The tempestuous redhead Anne Shirley has given Canadian tourism yet another boost – with news that Wills and Kate are heading to Canada’s Prince Edward Island to start their first official royal tour as a married couple.
They’ll begin their adventure in the country’s smallest province – and home to Anne of Green Gables, one of Canada’s most famous exports. Prince Edward Island may be small but it can certainly pull in the punters – thousands of visitors flock to Anne’s Land every year to see the inspiration and the setting behind Lucy Maud Montgomery’s hugely popular 1908 novel.
The Daily Mail reported that Kate asked to visit the island as the book was one of her favourite childhood novels. “It is something of a sentimental journey,” said a source. The book tells of a couple wanting to adopt a boy to assist on the farm, but ending up instead with a wild young girl, Anne Shirley.
Tourism Prince Edward Island’s Brenda Gallant, told CBA, “We’re thrilled to see that there is so much talk regarding Anne of Green Gables and Prince Edward Island and it being a part of what the Royals are interested in.
“It very much is like free advertising for us. So the more attention they want to put on P.E.I., the happier we are,” she added.
The island has worked hard to preserve the rural splendour and stunning ocean views that played so much a part of the book. The Prince Edward Island National Park rangers oversee the island’s many natural treasures, including its spotless sandy beaches, freshwater ponds, woodlands and saltwater marshes. Native wildlife including eagles and ospreys can be spotted from many of the walking trails within the National Park.
Stay in one of the island’s most historic resorts such as Dalvay-By-The-Sea or Stanhope-By-The-Sea, both of which offer unbelievable ocean views. The Brackley Beach area is well known for its art galleries – Dunes Studio Gallery is well worth a browse for its sea view alone – and Island Blue Mussels pulled fresh from the sea that morning. Brits will feel right at home in the small towns of Kensington and New London, both bursting with characterful tearooms, craft shops and eateries.
Check out the view over the beautiful Charlotte’s Shore southern region of Prince Edward Island from the top of the 13-kilometre long Confederation Bridge. From here you’ll be able to see the red sand beaches, the warm waters of the Northumberland Strait and the rolling countryside for miles around. Rest your legs in the Gateway Village in Borden, which boasts The Official Island Gift Shop, a Visitor Information Centre and an interactive exhibition where you can learn more about the island.
If you fancy harking back to the time when Anne Shirley got up to mischief on the island, the tiny village of Victoria By The Sea is the perfect place to head. Twenty minutes east of Borden, the village’s gift shops sell everything from hand-dipped choccies to knitted birds and pottery, all with a real olde worlde charm. Lobster fishermen line the village’s waterfront selling their wares fresh from the waters of the Northumberland Strait – don’t go home without trying one. For hardcore Anne of Green Gables fans, the best time to visit the island is August, when the annual Lucy Maud Montgomery Festival celebrates the novel – and the island life of yesteryear.
The royal couple – who are now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – will also visit eight other Canadian spots during their nine-day tour between 30 June and 8 July. Among the sights they’ll be seeing include Gatineau, Quebec City and Montreal, Charlottetown and Yellowknife, the remote settlement in the Northwest Territories.
A St James’s Palace spokesman told the BBC: “The Canadian government has themed the tour as moving forward together from past accomplishments to current service and future achievements.”
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(Image: Smudge 9000)
