We arrived in Shediac at around 5pm and checked in at Maison Vienneau B&B. After a discussion with the owner about the trails in the area we went to have supper at the Gabrielle Inn, which we’d seen as we drove through town earlier. The restaurant provided a pleasant atmosphere and the menu choices were very interesting. The special was a smoked seal meat appetizer. I was intrigued but I wanted something more so I chose the Buffalo Linguini. These are two things that I have never seen on a menu before so I had to try at least one of them. It was a good choice. The buffalo meat was similar to shaved steak but had a bit stronger, but nice taste. I will have to pick the smoked seal the next time.

Following our meal we decided to do a loop of trails around Shediac, more to stay awake than for the exercise and photo ops. We parked on Pointe-du-Chêne Road where the hiking trail crosses. We walked up the road towards Pointe-du-Chêne to a small inlet to take pictures of the small walking bridge on the Downtown to Pointe-du-Chêne Trail. We ended up taking more pictures of the 5 blue herons in the lagoon. After we got tired of the herons we returned to the Pointe-du-Chêne Road to Parlee Beach Trail. The trail went through the woods to the road to Parlee Beach then continued through the woods on the other side of the road to Parlee Beach. The trail eventually brought us to a large field. After a short walk down the road we came to the beach.

We explored the beach and watched the clouds roll overhead, lit on the edges by the sun trying to shine through. We then made our way towards Pointe-du-Chêne Wharf. After passing a few lighthouses, some groups of people including two weiner dogs, and a couple trying to enjoy the quiet evening until we passed by, we realized that we were quickly running out of beach. We made our way up over the dunes to the parking lot and found that we had to back track to a small bridge that crossed over an inlet that we didn’t see. We followed some dirt roads through some subdivisions and found our way back to the Pointe-du-Chêne Road near the wharf. We continued past the road for a block and turned left on Railway Avenue looking for the trail that crossed the little bridge we took pictures of earlier.

We found the end of the Downtown to Pointe-du-Chêne Trail at the end of Railway Avenue and crossed the small bridge. By this point it was getting too dark to take anymore pictures. We continued until the junction of the trail and turned left leading back to the car.

That was day 1 of our Southeast Coastal Adventure. More to come as we have a full day tomorrow. Lets hope it doesn’t rain too much.

For more information on the trails in the Town of Shediac go to Hiking NB’s Town of Shediac page.