The Southern Shore - in places almost as Irish as the Blarney Stone and Guinness. This stretch of coast, reaching from Cape Spear to St. Mary's Bay to the south, is known for it's distinct Irish culture. A long history of settlement is also present, complete with Pirate raids and attacks by the French and Dutch.
Cape Spear is also home to a WWII gun emplacement, consisting of an extensive network of tunnels, old foundations and two massive guns. This gives and idea of just how close WWII came to the shores of North America. The second picture is taken looking back from the road leading to the Cape, and shows the rocks on which so many vessels have come to grief. This area is known for it's unpredictable waves, which have been known to wash away those foolish enough to go too close. The third picture looks back towards St. John's from Cape Spear, with the Narrows located to the left of the ship. The fourth image is of the new lighthouse, perched majestically on a rocky bluff. The fourth picture is an old favourite of mine, just because I think it's a little comical, but it does serve to warn hikers about the dangerous waters surrounding the cape.
South along the coast from Cape Spear are the communities of Maddox Cove and Petty Harbour. Petty Harbour is an extremely photogenic community, and has been the setting of a major motion picture. The "horror" movie Orca was filmed here back in the late 70's or early 80's (I'm not too sure). It starred Gordon Pinsent, and involved a revenge seeking killer whale. Classy. Petty Harbour itself can be seen in the first picture, taken from harbour and looking towards the north-west. Petty Harbour is also the site of one of the oldest hydro-electric projects in Newfoundland, being built to power the street cars that once operated in St. John's. The powerhouse and penstock can be seen in the second picture, which is taken looking down over the town. The powerhouse is the first building on the left, and the penstock can be seen near the base of the telephone pole.
Further south along the coast we visit Bay Bulls. This community has a long and rich history, visited by fishing vessels from many different nations for centuries. Pirate raids and attacks by French and Dutch marauders all add to it's colourful past. It was during one of these French raids that the HMS Sapphire was scuttled and sunk by her crew to prevent it from falling into enemy hands. This is the second oldest shipwreck ever found in North America, as it's hull is still present at the bottom of the harbour. The general location of the Sapphire's final resting place is shown in the first picture below. This picture also shows the area known as Bread and Cheese (yes, I'm serious). The second picture is of an unusual and unique set of church gates found in this community. If you look closely you'll notice that the posts are made from ship's cannons. The third picture is taken overlooking Bay Bulls Big Pond, a part of the water supply system for St. John's.
Bay Bulls is also the home of some excellent whale and bird watching tours. My personal favourite is O'Brien's Bird Island Charters, who operate their tours from the newly constructed chalet shown in the first picture, where one can also enjoy traditional Newfoundland fare and pick up some souvenirs. The second picture is taken during one of these boat tours, and shows North Head, at the entrance to Bay Bulls itself. There is an excellent hiking trail which leads out to this lighthouse, and one can actually get inside and climb the stairs to the top. The view is worth the hike, as the top of the lighthouse offers an excellent vantage point to look for whales offshore. In addition to whales, the Witless Bay Bird Sanctuary, where puffins, murres, razorbills, gannets and herring gulls nest and feed. Tens of thousands of birds fly overhead, dive into the water and streak underneath your boat. The last picture is taken on the return trip, following an awe inspiring performance by a humpback whale, which breached almost a dozen times clear out of the water. The sunset was a perfect ending to an exhilarating trip.
Further south, the community of Witless Bay can be found nestled on the hills surrounding the bay for which it is named. Another community with a long and rich heritage, Witless Bay is typical of other communities such as Mobile and Tors Cove, just a short distance away. Tors Cove, shown in the second picture, shares the rich history of Witless Bay and Bay Bulls, and is also considered one of the most picturesque towns in Newfoundland. A tranquil harbour, guarded from the fierce North Atlantic by a large grassy island, has graced many calendars and portraits. While the picture below may not do it justice, it should only serve to encourage you to come for a visit yourself.
