The area celebrates its Celtic roots as destination of the Island’s original Scottish settlers. The Croft House Selkirk and Heritage Centre displays information about the 800 Selkirk settlers who arrived in 1803 with Thomas Douglas, fifth Earl of Selkirk, aboard the ships Polly, Dykes and Oughton. This was the first establishment of Lord Selkirk in Canada, paving the way for his later settlements in Ontario and Manitoba.

The ships anchored on Orwell Bay just off the, present day location of Lord Selkirk Park. Along with earlier immigrants, they established an enduring Scottish tradition on P.E.I. St. John’s Presbyterian Church, built in 1824, is the Island’s oldest church, and on its grounds, the Polly Monument recognizes the Selkirk settlement.

Orwell Bay Discovery Drive (Stratford to Pinette)

Communities include: Stratford, Tea Hill, Pownal, Cherry Valley, Vernon Bridge, Orwell, Orwell Cove, Eldon/Belfast (arrival point of the Selkirk Settlers), Point Prim and Pinette.

Attractions include: Orwell Corner Historic Village (agricultural heritage museum and Scenic Look Off of the 1890s); Sir Andrew MacPhail Homestead with a restored 1850s house, 140 acres of gardens, nature centre and walking trails in MacPhail Woods; St. John Presbyterian Church and the Polly monument to the Selkirk Settlement in Belfast; Lord Selkirk Park and Pinette Day Use Provincial Park; The Church of Scotland, built in 1876; St. Paul Acadian and Scottish Pioneer Cemetery; the Croft House Selkirk and Heritage Centre which tells the story of the Selkirk settlement; the Polly Pioneer Cemetery in Mount Buchanan; Point Prim lighthouse, built in 1845, the Island’s oldest and only conical lighthouse (open for tours); beaches (Keppoch Road, Tea Hill park & beach, Pinette); harbours and wharfs (MacAulays and Pinette).

Activities include: Golf (Fox Meadow Golf & Country Club and Belfast Highland Greens); Ceilidhs (Orwell Corner Historic Village and others); canoeing, walking trails and bird watching (Pondside Park, Sir Andrew MacPhail Park).

Festivals/Events include: “Ceilidhs”, live theatre, and Highland Games.

North Shore Discovery Drive (Campbells Cove to St. Peters)

Communities include: Fairfield, Campbells Cove, Priest Pond, Bayfield, Rock Barra, Hermansville, St. Margarets, Naufrage, Monticello, Goose River, Cable Head, Greenwich and St. Peters.

Attractions include: Greenwich Prince Edward Island’s National Park, including an Interpretive Centre for history/nature enthusiasts; the St. Peter’s Landing complex of shops and historic displays, Courthouse Theatre at St. Peters; Nordic Spa, beaches (Campbells Cove, St. Margarets, Shipwreck Beach at Naufrage, Goose River and Greenwich Prince Edward Island National Park); harbours and wharfs (Naufrage).

Activities include: Deep-sea fishing at Naufrage; sightseeing, photography, and beachcombing. Walking/cycling portions of the Confederation Trail.

Festivals/Events include: Live theatre at the St. Peters Courthouse, plus an annual Blueberry Festival in St. Peters.

Southern Banks Discovery Drive (Pinette to Cape Bear)

Communities include: Flat River, Wood Islands, Little Sands, High Bank, White Sands, Guernsey Cove and Cape Bear.

Attractions include: The Wood Islands Ferry Terminal; Lighthouse and Interpretive Museums at Wood Islands (open for tours) and Cape Bear; Gallo Design Studio and Crafts, take-out restaurants, the Plough the Waves complex at Wood Islands; Rossignol Estate Winery; the Little Sands United Church built in 1898; Wood Islands and Northumberland Provincial Parks; beaches (Simon’s, Wood Islands and Northumberland Provincial Parks and Panting’s Shore); harbours and wharfs (Wood Islands).

