From Port Aux Basques to St. Anthony

By Darcy Rhyno

Take ’er slow. That’s my mantra as I make the drive from Channel-Port aux Basques to St. Anthony on Newfoundland’s western coast. It’s early morning, and I’ve just disembarked from the MV Leif Ericson, one of the Marine Atlantic ferries that sails from Sydney, NS into Port aux Basques, on the island’s southwestern tip.

With a full day ahead of me, I’m keen to hit the highway for the 700-kilometre drive north to the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites drawing me like magnets up the coast: Gros Morne National Park, roughly halfway, and l’Anse aux Meadows at the end of the road. I resist the urge to drive straight through because I know there will be lots of rewards for an unhurried journey. 

To practice the art of slowing down, I need a morning wakeup walk. One option is just 10 kilometres from the ferry terminal at JT Cheeseman Provincial Park, where I could stroll the white sand beach just beyond the campground. Or I could walk the beach at the mouth of the Grand Codroy River where the sandspit on either side of the causeway is now the Codroy Valley Provincial Park. I decide on Cheeseman, but only because it’s closer to the highway. 

Refreshed, I head inland on the Trans-Canada Highway for the 145-kilometre drive to the French Ancestor’s Route through Stephenville and out to the somewhat under-appreciated Port au Port Peninsula. Crossing the narrow isthmus known as The Gravels, I drive the bold southern coast all the way to Cape St. George, the westernmost tip of Newfoundland. 

Back in Stephenville, I check into my room, then head out for fish and chips and a craft beer at Clancy’s Pub. There’s live entertainment tonight—foot stomping traditional tunes—so it’s hard to tear myself away for curtain time at the Stephenville Theatre Festival, known for their rousing, frolicking performances with that folksy Newfoundland sense of humour. 

The next morning, I head for Corner Brook, an hour north on the Trans-Canada and my first stop of the day, the Captain James Cook National Historic Site. The little park with his statue at the centre offers a panoramic view of the city below. I read on the interpretive panels that the great global explorer, better known for charting New Zealand before meeting his demise in Hawaii, also mapped coastal Newfoundland in the 1760s. 

I check in at the Glynmill Inn for a couple of days so I can thoroughly enjoy a city that bubbles with personality. I start in my favourite Corner Brook store, the Newfoundland Emporium, where I browse the books and poke about handmade items such as mummer dolls. Next, I explore the Railway Society of Newfoundland’s museum and its gleaming railway cars, including a steam locomotive. In the dining car, I get the sense that guests are just about to arrive, the tables are so carefully set with cutlery, wine glasses and menus on white tablecloths. In the evening, I check out the craft beers and craft cocktail bar at Bootleg Brew Co. 

Because it’s a coastal city next to the great Humber River Valley, Corner Brook attracts outdoor adventurers. There’s great hiking on the Mountain Trail and at Blow Me Down Provincial Park. In winter, Marble Mountain Ski Resort is probably the top skiing destination on the East Coast, and in summer, visitors come for the kayaking, zip lining and golfing. 

When it’s time to hop back on the highway, the towns bordering Gros Morne National Park—Rocky Harbour, Norris Point and Woody Point—are just 90 minutes north. There’s so much to see and do here, it’s hard to prioritize. Hiking to the summit of magnificent Gros Morne Mountain is a full day adventure, but the list of other hiking trails seems endless. I head for the Tablelands for my favourite easy hike. These barren, red valleys and flat mountains represent one of the few places on the planet where the Earth’s mantle has heaved to the surface. I take a magnificent boat tour up the freshwater fjord of Western Brook Pond to see the waterfalls. That evening, I laugh at the antics of the Anchors Away performers at the Ocean View Hotel and take the water taxi across Bonne Bay for a nightcap. 

Back on the road, I stop at The Arches Provincial Park to walk beneath the gigantic seaside stone arches and, of course, grab a selfie for all my social media friends. Then it’s on to Port au Choix where thousands of years of human history unfold at a National Historic Site. Right in town, archeologists uncovered 4000-year-old burial grounds and evidence of Indigenous Archaic, Dorset, Groswater Paleoeskimo and Beothuk. 

At The French Rooms Cultural Centre and the reception centre on the road to the Point Riche Lighthouse, I learn more about these waves of human habitation. In Le Malouin Cove, just a few minutes from town, costumed interpreters are baking at their outdoor oven, a replica of those used 500 years ago by French fishermen. Hot from the oven, I slather rolls with local bakeapple and partridgeberry jam and devour them before taking time to admire the chaloupe, a replica of the first French fishing boats. 

At last, I arrive at l’Anse aux Meadows, that second UNESCO World Heritage Site on Newfoundland’s western coast. This significant archeological site at the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula was home to European explorers 500 years before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic. I duck into the replica sod-covered habitation built here so long before permanent European settlement, and wonder at the skill and fortitude of those sailors. 

Outside, I spot an iceberg offshore in Iceberg Alley, its great blue-white hulk like a mountainous ghost skulking down from Greenland like those early Viking explorers. 

The next morning in St. Anthony, I greet the day with a smile when I remember that I get to retrace my steps south along the coast all the way back to Channel-Port aux Basques, exploring as I go. 

Taking a deep breath, I head for the car, repeating my mantra, “Take ’er slow. Take ’er slow.”