Canada Guide
Newfoundland and Labrador
In 1840 an American clergyman named Robert Lowell described Newfoundland as "A monstrous mass of rock and gravel, almost without soil, like a strange thing from the bottom of the deep, lifted up, suddenly, into sunshine and storm", an apt evocation of this fearsomely beautiful island, which is still referred to – by Newfoundlanders and mainlanders alike – as "The Rock". The island's distant position between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of St Lawrence has fostered a distinctive culture, distinguished by a close sense of community and a remarkable dialect, in essence an eclectic and versatile mix of old Irish and English. The dialect developed because the outports – the ancient fishing settlements that were home to the first Europeans – could only be reached by boat, though today almost all are connected to the skein of side roads that plug into the principal highway, the Trans-Canada. This sweeps 900km from the southwest corner of the island to the Avalon Peninsula, where St John's, the capital of the province (of "Newfoundland and Labrador"), sits on the northeast shore, the region's largest settlement by a long chalk.
Iron ore mines and hydroelectric schemes drive the Labrador economy, but these industrial blemishes are mere pinpricks in the barely explored wilderness that defines this part of the province. Unimaginably vast, Labrador boasts some of Canada's highest mountains, wonderful fjords, crashing rivers, a spectacular shoreline with minuscule coastal settlements and a forested hinterland teeming with wildlife. A trip here is not something to be undertaken lightly, but Labrador's intimidating landscapes match anything in Canada's far north – recommendation indeed. The biggest hydro scheme in Labrador is at Churchill Falls, completed in the 1970s despite being the subject of a bitter dispute between Newfoundland and Québec. Neither side could agree on the allocation of the profits, forcing some surprisingly bellicose exchanges. In one, a Newfoundland senator, a certain Alexander Baird, was roused to declare, "We Newfoundland-Canadians don't want to fight, but, by jingo, if we have to, then I say we have the ships, the money and the men", to which Québecois senator Maurice Bourget added sneeringly – "and the fish".
Highlights
1 St John's This lively port, with its fine coastal setting and bustling nightlife, provides the best introduction to Newfoundland's life and times.
2 Witless Bay sea-bird reserve Puffins galore as well as thousands of other sea birds gather here from May to October.
3 Trinity The best-looking village in Newfoundland, its handsome clapboard houses and white picket fences sitting pretty by the bay.
4 Gros Morne National Park Some of the wildest scenery in eastern Canada, a wonderful mix of plunging fjords and rearing mountains.
5 L'Anse aux Meadows The Vikings reached North America long before Columbus and the archeological evidence is here to prove the point.
6 Red Bay Once the world's largest whaling port, now a historic highlight of the southern Labrador coast.
7 The Northern Ranger Summer-only steamship that dodges the icebergs as it weaves its way up the north Labrador coast amidst wondrously wild scenery.