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William Ennis
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William Ennis
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William Ennis
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William Ennis
Words by William Ennis
The Newfoundland shores, craggy, yet alluring, remain one of the most desired places to visit. They may be remote to visitors from the west coast, but they were not a day trip for the first European callers either. As far back as 1500 years ago, maybe even earlier, the Vikings sailed past these shores.
Around 1000 years ago the Vikings set up a long-lasting settlement, making them the first from Europe to settle in North America. The Vikings didn’t leave many documents behind which probably explains why, when Europe was awakening from the dark ages into an exploratory mode, that they arrive sooner. There they were inventing the wheel again, or at least telling people there must be other lands somewhere over there to the east and please find some money so we can send a boat out to explore.
Then there was Columbus, all excited and full of news about the new land he'd discovered. Poor man, he was just a Johnny-come-lately. Yet it's only in recent years we've learned about the early voyages of discovery by the Vikings.
There are even suggestions that early fishermen reached the fishing banks off of Newfoundland, yet kept their find a secret to protect their clandestine fishing spots. It was the research leading to the discovery of the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows on the tip of the Northern Peninsula that revealed the long lost secret of the early Viking visits.
If you make your way to Newfoundland on the ferry from Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Port aux Basques you will follow the main highway, leaving the shore and heading north and east across the centre of the province. You will find that many of the very picturesque fishing villages are found at the end of some very long drives off the Trans-Canada Highway. Burgeo is 148 km (92 mi), Harbour Breton on the Connaigre Peninsula is 220 km (137 mi), and the Burin Peninsula is about 200 km (124 mi), but don't let the distances stop you from visiting. The drive is part of the enjoyment. Many of the roads pass from forested hill country to cross the glaciated, rolling barrens before entering the rugged coastal areas where views along the ocean are especially scenic.
Way over east is St. John’s, on the Avalon Peninsula. Be sure to stop the RV at its spacious Pippy Park, just blocks from the historic downtown area and the harbour. You will want to take some time to walk along the streets and admire the colourful buildings.
A perfect bay, a narrow inlet lined by cliffs, creates a well-protected harbour. The defense was enhanced with gun fortifications along the entrance and it is here that rows of cannons remind us of the times when the English and the French battled trying to hold this area for themselves.
It is the birthplace of long-distance radio communication. At the peak of the hill is Signal Hill National Historic Site where Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901.
You may also, as with most north coastal regions in Newfoundland, view majestic icebergs in the spring and early summer. I suggest that on your way down from Signal Hill you visit the Johnson Geo Centre which has the best displays of the earth's geology that I've seen. The exhibits are easy to understand and very interesting. The centre displays how a large chunk of Newfoundland is formed from land that was ripped off the European plate as it drifted away from the North American plate.
In most of the coastal areas of Canada, you will find scattered, tiny villages but Newfoundland is very rich with them, providing great photo opportunities, and places to walk and discover a different way of life. The rocky cliffs see gaily coloured homes looking as if they were glued somehow to the rocky crags. In nice weather, you can expect beautiful green and blue water, although in stormy weather it quickly turns to dark and threatening. Along the rocky beach are many fishing boats drawn up, while others bob away their time on a leash beside the dock. Seemingly random piles of fishing gear, such as nets, floats, and ropes litter the beach. These are the tools of the resident fishermen.
North of Gander, the Twillingate area has long attracted visitors to its scattered islands, deep bays and rocky coasts. John Cabot’s ship, or at least the replica, The Matthew, is located at Bonavista.
The Bonavista Peninsula offers the well-preserved idyllic old town of Trinity. This is not the place to wander in with a large RV unless it's compressible. The payoff is that it's a great place to walk along the narrow streets and enjoy the village atmosphere, the old church, and rustic buildings without too much traffic.
Turning westward you will eventually arrive at the fantastic scenery of Gros Morne National Park where cliffs reveal important clues to the creation of North America. Rocks normally found many kilometres deep in the earth’s crust are found thrust high above the sea. The continental glacier scraped and shaped much of this land, and carved massive fjords into the Long Range Mountains. When the great glacier receded, the earth's crust, which had been depressed with the tremendous weight of the ice, began to rise, leaving the fjords landlocked high above the ocean. For visitors, the great difficulty is the fact that this park is mostly accessible only by trail. Hike to these long, narrow lakes to marvel at the beauty of the cliffs, or climb up onto the top of the Long Range Mountains for panoramic views. For the RVers, there are several camping areas strategically arranged along the highway to help you explore the park.
Travel a bit further north and you will find the National Historic Site that lays to rest the fairy tale of Columbus discovering North America. Take time to visit the site of the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows on the Northern Peninsula. When you look around it has beautiful scenery but it is very stark and barren. It makes you wonder why they chose to stop here, and not further south in a more hospitable climate.
The story of Vikings stopping was only revealed after extensive excavations. Now when you visit you can see re-constructed turf-walled buildings, with turf-covered pole roofs. There are very large homes, which must have been hard to heat during the long winter.
Inside you will find fine displays showing their clothing, and tools, many made of metal. Staff, dressed in period costume, will demonstrate how the Vikings extracted crude iron from deposits of bog iron found in the area.
To end your tour, travel across the ferry to Labrador, and head north to a well-maintained historic fishing village. The Battle Harbour Historic District cares for this fishing village that dates back to 1770. It closed because of declining fish stock and then started to deteriorate as things do when not maintained. This is now a precious window to the past due to the Battle Harbour Historic Trust goal to protect and restore the buildings.
The village is located on Battle Island just offshore from mainland Labrador and easily reached by taking a comfortable ferry ride on the MV Iceberg Hunter ably piloted by the friendly Captain Jim Jones. The old buildings hold a treasure trove of artefacts related to the fisheries, such as nets and other fishing gear, including the old scales used to weigh the fish. Exploring them will fill your day.
It’s rewarding to plan to overnight in one of the original old homes where the ambiance of earlier days may make you stay on for a while. Here you can wander and explore, and eat great meals, or just do nothing but relax. Observe the nearby flake, a deck, where they placed the fish during the day to dry. This was a laborious job because they had to gather up the fish at night or during inclement weather to keep them from getting wet.
This is a tough place to live. You have to be hardy to manage it and you need to like remoteness. However, people are very friendly and always glad to help the traveler. The hospitality along with the magnificent scenery creates a very rewarding drive.
For more information:
http://www.marineatlantic.ca/en/ About the ferries