Considering a trip to the east this summer for Argos-Riders touchdown Atlantic in Halifax at the end of July. My wife spent her summers growing up on the coast in Nova Scotia and we’ve been to New Brunswick and PEI twice but never Newfoundland.
Debating the option of flying Halifax - St. John’s or the ferry to Channel-Port aux Basques and driving across the rest of the way and maybe back.
Anyone been and have recommendations on dos and don’ts?
The ferry is expensive with a car, and will waste a few days. But car rentals on the rock are not cheap. I totally lucked out with Avis on a one way from St John's to Deer Lake for ~$500 for 10 days or so. I'd check on the price on that, because the drive is probably something you only want to do one way. We went to Twillingate, which is a really cool place to watch icebergs(though late July might be too late for it). Hiking in Gros Morne is incredible, but if you aren't up for that you can take a boat here:
Just the wife or are there kids as well? Eight hours in a ferry can be a lot with kids on top of driving time, so unless they’re losers like I was (is?) and the ferry in itself would be a highlight of the trip, I’d shy away.
But kids aside I’d suggest the ferry because it seems more ‘Maritime-y’. Arriving on the coast is definitely more of an island feel and makes it feel like a more special and isolated place than arriving by plane. Just imagine coming up to the coast in the fog, the coast breaking through, maybe this is how the early explorers came upon the place. Something special about that.
But again, it’s a not insignificant amount of time. Do you like boats and do you have a day to essentially spend in transit? If both answers aren’t yes, take the plane.
The Following User Says Thank You to Roughneck For This Useful Post:
Just the wife or are there kids as well? Eight hours in a ferry can be a lot with kids on top of driving time, so unless they’re losers like I was (is?) and the ferry in itself would be a highlight of the trip, I’d shy away.
But kids aside I’d suggest the ferry because it seems more ‘Maritime-y’. Arriving on the coast is definitely more of an island feel and makes it feel like a more special and isolated place than arriving by plane. Just imagine coming up to the coast in the fog, the coast breaking through, maybe this is how the early explorers came upon the place. Something special about that.
But again, it’s a not insignificant amount of time. Do you like boats and do you have a day to essentially spend in transit? If both answers aren’t yes, take the plane.
My son will be 7 but he travels like a champ be it plane, train, automobile or ferry.
Still trying to figure out why he’s good with travel but difficult at home!
Only considering the ferry because it’s seeming like $450 total round trip for 3 + car. Return flight Halifax - St. John’s is pricing out at $1500 and then I’d have split car rentals.
Still yet to price out things like one way car rental or a multi city airfare to cut out a leg but my travel agent Fuzz seems on it!
Depends how much time you have. If you have 5-7 days, I would consider taking the ferry to Port Aux Basque and then spending the time touring around the Northern Peninsula and do the rest another time.
Whatever you decide to do, it will be great!
The Following User Says Thank You to Dentoman For This Useful Post:
Suncor flew my family and I out to St John's once for a week long interview and relocation session. It was a really cool place and as a tourist there was lots to see and do. We didn't have time to venture too far from the city though. It is expensive out there but they know how to party and have fun. I've heard awful things about the ferry though so I'd say maybe consider flights instead.
The Following User Says Thank You to calgarygeologist For This Useful Post:
The drive across Newfoundland is long if you take the Port-aux-Basque crossing.
If you take the Argentia crossing the ferry is longer but I think you're an hour or two from St. John's.
If you do take the ferry, a day crossing to Port-aux-Basque don't worry about a cabin but stay the night in Port-aux-Basque or Corner Brook. Don't drive at night, with the moose on the highway you won't see them until you ram them with your car and they fall on your roof.
If you cross at night or to Argentia, get a cabin to sleep.
My office is walking distance to the ferry terminal in North Sydney so I can give advise on the drive from Halifax to Sydney. It's been years since I did the crossing and even longer since I drove across Newfoundland.
I'm happy to tell you anything you want to know (that i know anyway). Feel free to PM me.
__________________ "Calgary Flames is the best team in all the land" - My Brainwashed Son
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Maritime Q-Scout For This Useful Post:
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
__________________
Shameless self promotion
The Following 4 Users Say Thank You to surferguy For This Useful Post:
Take the night crossing in North Sydney and book a cabin. That way if travelling with kids you have your own room.
I live on the West Coast in Corner Brook and IMO there is so much you can do just on the West Coast alone. If you want a good party head to St. John's and George Street but if you are taking family, I recommend staying on West Coast.
Definitely will take some Newf classes on Rosetta Stone.
Spend just under 2 weeks driving across the island in 2019, staying in various small B&Bs (support local businesses! Newfoundlanders are the best people in the country and the smallest B&Bs are the absolute greatest).
After being immersed, you immediately find yourself drifting into the accent which I thought was pretty funny - but it's not as pronounced in St. Johns.
Was always told to avoid driving at night because of all the moose but strangely I only countered one mum and baby and that was on the second day on the island.
You'll be amazed at how different the terrain is in every region, from the forests in in the interior, to the mountains of the west. The drive along the western coast through to the Viking Trail is amazing. Don't expect TransCanada speed limits. The Viking stuff at L'Anse aux Meadows can be a little touristy but still a must, as is a stay in Twillingate.
Do embrace the local culture, traditions and foods.
Oh and a stop in Dildo is funny and all, but the people there are also super nice.
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to craigwd For This Useful Post:
Tell Me About Newfoundland
