Charlottetown is the smallest provincial capital in Canada, and it has a very large claim on the country's history. In September 1864, delegates from the Maritime colonies met here in a stone building called Province House to talk about uniting, and when representatives from Quebec and Ontario joined them, the discussion that followed led to Confederation three years later. The town has called itself the birthplace of Confederation ever since, and the old building, with its tall pillars and neat lawn, still serves as the provincial legislature.
The island itself is gentle, green and unusually red. The soil of Prince Edward Island is rich in iron oxide, and it gives the roads, the fields and the cliffs a deep rusty tint that is quite striking against the green of the crops and the blue of the water. Potatoes are the main crop, but there are also fields of grain, clover and the purple flush of lupins in June. Distances are short, nothing is far from the sea, and the pace is slow, so the island's coastal drives are about the pleasure of it rather than speed.
The Points East Coastal Drive starts here and heads along the eastern end of the island, past farms, fishing harbours, white clapboard churches and long beaches of pale sand. The road is mostly flat and gently winding, with broad views of the Northumberland Strait on one side and the Gulf of St. Lawrence on the other, and speed limits are modest, usually 80 kilometres per hour outside villages. Roadside stalls sell mussels, lobster and fresh strawberries in summer. Traffic is light, apart from the busy weeks of July and August, and the surface is generally decent, though frost heave can leave rough patches in spring.
Charlottetown has fuel stations, supermarkets and plenty of places to eat, and the waterfront is a good place for an evening walk. Mussels, oysters and lobster are the island's food, and a seafood chowder with fresh bread is a good first stop. Do book accommodation in advance in summer, because the island fills up. September is the best month, with warm days, quiet roads and the first colour in the maples. Take a layer, because sea fog and chilly winds are common in the morning, and the Atlantic never quite warms up.