The Irish Loop

Monday morning, we left St. John's to begin our journey around this province gradually making our way west but with lots of our destinations on the north coast.  We will eventually end up in Port aux Basques to take the ferry to Nova Scotia.  To start, however, we headed south on the Avalon Peninsula.

While we had already seen a bit of this peninsula on Saturday when we went north as well as on Sunday on our trip south to Bay Bulls for the boat trip to the ecological reserve, there was still a lot more to see.  The loop is actually about 312 km.  

The following is information from the Newfoundland Labrador website and easier to copy than to rewrite:

South of St. John’s, Route 10 takes you to the whale and seabird tours that operate in the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, with boats leaving from Bay Bulls, Witless Bay, and Mobile.  Thousands of humpback and minke whales stop by to feed, and the plentiful food has attracted millions and millions of seabirds to the reserve’s four islands.  Most years, 10,000 year old icebergs drift past, making for an incredible triple natural treat found nowhere else. 

Long before the modern era brought cars into common use, people often travelled between the communities along coastal trails.  That history inspired development of the East Coast Trail from Cape St. Francis to Cappahayden.  The trail offers a range of wilderness hiking and walking paths from easy to strenuous.  Hike past geographical wonders such as towering cliffs, fjords, sea stacks, rock arches, and even a wave-driven freshwater geyser called the Spout.  Headlands offer spectacular views of the coastline and wildlife. 

Ferryland is one of the oldest European settlements in North America.  The Colony of Avalon, as it was  amed, was founded in the 1620s by Lord Baltimore, whose family later founded the American colony of Maryland.  Peer over the shoulders of working archeologists as they uncover the foundations of houses and cobblestoned streets built in the 17^th century.

Cape Race was one of the first points of land in the New World observed by westward-bound sailors.  A lighthouse was built there in 1856 and tended by the Myrick family from 1874 onwards.  The nearby wireless station received and transmitted the distress signal from the Titanic in 1912.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site at Mistaken Point showcases rare fossils from 575 million years ago that show the earliest forms of deep-sea life on the planet.

In 1928, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly the Atlantic as a passenger when she took off from Trepassey.

We took the same route to Bay Bulls but continued on past Witless Bay toward Ferryland, our first stop.  Most of the drive was inland with the road winding through forests of stunted trees.  Clearly, the fabulous scenery mentioned on the province’s website cannot be seen unless one hikes the coastline.  Occasionally, but not enough, we got to see glimpses of the coast.  Ferryland has a distinct Irish feel, and with good reason.  The Irish came to dominate this shore – first as summer workers for fish merchants, then as permanent settlers throughout the 18th century.  Today, this area is known as the Irish heart of Newfoundland and Labrador. The traditions, attitudes, music, and even the accents continue to thrive here.  The Colony of Avalon, as it was named, was founded in the 1620s by Lord Baltimore, whose family later founded the American colony of Maryland.

We continued south through Fermeuse, Renew and Cappahayden toward Portugal Cove South.  For a time, the countryside changed completely to a rocky, barren landscape with no trees but dotted with small ponds and bogs.  Occasionally, there are remote looking cottages – maybe hunting or fishing cabins.  We did see some people fishing.  The countryside was very reminiscent of the Burren in Ireland.  

The road got more scenic after that with better views of the coast.  We stopped briefly at Edge of Avalon Interpretative Centre near the aforementioned Mistaken Point, known for its fossils.  Mistaken Point is actually a UNESCO World Heritage Site because showcases rare fossils from 575 million years ago that show the earliest forms of deep-sea life on the planet.  Unfortunately, we did not have time to do the walking tour to the actual site. This was also the Visitor Information Centre for Portugal Cove South.  Further along from there is Trepassy.  Apparently, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly the Atlantic as a passenger when she took off from Trepassey in 1928.  

We drove on through St. Vincent’s-St. Stephen’s-Peter’s River through Middle Gut and St. Vincent toward St. Mary (gosh there are a lot of saints around here)!  There was some gorgeous coastal scenery here.

By then, we were heading north and just followed the road toward the Trans Canada Highway through St. Joseph’s and St. Catherine’s – more saints!  At that point, we headed toward Whitbourne and on to Dildo (yes and more about that later!) for our last stop on the Avalon Peninsula.