The Irish Loop, St. Vincent’s, Cape Race, Cape Spear and St. John’s

We left Clarenville this morning and headed for the local Timmy’s for bagels and coffee. From there we drove down the Trans Canada towards St. John’s and our last night in Newfoundland. We did decide to drive the Irish Loop and I think I can say for everyone that we are glad that we did spend a little extra time on the road. We had four stops planned along the Irish Loop. First was St. Vincent’s to do some whale watching, then Cape Race for the lighthouse, onto Ferryland and Cape Spear for more lighthouses and other activities. Just north of St. Vincent’s we stopped along the highway and hiked down to the ocean where we spotted some minke and fin whales close to shore. The abundance of something to eat and the deep waters just off the shore make this a prime spot for whale watching. We stayed for 20 or 30 minutes and then decided to drive the last few kilometres to St. Vincent’s. St. Vincent’s has a boardwalk and a huge beach and is supposed to be the prime spot in this part of the province to see whales. Well we missed them and am glad we made the stop up the road because when we got there we didn’t spot one. The kids didn’t seem to mind too much as the surf here was huge and they spent the better part of an hour chasing the breaking waves and throwing more rocks into the Atlantic. I have mentioned their tendency to do this, haven’t I?

From there it was onto Cape Race. The drive there was an adventure on its own. It was 22 kilometres of dirt road to the Cape. But it was worth it and it was something on my list of things I wanted to see. Cape Race was deemed a national historic site because of its important role in wireless communication and international navigation. It was the first landfall for ships sailing from Europe to destinations in North America. Built in 1856, the light tower contains a rare 20 ton hyper-radial lens that can be seen for 24 nautical miles, making the Cape Race light one of the most powerful in the world. Michael, Jeremy and Alex even climbed the stairs INTO the centre of this lens as it was operating. Our tour guide might have been new and didn’t know if we should have done that or not. But given the chance to climb inside one of the largest lighthouse lenses in the world, they jumped at it. The 2.3 metre high light floats in a half-ton mercury bath (this is what I read while there – but I don’t know what it means), and is the only hyper-radial lens in North America. Cape Race is home to the Marconi Wireless Station where wireless operators heard and relayed Titanic’s distress signals as it went down less than 400 miles away. To get to the top of the lighthouse you have to climb stairs inside what is basically a large concrete silo. What makes this incredibly scary is that the stairs are built into the side walls of the structure and don’t have any visible means of support. I was wobbly kneed the whole way up. I’m not sure if the photo does it justice – but it was scary. It was also something we weren’t expecting as every other lighthouse we had been in had enclosed staircases to the top. The kids loved it – Peggy and me? Not so much.

After that it was another 22 kilometre gravel road trip back to the main highway and up towards Ferryland. As it was getting late in the day we made a quick stop near the lighthouse and took some pictures of it and also one of the cannons that was used to protect the harbour.

From there it was onto Cape Spear. The Portuguese named this location “Cabo da Esperança” which means “cape of hope”, which became “Cap d’Espoir” in French and finally “Cape Spear”. The oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador is located at this, the most easterly point of land in North America. It has been restored to its 1839 appearance and shows how a lightkeeper and his family might have lived in the mid-19th century. The site is surrounded by spectacular scenery and wildlife.

After Cape Spear, it was into St. John’s and our hotel. We love the Marriott in St. John’s. It’s brand-spanking new and close to everything. Tomorrow we will sleep in and explore St. John’s before heading to the airport for our flight back to Ottawa.