Though I’ve been visiting the island since I was a little girl, Grand Manan has opened up to me in new ways since I started running. At 21 x 9 miles, it’s just the right scale, and there are abundant trails, long, flat stretches of road, and rolling hills to choose from. Last weekend, I tried a new route–running from the cottage in Castalia to the Whistle and back. After the run to the point, I trotted down to the rocky beach to take in the view.

The Whistle is a lighthouse that perches on a relatively small ledge at the most northerly point on the island, and it is the spot to be at sunset. On any given day, a mix of locals and tourists gather to watch the sun dip below the horizon while catching up on island news.

On the beach, I breathed in the cool, salty air and watched a low hanging fog creep across the rocks. After a few minutes, I scrambled back up to the road for the return trip. This run is seriously hilly, but the weathered concrete is pretty smooth and there’s a decent shoulder if hips and knees need a rest.

After suffering through my first half-marathon on Grand Manan last July, I had decided I’d put off the longer races until the cooler fall temperatures. Two days of running on the island might have changed my mind…