[surferguy]

I went with my parents and 2 1/2 yr old son in 2018. I very much enjoy large and grandiose landscapes, I discovered that NFLD delivers on that front - it was absolutely stunning.

We rented a camper van and did a two week on parts of the eastern shores.
If you are going, rent a car and hit the road to explore.

We headed north to twillingate and Fogo island. Fogo was a super neat place to visit and check out. It is so remote, they even had seal on the menu in some restaurants. If there are icebergs to see, you will see them up around here. The year we went was a poor year for icebergs. Wrote about Fogo here:

Spoiler!

Fogo Island, the very definition of the end of the road. The last outpost of land before the rocks slip under the liquid and plunge into the abyss. There is nothing beyond this place but a myriad of icebergs carried by the Labrador current.
This area is the epitome of isolation. Centuries old homes pot mark the seaside grasping to anything they can. Some have been kept up while others teeter on the brink of ruin, forever at the mercy of a strong Nor'easter. The residents take it in stride, it's their home and we all understand that no place will ever match home.
Fogo does hold some surprises for those willing to seek its shorelines. The very definition of juxtaposition comes to mind when describing the Fogo Island Inn.
Modern minimal design perched above the natural Canadian Shield. The spruce clad monolith is an architectural wonder, the antithesis of anything I'd ever expect to stumble upon in the Canadian East.
The hotel was established as a social enterprise to give new life to the island via employment, financial means and a way to draw more people to the last signposts. The best part, it's working and that is just cool. Reinvention through innovation.
Over and above the hotel there are four unique homes spread across the island that are unlike anything I've seen. Built as artist spaces through residency. They are only accessible by foot traffic and are located in some of the most majestic settings imaginable.
Modern isolation.
It's simply raw beauty here.

Trinity is a neat little town worth a visit. I was also taken aback by Bonavista. The vistas in and around the point were breathtaking. I wrote about while I was visiting:

Spoiler!

Bonavista NFLD is a special place. A barren landscape pitted with boulders poking out of the long soft grasses, perched high on the sea cliffs overlooking the cold North Atlantic.
The wind sweeps across unabated, shaping and twisting the few small shrubs that have managed to take root.
Looking out to the horizon beyond a pair of icebergs lies nothing but an unforgiving body of water. The relentless drone of air by your ears whistles the whispers of the lost souls of the Grand Banks and beyond. Not quite isolation but a taste of it.
This area of Canada is built on the backs of folks unafraid of doing what it takes to provide for their families. It could not have been easy to settle these lands nor could it have been done alone.
A commonality that persists through to today. Community. Friendly. The very personification of the province stapled onto the picturesque streets of colorful salt box homes.
It's been a pleasure to witness a couple of days in their corner of this nation. I should spend more time exploring off the beaten path. I'm surprised every time I do it.

In the south you can visit the Burin Pennisula, I always end up here during my visits as this is where my parents grew up. It’s kinda cool to visit St Pierre Miquelon. Bring your passport!

Closer to St John’s - we did a drive down south on the Avalon Pennisula on something called the Irish Loop. Some cool rocky beaches down near Trepassey and St. Vincent. Whale watching in Bay Bulls and some neat coastal exploring in Ferryland. Wrote about that here:

Spoiler!

Shrouded in mystic we toured the shores of the southeast coast of the Avalon Peninsula. As we headed south the skies descended and unleashed a torrent of rain.

Spilling over their banks the brooks were flush with the rush of fresh water, tinted brown from the tannins of the forest roots they had just permeated.
As the road continued the rain tailed off and the fog moved in. Thick as cold molasses transforming everything it enveloped into greyscale. The distant tree lines on cascading ridges becoming just a lighter silhouette that the one before.
It was here that I first saw the raw power of the North Atlantic Ocean as it pounded upon the cobbled beaches of St. Vincent.
Under the mysterious mask of the dense fog a tremendous shore break of angry blue frothy surf continuously bashed against the stones. The unmistakable sound of the clacking rocks as the waves receded put a smile on my face as I found myself inside this incredible ambiance.
There is nothing sweeter than discovering a brand new beach, especially when you have no idea what it looks like on a clear day. Nothing but imagination to fill in the spaces beyond.
Gord Downie once sang about how he always wanted to go to a place called Mistaken Point, Newfoundland. As it turns this all happened just around the corner. I guess today I got to go.

TLDR: NFLD is ####ing awesome. It is barren and wild. It is home to some of the most genuine people you will ever meet and it should unequivocally be on your list of places to visit in your lifetime.

Go-seek-explore