Newfoundland drive times and lodgings
 

Our trip to Newfoundland (June 26-July 10) is starting to take shape. I've reserved some accomodations, ordered guides from the government as well as Patrick O'Flaherty's "Come Near at Your Peril" and I've searched this site. But I have questions:

Using destination-nfld.com I have some calculations of driving times, but I want to be more confident than I am. Are these in the ballpark? Depending on conditions, I usually drive 5 mph over the speed limit.
--St. John's airport to Holyrood - 45 mins.
--Holyrood to Trinity - 2-3/4 hrs.
--Trinity to Grand Falls-Windsor- 3-3/4 hrs. (or perhaps as far as Springdale - 5 hrs.)
--Grand Falls-Windsor to Rocky Harbour- 3-1/2 hrs. (or 2-3/4 from Springdale)
--Rocky Harbor to L'Anse aux Meadows - 5-3/4 hrs.
--L'Anse aux Meadows to Deer Lake - 6-3/4 hrs (or perhaps as far as Springdale - 8-1/4 hrs)
--Deer Lake to Twillingate - 4-3/4 hrs. (3-1/4 hrs from Springdale)
--Twillingate to St Bride's - 6 hrs
--St Bride's to Portugal Cove/St Phillips near St John's - 2-1/4 hrs.

I've made some reservations and welcome comments positive or negative:
--Comerford's Oceanview Suites, Holyrood
--Fisher's Loft Inn, Port Rexton -Trinity
--Ocean View Motel, Rocky Harbour
--Tickle Inn at Cape Onion
--Beach Rock B&B, Twillingate
--Bird Island Resort, St Bride's
--The Beach House, St Phillips/Portugal Cove

I sense there are vast stretches of road with no food services. Do you recommend travelling with, say, a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, fruit, snacks and water? One Newfoundland woman told me Irving gas stations have pretty good food.

The more I learn, the more excited I get about this trip. Thank you.

Tickle Inn is an excellent choice. Stunning location, wildflower walks,wonderful host and hostess. The best dining on the island and lively conversation around the table in the evenings. After dinner, they like to show films ot tell stories or sing songs.

We did bring peanutbutter along! And crackers and gorp... Not because there was nowhere to purchase supplies though, just was more convenient, and easy to pack on hikes.

Sorry, can't remember distances.

Sluggo, Sounds like your plans are really coming along. The driving times seem good from what I remember. That nfld-destination site is great. I wish I'd known about it. (But perhpas it wasn't there. ) Anyway, I don't know where you are coming from, but don't expect to be speeding too much. I found it very much a slower pace and had to adjust to not being in such a hurry.
Also, I'm very much a nibbler and don't remember lacking for places to find food or gas; especially along the Trans Canada. Perhaps on the way to Twillingate, you might want to get some snack. But certainly not a Tim Horton's on every corner once you are out of St. John's. We came across one in (I think) Windsor/Grand Falls and were thrilled.
I have heard of the Fishers Loft. We stopped there , but unfortunately, they were full. We were very disappointed. It's really nice and in a beautiful spot. ( Oh what was that movie set in NFLD a couple of years ago?... anyway some of the cast stayed at FIsher's Loft. )
I hope you are planning on going on a boat tour out of Bay Bulls. YOur timing is perfect for the puffins and iceburgs.

Your trip might strand you between those two great Canadian eateries, Tim Hortons and Irving Gas Stations for an hour at a time but not mucch more than that. The Irvings that are full-service, (not all are) serve EXCELLENT food of the diner variety: hot turkey dinners/sandwhiches,meatloaf and they do a proper Jiggs Supper (a sort of variation on the New England Boiled Supper). I am sitting in Italy, the land of superb food getting very homesick for fish and brewis from Irving in Topsail.

Thanks for the input thus far. I'm feeling more confident that we won't lack for dining possibilities but will probably buy a few groceries so we could have impromptu picnics.

