We woke up snug in our little tent to the sound of heavy rain pattering on the nylon roof – and it was cold – about 8 or 9 C. We grabbed a coffee and scone at an Irving’s Restaurant, bought lunch, and set off up the western side of the Bonavista Peninsula towards Bonavista.
Bonavista is a very interesting and pretty town with a population about 4000. It’s probably the largest town we have seen in a few days and definitely an area worth visiting for a couple of days. We wished we had longer there, but we needed to keep to our schedule so that we would be able to catch the ferry from Cartwright to Happy Valley Goose Bay.
The Ryan Premises is an extremely interesting and well done explanation of the fishing industry in Newfoundland. The interpreters are very knowledgeable, and the exhibition is professional, artistic, and easy to understand. We learned about the different boats that fishers used, the different methods of fishing, the process of the industry, and the “truck” system – which I am sure led to much manipulation of the fishers by the merchants. There were displays about the animals in the region, and the life the people led. Very well worth seeing.
After that we went out to Dungeon Park where we saw some extraordinary rock formations, and had lunch in a blustery, cold wind - we sat in the car overlooking the ocean, watching for whales, but saw none!. This was also the "Commons" where residents grazed cattle, sheep, and set up their little vegetable plots. We also saw the lighthouse, which is really special and quite a unique shape erected in 1843. The lights are quite special since they came from Scotland’s Inchcape Rock where they had been in use since 1811.
Next we went to Elliston, the “root cellar” capital of the world – also saw the partridge berries growing and we walked out a peninsula to see a puffin colony. The Puffin is the national bird of Newfoundland. They are quite fascinating and we loved watching them. At Maberley we had magnificent views of the ocean.
Then it was back to Terra Nova and the second night in the park, after catching dinner in a very pleasant setting in Charlottetown.
Bonavista is a very interesting and pretty town with a population about 4000. It’s probably the largest town we have seen in a few days and definitely an area worth visiting for a couple of days. We wished we had longer there, but we needed to keep to our schedule so that we would be able to catch the ferry from Cartwright to Happy Valley Goose Bay.
The Ryan Premises is an extremely interesting and well done explanation of the fishing industry in Newfoundland. The interpreters are very knowledgeable, and the exhibition is professional, artistic, and easy to understand. We learned about the different boats that fishers used, the different methods of fishing, the process of the industry, and the “truck” system – which I am sure led to much manipulation of the fishers by the merchants. There were displays about the animals in the region, and the life the people led. Very well worth seeing.
After that we went out to Dungeon Park where we saw some extraordinary rock formations, and had lunch in a blustery, cold wind - we sat in the car overlooking the ocean, watching for whales, but saw none!. This was also the "Commons" where residents grazed cattle, sheep, and set up their little vegetable plots. We also saw the lighthouse, which is really special and quite a unique shape erected in 1843. The lights are quite special since they came from Scotland’s Inchcape Rock where they had been in use since 1811.
Next we went to Elliston, the “root cellar” capital of the world – also saw the partridge berries growing and we walked out a peninsula to see a puffin colony. The Puffin is the national bird of Newfoundland. They are quite fascinating and we loved watching them. At Maberley we had magnificent views of the ocean.
Then it was back to Terra Nova and the second night in the park, after catching dinner in a very pleasant setting in Charlottetown.
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