It’s been a long time coming but I’m so thankful I was finally able to go back to Newfoundland.
It’s been roughly 15 years since I last stepped foot in Newfoundland and boy have I missed it. I was last there in 2006 but I can remember bits and pieces of that trip like it was yesterday. Going to my great uncle Tom’s store and picking out souvenirs, trying to get a picture with the Tillsonburg paper for their travel section at Cape Spear, and meeting some of my extended family members for the first time.
Since then, most of my family hasn’t seen me since I was 10 years old. It’s been a long time coming but I’m so thankful I was finally able to go back. When I walked into the family house on Bell Island and was greeted by my great uncles and aunts, I could’ve cried right on the spot.
Originally, we planned this trip for last year, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the closure of Atlantic Canada, it was impossible to do so. This year we needed to make the trip. Sadly, my great uncle, Dick Stoyles, passed away earlier this year. Thankfully, we were able to attend the visitation in Cambridge, Ontario, but he was always going to return to Newfoundland to be with the rest of his family.
We attended his funeral and burial on Bell Island with the rest of my extended family that either made the trip or lived nearby. Although I’d only met my great uncle a handful of times, he was always the life of the party when he was around. Uncle Dick will be greatly missed by everyone he touched.
For the first few days, we spent most of our time re-exploring Bell Island, which is where my grandfather was born. I plan on creating an entire video about Bell Island since it is a very unique place, so watch for that soon! The Stoyles family has a very deep-rooted history on the island that includes running a meat market and a general store. The meat market has been torn down with a historical sign taking its place, and my great uncle Tom has since closed his store to retire. For me, it was still interesting to see the footprint my family has left on this island.
During our fourth day, we drove to Petty Harbour. Thankfully, the Bell Island ferry had since picked up the pace from the four-hour-long wait we had on the first day we arrived, so it was easy to cross back over to Portugal Cove. Petty Harbour has beautiful houses of all different colours that dance along the hills. It was nice to walk along the harbour in the sunshine, albeit a bit fishy. Apparently, Petty Harbour also has fantastic zip lining, which I’ll have to visit again to try out.
On day five, my family left Bell Island for the final time and travelled to Signal Hill, the Johnson Geo Centre and Cape Spear. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, Cabot Tower was closed. As I mentioned earlier, I haven’t been to Newfoundland since I was younger, but I do recall bits and pieces from that trip. Back then, Signal Hill didn’t have the hiking trails that it does now. We were able to walk through a few of them when we returned during the last day of our trip, taking in the breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cape Spear is known as the easternmost point in North America. The next stop is literally Europe! The National Historic Site’s board has done a fantastic job improving both Signal Hill and Cape Spear. I definitely recommend visiting these two areas if you ever come to Newfoundland, even if you’re not a history buff, everyone can enjoy fantastic views and a bit of exercise.
Now here’s where the trip got really interesting. Day six was when my brother, mother and I planned on driving the seven-and-a-half-hour long trek to Gros Morne National Park, located on the opposite side of Newfoundland from where we were staying in St. John’s. The entire time visiting family in Bell Island, there were two things they repeated when we told them we were headed to Gros Morne: it’s going to take a lot longer to drive there than you think and WATCH OUT FOR MOOSE.
Let me start off by saying we didn’t see a single moose over the span of two days we travelled to and from Gros Morne. It’s good we didn’t see any moose while driving, but for a place that has over 3,400 living in the area, I was a bit disappointed.
Regardless of the lack of moose, Gros Morne was breathtaking. We walked three hiking trails: the Tablelands, Lookout Trail and Western Brook Pond. On day one at Gros Morne, before venturing on the two-hour journey Lookout Trail became, we forgot to look at what the elevation was going to be. In this case, it was 335 metres. A far cry from the 75-metre elevation gain our first hike was. Even if we were sore and tired after that trek, it was stunning to see the view from the top of Lookout Trail.
For day two of Gros Morne, we decided to take it a bit easier by hopping on one of the boat tours at Western Brook Pond that travels through a freshwater fjord carved out by glaciers during the ice age tens of thousands of years ago. The views were remarkable, with mountains surrounding us as we made our way to the other side of the pond and back. It’s sad we didn’t have more time to visit Gros Morne, but we needed to drive back to St. John’s during the daylight (to avoid the moose, of course!) for our flight the next day. Also, shout out to my brother for driving the entire way!
This trip was very special to me, and I know it was for my grandfather too. He hasn’t been back to Newfoundland for a while, and I could tell how happy he was to see his brothers and sisters again. Newfoundland and Bell Island will always have my heart. I can’t wait to visit again soon.
