Hostels on the Island Walk

2020 was a tough year for the Tourism industry in PEI and virtually everywhere else in Canada as well. The province was essentially locked down in March, April and May as a result of CoVid-19. The number of visitors needing overnight accommodations picked up a little in June and again in July as a result of Islanders visiting unfamiliar parts of the province. By August, visitors were taking advantage of the Atlantic bubble and our excellent summer weather. As a result, overnight stays nearly doubled in August from July but were still down 40% from 2019. 

Island Trails decided not to promote the Island Walk this year but focused instead on building and fine tuning our new Island Walk website.  Linda Lowther, our lead consultant on the project, chaired several Zoom meetings with her excellent team.  Kate Westphal, one of the team members, developed a beautiful logo for the Walk, and Heather Ogg, another team member, assembled some amazing photos which are now featured on the website. Shelby MacDonald did a great job creating some social media excitement. Her collaboration with Sporting Intentions was especially well received with her online free backpack contest reaching thousands of PEI outdoor enthusiasts. Approximately 10 groups hiked parts of the walk in spite of CoVid restrictions that limited the size of walking groups. 

I've been continuing to fill orders (nearly 400 so far) for the Island Walk guidebook in spite of the pandemic.  I've also given presentations on the Island Walk to the Calgary and Victoria Chapters of the Canadian Company Of Pilgrims. There is lots of interest from all over the country in this new walking adventure. 

One of the persistent questions we've been getting is, "Are there albergues along the Island Walk route?". For those who've walked the Camino, albergues are a pilgrims best friend. These hostels are located in every town and village along the Camino.  They offer an inexpensive alternative to hotels and B&B's and they often serve inexpensive meals too. 

PEI has lots of B&B's, cottages, and restaurants but not many hostels. There are two that I've highlighted on my accommodation spreadsheet - the Brackley Beach hostel in Brackley (day 18) and the HI Charlottetown Backpacker's Inn (day 32). Both are reasonably priced ($34 and $47) but both did not open in 2020 due to CoVid.  Hopefully, they will be back on track if CoVid restrictions are lifted early in 2021.  

Two new hostels are also in the advanced planning phase. Kildare Lodge near Alberton (day 11) was open for private group bookings this summer and fall. The lodge is new and located right on the beach near Alberton. It will accommodate up to 24 guests.

 

The Inn at Spry Point (day 25) is building an extension that will accommodate guests looking for hostel accommodations. The Inn and Kildare Lodge are both strategically located and will be able to offer multi-night accommodations (up to seven nights).  Kildare Lodge is working with Transportation West (a local taxi/bus company) to provide transportation to and from the trail for those who want transportation as well as accommodation. The Inn at Spry Point may be able to provide a similar service if numbers warrant. 

In addition to these facilities, private accommodations are available on an ad hoc basis for those who want to stay with "hiking friends" along the way. The best way to find these accommodations is to join the Island Walk Facebook Group and search there for local hikers who want to encourage use of the Island Walk. 

To sum up, we are hoping to have even more accommodation options available in 2021 for people who want to try the Island Walk. All we need now is an ability to welcome visitors without the mandatory 14 day self-isolation that is keeping PEI safe from CoVid.  Lifting the self-isolation requirements is something that may come with the CoVid vaccine that's expected to be available in early 2021.