C2C: Baccalieu Trail Newfoundland

Our adventure today was to tour the Baccalieu trail. The name Baccalieu is derived from the Spanish and Portugese name meaning codfish. As early as 500 years ago fishermen from Portugal, Spain and the Banques crossed the ocean to fish in the rich grounds off this peninsula.

Our first stop on our trip around the Baccalieu Trail was the picturesque village of Cupids. Settled in the 1600`s it is the oldest official British Colony in Canada. In 1612 Nicholas Guire`s wife gave birth to the first recorded birth of an English child on what is now Canadian soil.

At Bay Roberts we saw this whale bone arch marking someone's driveway and although I thought it was pretty unique we saw several more before the day was over.

This is an odd thing to take a picture of but notice the intriguing name.

In Bay Roberts we saw a farmers out selling their produce by the roadside so we stopped and bought the fixins for a Jigg's Dinner. It consisted of cabbage, carrots, turnips and potatoes all in the same bag. This is how it turned out .....m-m-m....Thanksgiving Dinner.

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At Spaniard's Bay we saw this beautiful and huge Anclican church. I was surprised at how many Anclican churches we saw in Newfoundland.

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V>Although it was threatining to rain Molly and I got to have a little run on the beach at Harbour Grace. It amazes me how the houses are perched pratically on the edge of the cliffs. No foundations needed when you build your house on solid rock!

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We stopped at Bay de Verde which is located almost at the top of the peninsula. The name is Portugese meaning Green Bay. Bay de Verde was initally popular to the French, English, Spanish and Portugese for it's abundant supplies of fish. Caribou was also plentiful in the area and the visiting fishermen hunted them as well. The community is still popular for its fish but is seeing increasing amounts of tourists as well.

At Red Head Cove we found it hard to find a place to perch long enough to take a picture but the view was spectacular. Even on a calm day, which it was, the sea was displaying her power and sheer force.

On to Grates Cove, home of the Grates Cove Rock Walls Historic Site where hundreds of rock walls, formerly used for walling in vegetable gardens and protect them from the grazing sheep, are scattered here and there. It amazes me that people would even attempt farming with so little soil available and the constant battle with rocks and harsh weather is a constant. These are truly hardy souls.