Blogs from Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada, North America - page 6

I left the Bay of Islands for the Port au Port peninsula on the west coast. First stop was a hike at the Gravels, the isthmus where the Port au Port peninsula begins.This is a lovely, well-maintained coastal trail of seven km in length. At a leisurely pace it took me about two hours, including my pictures and four launches of a "message in a bottle" at different parts of the trail. The views were of course coastal in nature with magnificent views of the bays and beaches and unique rock formations typical of Newfoundland's coasts. While in Stephenville I walked the short trail (15 minutes one way) that led you along a stream bed to a number of fossilized trees in the water. A trail to do if you have nothing else to do. Following ... read more

Another good day in Newfoundland despite the constant threat of rain. I found three walking sticks at three different beaches (sorry Suzanne). I started the day off with a short 1 km trail - Steve's Trail. It led to a rocky beach where one could see examples of volcanic rock. I also launched a "message in a bottle" while there. Then off to Broom Point where one could walk around a seasonal fishing settlement. Fishermen fish for short periods of time with no permanent residence at the location. The day before while driving I noticed large stretches of sand and sand dunes which I wanted to visit. I found the Shoreline Trail and walked for about 10 minutes to large sand dunes and a long stretch of sandy beach. Imagine, sand dunes in Newfoundland. If it ... read more

While in Twillingate I visited nearby Durrell with some fishing shanties, beaches and rock formations. Today was also the day I hiked the seven km French Beach/Spiller's Cove Trail; a moderate/difficult rating. A lovely trail, coastal in nature with views galore. You are typically hiking high above the ocean but usually in sight. A challenging trail with numerous and strenuous up and downhill areas. In a few select areas you are indeed scrambling over the rocks making it that much more challenging. Rugged in places, just like a good hiking trail should be. Finally, after 2 and a half hours, I completed the trail. Next up, the Lower Little Harbour Trail. Shorter ( 5 km), and less ambitious, it has two focal points - a 30 foot natural arch, and a shorter trail to Jones Cove. ... read more

Despite the fourth day of rain, had a busy day today. First stop was Elliston where I wanted to see the root cellars. Elliston is the root cellar capital of the world with over 130 spread over town, some still functional. Interesting to see storage methods of days gone by. While in Elliston, there is a well-recognized puffin viewing site where you can see puffins up close. I missed the fact that this was seasonal based upon the birds migration. As it turned out, right place, wrong time as not a single puffin was seen. Oh well, the root cellars were worth the trip. Off to Bonavista to view the majestic red and white lighthouse and scramble (carefully) around the cliffs viewing the action of the waves. Although still functioning, in previous times it was manned ... read more

Leaving St John's today for a 3 plus hour drive to my hostel in Trinity East. Although raining as I was driving, fortunately it stopped as I arrived allowing me to contemplate hiking the Skerwink trail in the area that afternoon. This is a 5.3 km trail marked as moderate/strenuous. The first km was relatively flat and easy going through trees and along a roadway or trail. The next 3 km hugged the coastline providing ample opportunities to view the ocean, various coves and beaches, and numerous sea stacks, with multiple observation points along the way. It is a rugged trail and extremely wet given the amount of recent rain. The various up and downs of the trail ( and there are many) reflect the trails rating. It took over two and a half hours for ... read more