Molly2, glad to hear Tickle Inn is good. Friends who passed by it (it was full) gushed about the setting. We'll be sure to eat there one night. For the other, we are thinking of the Lightkeepers Cafe in St Anthony. It's said to be famous but I don't know why. Can anyone advise?

kodi, we are from Connecticut. Your comment reminds me of a booklet I just got, which said: "Relax. You're on Newfoundland Time." Kevin Spacey stayed at Fishers Inn when they shot "Shipping News" in the Trinity area. And yes, we definitely plan boat tours.

Sluggo: You have planned a great itinerary. I don't know how long you will be at the Tickle Inn, but I hope that it is for more than one night. The setting is paradise on earth, and the atmosphere at the inn is very warm and friendly. The Adams are superb hosts.

The Fishers' Loft Inn is beautifully sited, and the food there is excellent.

If you are in Trinity on the right day, you will have a chance to see the Trinity pageant. Don't miss it.

As well, I thoroughly recommend the whale expeditions run by Dr. Peter Beamish at Ocean Contact in Trinity. He takes visitors out in a 26 foot Zodiac, and you will get closer to whales than on any other whale watching trip. You will also get a chance to see how he communicates with the whales.

The Lightkeeper's Café in St. Anthony not only serves great fish and chips, but is sited on a headland overlooking the bay with fantastic views. You should plan to have lunch there, and you will likely see icebergs and whales while you are eating. However, I would not forego dinner at the Tickle Inn to eat there. There's no comparison.

The Ocean View Motel in Rocky Harbour is a modern motel, and is probably the best place to eat there. Make sure that while you are in Gros Morne Park that you take the boat trip on Western Brook Pond. It is an unforgettable experience.

En route from Rocky Harbour to L'Anse aux Meadows, you might want to stop for lunch in Port aux Choix. I can recommend the Anchor Café there, especially for its fresh shrimp.

I know you'll enjoy your visit.

I hope you come back and post a trip report. Newfoundland is on my list of places I would like to go. I just haven't been yet.

laverendrye, thank you for the dining tips. I think we'll take your advice regarding lunch at Lightkeepers and both dinners at Tickle Inn. We hope to see the theater in Trinity and we'll look up Dr. Beamish.

LaurenSKahn, I promise to post a detailed trip report to add to the available knowledge on this great site.

Thanks to everyone for the advice thus far!

We were there last year at about the same time. Driving times seem right. Your Holyrod-Trinity and Rocky Harbour-L'Anse aux Meadows are about right but could take longer depending on weather (fog) and perhaps traffic - there never really is "traffic" but those stretches of highway are two lane.

Like most people, we were concerned about gas stations and restuarants - its not a problem although choices are limited in many places. Carrying snacks does help if you are stopping or are doing hikes etc.

Tickle Inn and Fisher Loft are great choices. Lightkeepers Cafe was great spot to see whales just off shore.

Some other recommendations:
- Church lobster supper (served from noon on) at Cow Head. The Lobster Festival is in early July.
- Gros Morne Theatre in Cow Head
- enjoy fresh snow crab legs
- Seaside Restaurant in Trout River
- Green Garden (I think that is the name) hiking trail in Gros Morne. It was our favourite hike although we did not tackle Gros Morne itself. It is a longer hike but lush vegetation and brings you out to the ocean and a beach - if you have time, pack a lunch and speand time at the beach.

Enjoy!

In 2002 my wife & I made our third extended visit to Newfoundland. We rented an apartment at Comerford's Oceanview Suites in Holyrood for the entire month of July and used it as a base for daytrips and a couple of overnight trips to Twillingate & Harbour Breton. Our apartment was nicely furnished, spotlessly clean, and graced with a friendly & efficient staff. We've stayed three times at the Ocean View Motel in Rocky Harbour. It is a pleasant, modern motel. Their restaurant serves decent meals at resonable prices. However, a better choice is the Fisherman's Landing Restaurant across the street which serves large portions of sea food at very low prices. The only downside is that, at times, it is extremely crowded with lines out the door.
We never had a problem finding places to eat. As mentioned above, the Irving restaurants serve very good food, much better than you would expect. They are light years ahead of the restaurants on the interstate highways & turnpikes in CT, NY, NJ, and PA. (We live in PA).
The driving times you listed seem realistic but allow for dense fog in certain areas, e.g. Come By Chance on the TCH near Goobies. Also, heed the warning to not drive at night as moose are a very real danger on the highway.
Have a great trip!

