South Labrador Coast
In 2005, having nothing better to do, I drove the Trans Labrador Highway clockwise from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Happy Valley, then took a ferry - the blue line - to Cartwright (a road has since been opened which bypasses the ferry route). From Cartwright, we drove the south Labrador coast, took the ferry to Newfoundland and proceeded home via another ferry to Nova Scotia.
This year, during another trip to Newfoundland, we spent a little more time on the Labrador coastal drive.
The ferry to Labrador runs from St. Barbe to Blanc Sablon, Quebec.
This narrative begins at Red Bay and describes a few points south. Advocates of the Labrador Coastal Drive will say this little narrative does not do justice to its splendor. They will be absolutely correct.
Red Bay was a major whaling station in the late 1500s used by the Basques. It was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO just a few days ago. It’s a fascinating display put on by Parcs Canada; rather than describe it myself, read about it here.
Looking east across Red Bay. That white thing to the right of Saddle Island in the distance is the obligatory iceberg.
We stayed nearby at the Harbour View RV site which overlooks the bay. This is four 30 amp poles just off the highway....
...right near where route 510 bears left, turns to gravel and proceeds north to Cartwright and Happy Valley.
Driving south from Red Bay, a new section of road takes one to the coast with views of the Pinware river.
The Pinware Provincial Park is a beautiful place to stay; this is a sand peninsula separating the river from the Strait of Belle Isle. We stopped for a short walk on the beach.
Town of Pinware. Newfoundlanders call the white pieces "bergy bits."
The icebergs were plentiful. All the way from Greenland, I read recently this is an exceptionally heavy iceberg year.
We stopped at a lookout over L’Anse au Diable, a resettled community. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Provincial Government paid up to $1,000 per household and $200 per person to move to areas with better access to roads, services and schools. The plaque reads: “The resettlement program caused a great deal of social upheaval in the rural parts of the province.”
After a quick stop in L’Anse au Loup for cash at an ATM (Visa/Plus is ubiquitous)..
..we drove on to the Point Amour Lighthouse.
Like I said, the icebergs are plentiful this year. More info about the lighthouse here.
A climb of 128 steps takes one to a breathtaking view of the Strait of Belle Isle. A placard relates an anecdote when Jeff Wyatt, the lightkeeper from 1919 to 1963, was cleaning the fresnel lens on a sunny day and his sweater caught fire.
In the tradition of Clattertruck, our Lance camper from atop the lighthouse.
On the road back to route 510, one can stop to view the wreck site of HMS Raleigh
She was a heavy cruiser of the Royal Navy, whose officers were looking forward to a fishing trip in Forteau in August 1922. The ship was only three years old when she swerved in fog to avoid an iceberg, went hard aground and eleven men drowned. Jeff Wyatt managed to get the rest of a 700 man crew accommodated. The ship was a total loss – the Admiralty was so embarrassed by frequent photos showing up in the press that they blew her up four years later. To this day, pieces of cordite still wash ashore.
Those dark spots on the rock beach are rusted pieces of the ship.
We stayed in an RV lot across the street from the Northern Lights Inn in L’Anse au Clair.
The visitors center from the RV park in L’Anse au Clair, once a church.
Overlooking L'Anse au Clair, one can stop at a memorial to the men of the Labrador Straits who were lost in World Wars I and II.
Able Seaman John C. Barney, L’Anse au Loup
Able Seaman William Barney, Forteau
Private William Bolger, West St. Modeste
Able Seaman Robert G. Brown, Red Bay
Able Seaman Essau Roberts, Forteau
Corporal William Tracey, Pinware
Cornelius Glenn, Able Seaman, L’Anse au Diable
Albert P. Letto, Private, L’Anse au Clair
Leaving from Blanc Sablon for Newfoundland, Apollo boards from the stern.
Election campaigns were in full swing for the Cartwright- L’Anse au Clair seat. The hot issues were: 1) poor road conditions, 2) lack of cell phone service and 3) Internet access. I can attest to all three.
Once back on the island, we spent more time exploring. Some highlights:
The obligatory whale picture, this one in Bonne Bay. A 30 foot Minke.
Blow Me Down Provincial Park, a short drive from Corner Brook. Excellent campsite – we were the only people at this beautiful pebble beach.
Boutte du Cap Park, Cape St. George, an hour or so west of Stephenville. We were alone overnight near this monument to the Acadian heritage of the people of the Port au Port Peninsula.
Finally, for those like me who cannot live without the Internet, the public libraries of Newfoundland all have free wifi. This one is in Port Saunders, near Port au Choix.
More info, including lat/long for the GPS addicted, can be found here.