Activities include: Sailing from Wood Islands, walking/cycling portions of the Confederation Trail and bird watching.

Festivals/Events include: The Annual 70 Mile Yard Sale mid September

The Three Rivers – Brudenell, Cardigan and Montague – were designated part of the Canadian Heritage River System in 2004. This is a 73km watershed that winds through towns, villages, and communities, draining into Cardigan Bay. The Three Rivers flow, as they have for centuries, past farms, fisheries, and shipyards.

Three Rivers Discovery Route (Murray Harbour North to Cardigan)

Communities include: Sturgeon, Albion, Lower Montague, Montague, Brudenell, Georgetown, and Cardigan.

Attractions include: Garden of the Gulf Museum (the Island’s oldest); Kings Playhouse Theatre; several historic wood, brick and sandstone churches; A. A. Macdonald Memorial Gardens in Georgetown; Georgetown Veterans Landing; Cardigan River Heritage Centre and Marina; the Lighthouse at Panmure Island, the Island’s oldest wooden lighthouse (open for tours); Roma at Three Rivers National Historic Site; Brudenell River and Panmure Island Provincial Parks, and St. Andrew’s Point Day Park. Mellish Pond Heritage Road; beaches (Panmure Island Provincial Park beach, Brudenell River Provincial Park beach, West Street, Morrison’s, and Parkers); marinas (Montague and Cardigan); harbours and wharfs (Graham Pond, Sturgeon, Lower Montague, Montague, Georgetown and Cardigan).

Activities include: Championship golf at the 18-hole Brudenell and Dundarave courses; boating along the Brudenell, Cardigan and Montague Canadian Heritage Rivers; horseback riding and walking/cycling portions of the Confederation Trail; Tranquility Cove Adventures in Georgetown; Bogside Brewing and Copper Bottom Brewing in Montague.

Festivals/Events include: The annual Show and Shine Car Show the first weekend in July, annual First Nations Powwow at Panmure Island and Roma Gala Heritage Feast at Three Rivers, as well as dozens of ceilidhs, live theatre performances and community festivals in several locations. Three River also hosts Canada Day in Cardigan, Georgetown Days mid July and Art & Culture Festival the end of July with parades, games and lots of music. Cloggeroo is hosted by in Georgetown in August.

Eastern Harbours Discovery Drive (Cape Bear to Murray Harbour North)

Communities include: Cape Bear, Beach Point, Murray Harbour, Gladstone, Murray River, Point Pleasant, Cambridge and Murray Harbour North.

Attractions include: Cape Bear Lighthouse with its Marconi Station display; the Kings Castle Provincial Park (Free Day Park) with a playground in Gladstone; Murray Harbour’s Rail Head Park & Interpretative Centre; the Murray Head cliff site offers a great view point and rugged shoreline; an old growth pine forest, with a 200 year old stand of trees by MacLure’s Pond in Murray River; two Heritage Roads (County Line and Klondyke) beaches (Beach Point, Kings Castle Provincial Park, Seal Cove and Poverty Beach); marinas (Murray Harbour and Murray River); harbours and wharfs (Beach Point, Murray Harbour, Machon Point and Murray River).

Activities include: Sailing; community gardens in Murray River Memorial Park; walking/cycling portions of the Confederation Trail. Seal Cove’s 9-hole golf course in Murray Harbour North, and house boat rental at Nellies’ Landing. There are also 3 private campground that offer a variety of activities.

Festivals/Events include: The annual Northumberland Fisheries Festival in Murray River (last weekend in July) and ceilidhs (check the Calendar on our web site for current listings).

The small community of Lakeside, is home to a marquee attraction, The Links at Crowbush Cove, recognized as one of the top ten golf courses in North America. This 79km drive with its proximity to a Canadian Heritage River (the Hillsborough) is also known for fishing, birding and paddling. The extensive Confederation Trail is popular for hiking and cycling with St. Peters to Midgell one of the most scenic sections of the Trail. Abegweit First nation band live at Scotchfort; Bedford on the north and Stratford on the south, provide the entrances to Points East Coastal Drive, when travelling in a counter-clockwise direction.

