby living with her grandparents but was a regular visitor to the farmhouse. 

'Anne's Room', Green Gables

An electrical fire in  May 1997 damaged to part of the upstairs of the farmhouse. The Park Authorities have since restored the rooms affected by the fire.  This one is called ‘Anne’s Room’, set up to look like the room of the heroine of the novels. It is important to remember that Anne was a  character in novels so what you see here is a representation of fiction rather than a reconstruction of the history of the farmhouse.

Beach near Cavendish

Another view of the beach in the National Park. We visited in early October and had the beaches largely to ourselves. If you visit in summer you will have to get up very early to see the beach as empty as this.

 

 

 

 

 

Green Gables, Cavendish

Prince Edward Island’s biggest claim to fame is Anne of Green Gables. Lucy Maud Montgomery’s series of books about an orphan growing up at the turn of the 19th/20th century has struck a chord that resonates as far away as Japan. Anne and the other characters in the books are fictional, but Montgomery based the house where Anne lived and the surrounding scenery on the farm of her grandfather’s cousins. The farmhouse  is the biggest tourist attraction on the island and the Park Authorities have restored it to reflect how it would have looked in Montgomery’s time. Click on Tab 2 for another view of the house.

Beach near Cavendish

Away from Green Gables is the coastline and adjacent inland wetlands that the National Park was set up to preserve.  Red sandstone rocks have eroded to form cliffs, sand dunes and beaches that are a haven for wildlife. The National Park ensures that a balance is struck between our desire to use the pleasant beaches with the preservation of plant life and the needs of the abundant bird and mammal populations.

Prince Edward Island National Park near Cavendish, PEI, Canada
Dining Room, Green Gables, Cavendish, PEI, Canada
'Anne's Room', Green Gables, Cavendish, PEI, Canada
Prince Edward Island National Park near Cavendish, PEI, Canada

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- If you read Lucy Maud Montgomery’s books as a child (or even as an adult) a visit to Green gables is a must.
- The coast that we saw in the national Park was nice but far from spectacular.
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