Taking a side road from Tors Cove, one can visit the communities of Burnt Cove and Bauline East. Returning to Tors Cove and continuing south, the towns of Brigus South, Island Cove, Admiral's Cove and Shores Cove line the road as it winds past the town of Cape Broyle. Similar to the towns of Petty Harbour, Mobile, Tors Cove and several others along the Southern Shore, Cape Broyle has a small hydro-electric generating station, shown in the far right of the picture below. It was in these small Southern Shore communities that hydro-electric power was first produced back in the first half of the century, and due to the efficiency of these plants, production continues to this very day.
Just a short drive away the towns of Calvert and Ferryland occupy opposite sides of this protected harbour, sheltered by numerous small islands and Ferryland head. The first picture below if of Calvert. Pictures two and three are of Ferryland harbour and Ferryland head respectively. If you look closely, you can see the Ferryland Head lighthouse off in the distance. Besides being very old and historic communities in their own rights, it was at Ferryland where one of the first colonies in Newfoundland was established, The Colony of Avalon. For a full story of this archaeological site, please visit The Colony of Avalon Home Page. This excellent site provides far more information than I ever could, so please take some time and check it out. The archaeological dig itself is shown in the fourth picture below, but again, please visit the web-site for better images and information.
The name of the community of Aquaforte is not only rather unique but is also a very apt description of this very sheltered anchorage. The inner and outer harbours are separated by the low hill pictured below, which effectively hides the inner harbour from the wind and waves, and in centuries past, from marauding pirates and privateers. The town of Port Kirwan is located nearby, accessible via a short side road further out the coast.
The origins of the names of Fermeuse and Renews are both subject to some debate, but, like the name Aquaforte, they help to illustrate the influence that French fisherman had on the name of many areas of Newfoundland. These communities are separated by a narrow headland, at the tip of which one can visit the village of Kingman's. The pictures below show the sheltered harbour of Fermeuse and the more windswept harbour of Renews.
Cappahayden. It's odd name defies explanation, and is of course completely unexpected in an area known for such abnormal place-names. The pictures below are of a beach just south of Cappahayden, just before the road heads overland to the other side of Cape Race. While this is the last community on this side of Cape Race, there was once another settlement a little further south - the abandoned settlement of Chance Cove, a settlement that vanished without explanation. Stories of ghosts, pirate raids and foul deeds surround this area. Many who visit the area still speak of strange noises and restless spirits, although the full story of what happened here will likely never be known. I would suggest however that you visit the East Coast Trail Association's web-site and read about the disappearance of Chance Cove. Perhaps I will make it to Chance Cove someday, if only to find out for myself if the stories are true.
Cape Race has a history stretching back to the first days of European exploration of North America, and has been the landmark for which almost all Trans-Atlantic voyages were steered. Unfortunately, this same importance to navigation comes with a price. The heavy fogs which often shroud the waters surrounding the Cape make it one of the most treacherous areas for ocean-going vessels. Coupled with icebergs and shoals and formidable cliffs, this area has seen more than its fair share of nautical disasters. It was at the Cape Race Lighthouse that the world first learned about the Titanic disaster, and is also the closed point of land to where she lays at the bottom of the icy North Atlantic. A road leading from the town of Portugal Cove South leads through the village of Long Beach and on to Cape Race.
Returning to Portugal Cove South from the Cape, one passes through Biscay Bay and eventually arrives at Trepassey. Located at the Head of Trepassey Bay, this large town has always been known for it's excellent fishery, and has served as a service centre for other nearby towns. The picture below looks out through Trepassey Bay to the ocean beyond.
Cape Pine is an area that shares the grim history of Cape Race, as many ships have come to grief along these rugged cliffs. Many residents of the towns along the Southern Shore can still remember when shipwrecks were actually a necessary part of existence for some of these isolated villages, supplying much needed fuel, wood and other items that were often hard to come by or else impossible to obtain otherwise. A harsh existence born of necessity. St. Shott's, a small community near Cape Pine is typical of these isolated communities, which in the days before the roads were put through to this area of Newfoundland, were only accessible by water or by a long overland journey across the barrens. The pictures below are of the beach at St. Shott's, and of the caribou herds that wander across the inland barrens that cover vast stretches of the southern Avalon. The pictures of the caribou were taken near the turn-off to St. Shott's.