Hillsborough River Discovery Drive (St. Peters to Stratford) and (St. Peters to Bedford)

Communities include: Midgell, Marie, Morell, Red Head, Bristol, Lakeside, St. Andrews, Savage Harbour, Mount Stewart, Glenroy, Scotchfort, Fort Augustus, Mermaid and Mount Herbert.

Attractions include: Hillsborough River Eco-Centre; The Links at Crowbush Cove golf course; Fox Meadow and Peake’s Tee; The St. Andrews Chapel built in 1805; One of the most scenic sections of the Confederation Trail runs from St. Peters to Morell; Mooneys Pond; Dromore and Pigot’s Trail; look offs located at Midgell and Scotchfort; monuments (Hillsborough Canadian River, County Monaghan and Scottish settlers); parks (Leo Rossitor and Robert L.Cotton, Tea Hill and Pondside); beaches (Crowbush Cove/Lakeside, Savage Harbour and Blooming Point); harbours and wharves (Red Head, St. Peters Harbour, Savage Harbour);

Activities include: Golf, birding on the Hillsborough Canadian Heritage River, hiking, cycling, paddling, Atlantic Salmon fishing on the Morell River, trout fishing, and deep-sea fishing at Red Head.

Festivals/Events include: Abegweit First Nations Annual Mawiomi (Powwow) and The Morell River Run Festival. 

Eastern Beaches Discovery Drive (Rollo Bay to Campbells Cove)

Communities include: Rollo Bay, Souris, Chepstow, Little Harbour, Red Point, Kingsboro, Bothwell, South Lake, East Point, East Lake, North Lake, Elmira and Lakeville.

Attractions include: Museums (Fisheries Museum at Basin Head, Railway Museum and Miniature Railway at Elmira and Cheverie Monument at North Lake); the East Point Lighthouse and Souris Lighthouse (which are open for tours); Provincial Parks (Red Point and Basin Head); Scenic Look Offs (Rollo Bay, Souris Beach, and Kingsboro); a wildlife sanctuary and The Myriad View Artisan Distillery at Rollo Bay; the Matthew MacLean Building in Souris; Heritage Roads (The Glen and New Harmony); beaches (Souris Beach, Little Harbour, Red Point, Basin Head’s Singing Sands, Bothwell and North Lake); marinas (Souris); harbours and wharfs (Souris, North Lake). Here you will also experience a variety of dining places,

Activities include: Deep sea and tuna fishing out of North Lake, “Tuna Fishing Capital of the World”; golfing at Rollo Bay; photography, birding, and enjoying miles of fine white sand beaches; cycling/walking Confederation Trail.

Festivals/Events include: The annual Fiddling Festival, Mermaid Tears Seaglass Festival, Golaholla Festival, Village Feast Festival. 

Eastern Bays Discovery Drive (Cardigan to Rollo Bay)

Communities include : Cardigan North, Seal River, Newport, DeGros Marsh, Launching, St. Georges, Bridgetown, Poplar Point, Annandale, Little Pond, Howe Bay, Eglington, and Fortune Bridge.

Attractions include: Acadian settlement is recognized at Fortune Monument, St. Alexis Church Bell at Rollo Bay and the Rollo Bay cemetery; Parks (Sally’s Beach Provincial Park, Launching Point and Bay Fortune Day Parks); beaches (Launching Pt., Annandale, Sally’s, Bay Fortune); harbours and wharfs (Launching Pt, Annandale, Bay Fortune). There are also some wonderful restaurants in the area featuring both food from land and sea.

Activities include: Photography, birding, clam-digging, and cycling. Bridgetown hosts a Hiking Trail, Forest Hill Horse Trail and a 12.5km Water Trail on the Boughton River for canoeing or kayaking.

Festivals/Events: (Check Events on our web site for current listings).