The Cape Shore: Let me fish off Cape St. Mary's!

SignalHillHiker · #1 Posted **Oct 21, 2012, 1:06 AM**

The Cape Shore: Let me fish off Cape St. Mary's!
Newfoundland and Labrador

The Cape Shore is one of the most scenic drives on the south coast of the island of Newfoundland, and it passes through some of the most historically important communities on the island - including the former capital of Newfoundland when it was controlled by the French, Plaisance.

Here is the route we took, with a 120-kilometre detour because we missed a turn:

And here is an appropriate song while viewing these pictures, as it's about the places you will see...

• Video Link

We started in St. John's, which was radiant as usual this morning:

Old St. John's from TD Place by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Then it's off to Colinet, the village that marks the begining, more or less, of the Cape Shore:

Colinet by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Colinet Trail by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Colinet Trail by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Next up is North Harbour, a small fishing village:

North Harbour by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

North Harbour by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Then it's Branch, a picturesque village that blends fishing with agriculture:

Branch by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Branch by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Then there's more scenic driving, and numerous small villages:

The Cape Shore by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Gooseberry Cove by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

The Cape Shore by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

The Cape Shore by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

And then it's Plaisance, a town with a big history. 350 years ago, it was the capital of French Newfoundland (Terre Neuve):

Placentia by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Fort Royal, Castle Hill by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Placentia by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

I never knew this was a word outside of Skyrim:

Skyrim? by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Placentia by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Placentia Mall by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Placentia Mall by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Mary Brown's, Newfoundland's equivalent of KFC:

Mary Brown's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Grouse by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Castle Hill by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Castle Hill by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Then we have to head backwards for 66 kilometres because we missed out turn to Cape St. Mary's:

Across the Bay by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

The Cape Shore by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

The Cape Shore by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

And, finally, Cape St. Mary's:

This Cape always reminds me of the lyrics to a folk song:

"She's been tortured for centuries, her stories untold,
She's struggled with fortunes unknown,
Laid bare by the glaciers that scraped her to the bone,
Taking soil to make Grand Bank shoals,
She's been battered for eons by the cold, biting wind,
Chewing rocks into soft beaches of sand,
Carving her face, giving us a place,
That we now call Newfoundland.
She's a rocky isle in the ocean,
And she's pounded by wind from the sea,
And you may think that she's rugged and cold,
But she's home, sweet home, to me!"

Cape St. Mary's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Warning by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Cape St. Mary's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Sunset by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

And, finally, the drive back to Placentia:

St. Bride's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

St. Bride's and Seahorse Cloud by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

With a stop in Argentia, a former American base that is now one of the places where Marine Atlantic ferries linking Newfoundland to Canada arrive:

Argentia by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Argentia by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

And, then, finally, back in St. John's:

Old St. John's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

Cabot Tower and St. John's by SignalHillHiker, on Flickr

MolsonExport · #2 Posted **Oct 21, 2012, 2:48 AM**

S_t_u_n_n_i_n_g_!!!

MonkeyRonin · #3 Posted **Oct 21, 2012, 1:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I never knew this was a word outside of Skyrim:

Fittingly, just about everything here (well, maybe not that Placenta Mall...) looks like it could be straight out of Skyrim.

Just wonderful.

Danny · #4 Posted **Oct 21, 2012, 1:59 PM**

Very nice tour and pictures! Thanks for sharing.

I like very much those landscapes. Those places must be wonderful to relax and to breathe deeply while observing the coast and the cliffs. I´d like to experience a tour there.

Congrats and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

MrChills · #5 Posted **Oct 26, 2012, 2:18 AM**

Wow.. Very nice!

SignalHillHiker · #6 Posted **Sep 22, 2013, 11:51 PM**

Well, b'ys... Ayreonaut and I went back to Cape St. Mary's today and, this time, the gannets (large seabirds) that are the area's claim to fame were out in force.

It was a completely different a far superior experience. :-)

Cape St. Mary's

• Video Link

Passing through Placentia on the way to Cape St. Mary's.

The birds are here!

I took a quick video:

• Video Link

The interpretation centre was open for tourists.

On the way back home, we stopped again in Placentia to climb to Castle Hill, where an old fortress once guarded this former French capital of Newfoundland.

We also swung out to Argentia. The view across Placentia Bay toward several islands and the Burin Peninsula was great.

Argentia is yet another former American military base, and there are still lots remnants of it in the surrounding hills.

We figure mine is probably one of the first little Civics to make it up there.

*****

And one of Ayreonaut's (unprocessed) photos, just to give you an idea how close you can get. That's me on the cliff!

mrnyc · #7 Posted **Sep 23, 2013, 12:40 AM**

so nice to see this!!

montréaliste · #8 Posted **Sep 23, 2013, 12:41 AM**

Amazingly beautiful. What a fantastic shoreline.