Charlottetown PEI to Sydney NS: Along the shores of PEI, Northumberland Strait and the Cabot Trail

This is a one way ride from Charlottetown to Sydney.  Riders are responsible for arranging their own transportation to the start and from the finish.  Air Canada offers several daily flight from both cities and Porter Airlines from Charlottetown.

Prince Edward Island is often described as a cyclists dream, with quiet country roads in  flat or gently rolling terrain, an island wide rail-trail, and scenery worth slowing down for. This tour will follow coastal routes and quiet country roads around the quieter eastern half of the island, for about 300 km.  Many of the campsites will be on seaside locations.  PEI is famous for its beaches, dunes and relatively warm ocean waters.

Cape Breton Island – miles of coastline, exceptional scenery, rich culture—there’s a reason this is one of the world’s top island destinations and one of the most famous bicycle rides in Canada. Our tour will cover about 400 km of the island, along the west coast and around the famous Cabot Trail, which features some challenging hills and awesome ocean views.  Cape Breton ancestry is deep and alive in the roots of local communities. It’s a place where  Aboriginal, Gaelic, and Acadian cultures carve out communities.  Where awe-inspiring land and seascapes give way to outdoor adventure and a proud history, where roadways hug the coastline offering spectacular views. More friendly islanders.

The route between the islands will include a ferry and a ride along the Northumberland Shore of Nova Scotia for about 200 km.

Charlottetown, PEI and Sidney, NS  have airports with several flights per day connecting to western Canada, which will carry bikes in suitable containers for a fee. Cardboard bike boxes can be flattened at the start of the ride and carried on the support truck for re-use at the finish. Personal luggage should be limited to soft bags weighing not more than 30 lb.

The format for the tour will follow the tradition of CCCTS Camping Tours where participants can enjoy wonderful hearty meals prepared by the participants on a cook team rotation.  There will plenty of time to socialize in the campgrounds, and will feature live music and singing around the campfire on some evenings.  There could be opportunities to enjoy local plays or music in places such as Georgetown, PEI or on Cape Breton. The participants are expected to help with setting up and taking down of the communal equipment, washing dishes, loading and unloading the van, etc.

The support truck (15′ moving van) will be rented in Moncton NB and will load the CCCTS camping equipment from the storage locker.  The van will return to Moncton at the end of the tour and the equipment likely donated to charity.

The total route is 920 km/ 9,400 m ascent over 14 days of riding, with an average of 66 km per day. The first 6 days on PEI are shorter, on flat to gently rolling terrain, with average daily ascents of 400m, and will make a nice warm-up for the second stage of the tour.

The 8 days on Northumberland Shore and Cape Breton Island will include more climbing, with an average of 870m per day.  There are 2 days of challenging climbs on the Cabot Trail, but the spectacular views of the ocean are the reward:  Day 12, at the top of the Cabot Trail, will challenge us with 1400m of climbing over two passes consisting of 5 km at 8% gradient, and then 3 km at 12%.  There may be short sections of grades up to 14-16%. Distance that day is only 70 kms so riders can take their time.  Day 13 also poses 1300m of climbing and with a distance of 95 km.  These climbing conditions are why the tour rating is partially “advanced”. See the daily distances and ascents in the itinerary.

The route follows the coast throughout, although the ocean will not always be visible.  Traffic for most of the route is expected to be moderate or low, and we are advised that drivers are generally in the habit of giving cyclists ample room when passing.  Most of the roads will not include paved shoulders, and the condition of the pavement will vary. There are a few sections of bike paths or rail-trail with well packed gravel or pavement.  There is about 20 km of gravel rail-trail planned on Day 2, but could be avoided by riding on pavement if desired.

The support vehicle is not intended to function as a sag-wagon, but can transport 1 rider and a bike in the event of injury, illness, or mechanical breakdown.  Cook Teams share the driving responsibilities, ie. a person may only be required to drive half the day.  Drivers must have a valid Drivers License. Those who are uncomfortable driving the van may arrange to have another member of their cook team do the driving.

No arrangements for rental bikes will be made by the leader.  E-bikes transported by air may require that batteries be shipped separately.

“Ride with GPS” courses suitable for Garmin or cell phone upload will be prepared and distributed to the riders in advance to facilitate navigation.  The group will typically split into sub-groups that ride at their preferred pace. We recommend that riders do not ride alone, for safety purposes and particularly if not using a navigation device.

The fee does not include transportation to the start and end of the ride, drinks or meals or additional room charges when staying in hotels, rental bikes if desired, entertainment or admissions, ferry fare from PEI to NS.  A beer and wine pool will be operated at cost.

Registration will be on the CCCTS website on the dates shown. A  computerized lottery system and waitlist will be utilized in the event that the ride is over-subscribed.  A $100 deposit is required when registering. The lottery signup will run until the lottery closing date shown, after which time the leader will review the results.

The selection process will consider the following standard CCCTS criteria in evaluating candidates:

• fitness and riding ability and experience required for the tour,
• a history of demonstrating safe riding practices,
• a history of acceptable social behavior,
• pairing of same gender singles for hotel rooms,
• preferred candidates may be chosen by leaders for up to 30% of the registrants.

The leaders may interview registrants or others who know them to verify their suitability for the tour.

The leader will notify registrants of their selection status as soon as possible and request the successful registrants make the next payment. If the ride is not filled to capacity, registration will continue until the registration closing date shown. Deposits are non refundable, except when ride is cancelled or registrant is not accepted and wishes to be removed from the waitlist.  Tour fee payments are considered non-refundable in the event of participant cancellation, unless replacement persons are found.

Payment Schedule:

1. Registration Fee: $100,
2. Second payment approx. 2 weeks after lottery closes: $1000
3. Third and final payment May 31: $1000     Total $2,100
4. Single supplement fee, optional: $300

Communicable Illness Policy

The CCCTS Communicable Illness Policy takes into consideration regulations and recommendations from Public Health Authority of Canada, BC Centre of Disease Control, and Public Health Ontario. In the case of illness while on tour, it is expected that all participants will follow the procedures outlined in this policy.  

Please refer to CCCTS Communicable Illnesses Policy and Procedures updated March 30, 2024 for details. 

CCCTS strongly encourages all participants to be up to date on their vaccinations for COVID and all other communicable diseases. Everyone should bring 3 COVID test kits with them on the tour and take responsibility for self-testing if they feel ill.

CCCTS Air Travel Emissions Statement

A return flight Vancouver - Charlottetown is approximately 9,000 km and will produce about 1.8 Tonnes of total emissions per person. For comparison, one typical year of driving a gasoline-powered car produces 2.0 tonnes of total emissions for the car. For more information on the impact of those emissions on climate change and extreme weather events refer to Air Travel Emissions from CCCTS Tours on the club website.