by Barb Jackson, Blueberry Hill Bed and Breakfast
The
Baccalieu Trail, in the western end of the Avalon Peninsula in eastern Newfoundland,
offers visitors breathtaking scenery and a rich cultural history. Its excellent
road network, which snakes along the Trinity and Conception Bay Coastline, is
a natural route for those wishing to experience the features that make this
island such a popular destination. Around each turn is another community, beach
or rock formation, which would excite any amateur photographer.
Getting there:
The Baccalieu Trail (click
for a printable map) has two entry points from the TransCanada (Route 1).
One entry is from Whitborne by Route 80 (Exit 28) and the second is by Route
75 (Veterans' Memorial Highway) from the Roaches Line intersection..
Where to stay:
Canada Bed and Breakfast Hosts recommendation: For the best place to stay while visiting eastern Newfoundland is with no doubt Blueberry Hill Bed and Breakfast. Blueberry Hill is centrally located for touring the Avalon Peninsula. Their hospitality cannot be surpassed and their rooms are exquisitely decorated with warmth and elegance.
What to do:
Brigus, with its charming old world atmosphere and scenic appeal, has much to
offer. The historic town is best known as the birthplace of Captain Bob Bartlett.
Born in 1875 and considered an outstanding pioneer of navigation in the far
north, Captain Bartlett accompanied Admiral Peary as far as his last relay point
on the 1909 expedition to the North Pole. His former home, Hawthorne Cottage,
is a National Historic Site. The town also hosts a walking tour theatre, which
offers an animated and humorous dramatization of the Town's past. Next door
is Cupids, the first official English settlement in Canada. In 1610, John Guy
of Bristol, England established a plantation at what was then known as Cupper's
Cove. The archaeological excavations have uncovered the site of the original
plantation and over 75,000 artefacts recovered during this dig. These and other
community exhibits can be viewed at the Cupids Museum. A visit to the Archaeological
Excavation Site will enable you to see history being uncovered right before
your eyes. A visit to Bay Roberts must include the Cable Building on Water Street,
an important link in the communications network between Winston Churchill and
Franklin Roosevelt during the Second World War. It currently serves as the Town
Hall, and houses a Mercantile Museum and Art Gallery. Carbonear and Carbonear
Island in the mouth of the Harbour, hold much historical significance. Now a
National Historic Site, you can take a boat tour around Carbonear Island and
see the old cannons that have fallen on the beaches. The fairytale story of
the legendary Irish Princess Sheila NaGeira, who was rescued from a Dutch Warship
by Peter Easton's pirates, is retold every year in a dramatic outdoor musical
production. The Carbonear Museum, located in the Old Railway Station, houses
many exhibits that reflect the seafaring traditions of this community. The Coast
Line is truly compelling as you near Old Perlican, where the Trinity and Conception
Highways converge. Visit Bay de Verde Heritage House especially the Baccalieu
Island Ecological Reserve Exhibit. This island, which sits just off the coast,
features one of the largest bird colonies in the world, with Leach's Storm Petrels,
Puffins, and Kittiwakes! Grates Cove is on top of the Baccalieu Trail. Rock
walls, formerly used to wall vegetable gardens and keep out animals, are scattered
throughout the community. Here you will also find information about the Cabot
Rock, a large rock bearing inscriptions, which some claim were carved by John
Cabot himself in 1497.
The Sparkes-Kelleher House Lifestyle Museum in Sibley's Cove, provides exhibits
that portray the life of an angler. Farther on, New Melbourne has compelling
beaches with rolling surf and numerous old concrete root cellars. In Winterton
is The Boat Building Museum. Heart's Content is famous for its Cable Station,
now a Provincial Historic Site. Built in 1866, it was the North American terminus
for the first Trans-Atlantic cable laid by the Great Eastern. The Society of
United Fisherman's Lodge #1 is the first of this organization's history, and
is just one of the many heritage structures found in that community. Heart's
Desire and Heart's Delight-Islington are the other cardiac communities in the
region, as are Cavendish with its wide-open beaches that dominate the view,
and Shag Rock, which is a highlight of Whiteway's ocean view. The trout farm
in Hopeall, and the ostrich, rhea and emu farm in New Harbour, offer something
different. The colourfully named Dildo, is quite inviting. A trip to the Interpretation
Centre is a must, with its Giant Squid Replica, archaeological exhibits of Dildo
Island's Dorset Eskimo Site, and Anderson's Cove's Maritime Archaic Site, and
its sea creature touch tank. The Whaling & Sealing Museum in South Dildo
displays much about the importance of these activities in this region is past.
At Blaketown, is the Russell's Point Beothuk Archaeological Site. At Whitbourne,
the museum is the old railway station, appropriate, given the railway's importance
to the town. The Markland Cottage Winery, with its kosher wines made from local
berries, is a pleasing ending for your trip around the Baccalieu Trail. There
are frequently massive icebergs in the region in late spring, occasionally transporting
polar bears that follow the harp and grey seals south on the ice flows. Humpback
and other whales are a common site, especially when the tiny capelin roll on
the beaches usually during mid-summer, and are favourites of those taking boat
tours. Eagles, puffins and numerous other birds populate the coastline. To explore
the region, a three to four day stay is recommended.
Eating well:
There are several eateries on the Baccalieu Trail. Brown's Restaurant in Whiteway
is only 1 min. drive from Blueberry Hill. They are renowned for their seafood
and people come from far away to order from their seafood menu. Monty's in Whitbourne
has many dishes to choose from. Fong's Motel
and Restaurant in Carbonear and Restaurant 99 in Spaniard's Bay specialize
in Chinese food but also serve a variety of Canadian dishes.
