Prince Edward Island has a large selection of beaches that encompass the province’s national park. We had already visited Greenwich National Park after it was recommended to us by our bed & breakfast and to enter the national park area, you have to pay a fee (CAD$7.80 per adult) which is valid for the entire day. All of the beaches just west of Greenwich are also part of the national park, so we figured we would take advantage of having already paid and head to the beach for the rest of the day. We ended up stopping at Brackley Beach, PEI. However, we quickly realised we weren’t going to be able to stay here for long.
How to get to Brackley Beach, PEI
There are a number of places to park to head to the beach along the Gulf Shore Parkway East. As we were visiting later in the afternoon, many of the car parks were completely full so we just continued down the road until we unknowingly made it to Brackley Beach. This beach was actually the last stop before you then exited Prince Edward Island National Park. The parking lot was huge and had plenty of space, so we figured we’d stop here and spend a few hours lounging in the sun before returning back to Charlottetown.
Why it’s not worth stopping at Brackley Beach, PEI
Before I dive into what I didn’t like about Brackley Beach, there are definitely some positives. I will say that the beach itself is huge and the views looking out to the ocean were stunning. There was also ample space to sit down without being anywhere near other people, especially if you were to venture down along the beach some more. I would recommend going for a walk down the beach, as the sand dunes are actually quite impressive. The amenities available were also good – there was a changing room facility and a small concession stand.
That being said, the sand wasn’t very nice, there was small rubbish (think cigarette butts and the like) everywhere, and the wind was insane. Ultimately, it was the brute force of the wind that ruined Brackley Beach for me. I’ve honestly never been to a beach that was this windy before – my towel was constantly flipping up and over me and the wind was relentlessly whipping the sand all over us and our belongings. If you’re going to head to Brackley Beach, I would go so far as to recommend bringing a tent so you can have a bit of refuge. Or just spend the entire time in the water and not laying out on the beach. We barely lasted an hour or two before we couldn’t take it anymore and left.