To double check your driving times, try the Provincial site: http://www.stats.gov.nl.ca/DataTools...ce/Default.asp
About food...when traveling outside of St. John's, the majority of restaurants will serve fairly traditional food (a lot of it deep fried). There are some refreshing exceptions...Fisher's Loft in Port Rexton (definitely eat dinner there since you are staying there), Java Jack's in Rocky Harbour, and The Norseman in L'Anse aux Meadows are some that I know about. You didn't mention where you were staying near L'Anse aux Meadows, but Valhalla Lodge B&B is nice (it's where Annie Proulx stayed when she was writing 'The Shipping News').

Thank you for the URL and dining tips, SDD7. In the L'Anse aux Meadows area we are staying at the Tickle Inn, which I've been advised has some of the best food on the island. One book suggests that if you arrive in NF with a cholesterol problem you'll go home in a casket!

The Bird Island Resort in St. Bride's is a friendly, clean and comfortable place. There is a fine ocean view and it can be a great spot to watch the seabirds and [sometimes] whales.
You probably know that you will be just a few miles from Cape St. Mary's - one of Canada's natural treasures. It is a MUST to visit if you have any interest at all in nature. If you have kids keep in mind that the cliffs are 300 feet with no fencing or guard rails....
Cape St. Mary's has an excellent interpretive centre and knowledgable local staff. The gannet colony [almost a 'arms length'] is awesome.
St. Bride's only has one restaurant with a fairly limited menu but Manning's store [right at the Bird Island Resort has plenty of picnic supplies. Don't forget to try some 'Jam-Jams' - a Newfoundland cookie treat.
Have a wonderful trip!

cheers
Jerry
Toronto

If you want to see even more for your money, you can take 1-2 days to go to Labrador and the Lower North Shore of Quebec. There is a ferry in Ste-Barbe (between Rocky Harbor and L'Anse-Aux-Meadows). In Quebec (Blanc-Sablon), you'll be immersed in the French language and if you cross the border over to Labrador, you can drive up to Red Bay and learn all about whale fishing, etc. It is pretty interesting. www.christellefv.com/blancsablon/ is good info.

My husband and I are planning a trip to Newfoundland (Avalon Peninsula) August 9th 2004 and will be staying for 2 weeks. I am interested in seeing your plans as to the information we might use in our trip plans too.
We'll be staying on Avalon..have you heard about places for good music? My husband is a musician..

Your trip sounds GREAT!!

SueJulene,

The music scene in Newfoundland is, to say the least, very active. St. John's is the heart of the action with just about every genre represented. If you are into traditional Newfoundland music you should note that the biggest festival on the island is on in St. John's August 6th through 8th......just prior to your scheduled visit. If traditional/ Irish/ celtic music is of interest you might consider arriving a day or two early.
Let me know your particular musical interests and I should be able to help with more suggestions.

cheers
Jerry
Toronto

Hi Jerry,
At this point it doesn't look like an earlier departure is possible.. but we will be looking more at that this week. I was raised on traditional Newfie songs like Squid Jiggin' Ground and Kelligrews Soiree as well as the Anticonfederation Song..instead of lullabuys. My husband is mostly a guitarist along the lines of Satriani and Al DeMeola..but also Hendrix and Van Halen. I studied classical guitar for awhile...so our interests are varied. We are not interested in cover bands at bars. We can get enough of that at home if we even want it.
Thanks for the info about the festival at St. John's..any other info would be great. We also want to find out about fishing... but not the expensive charter boat kind. A head boat would be nice though.. any ideas?

Thanks again,
SueJulene