Day 20 St. John's NL

 Friday Sep 23 2022 - St. John's NL

We weren't supposed to get to St. John's until the 23rd but we changed our plans based on Hurricane Fiona's forecast as of September 21 and booked an extra night at the Hilton Garden Inn. 

Its name has been attributed to the belief that John Cabot sailed into the harbour on the Nativity of John the Baptist in 1497, although it is most likely a legend that came with British settlement. A more realistic possibility is that a fishing village with the same name existed without a permanent settlement for most of the 16th century. Indicated as São João on a Portuguese map from 1519, it is one of the oldest cities in North America. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1888. 

The city has a rich history, having played a role in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812.

 Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in St. John's. 

Its history and culture have made it into an important tourist destination. St. John's was referred to as Baile Sheáin (Johnstown), in the poetry of Donnchadh Ruadh Mac Conmara (1715–1810), and among speakers of the Irish language in Newfoundland.

John had wanted to get an oil change but there were no appointments available. We decided to drive some of the Irish Loop instead.


The Southern Shore was one of the first areas of Newfoundland to be exploited by European migratory cod fishermen (Portuguese, English and French). Most of the oldest toponyms are Portuguese in origin. By the late 16th century the Southern Shore was dominated by migratory fishermen from the West of England and became part of the so-called “English Shore”. In the 17th century the English attempted a series of formal colonies, among them, St. John’s, Ferryland, Renews, Aquarforte, and Bay Bulls. When these schemes failed as economic ventures some were left behind and were joined subsequently by other settlers (known as planters) including after the 1720s increasing numbers from Ireland. By the 1750s the Southern Shore, Trepassey Bay and St. Mary’s, the whole Southern Avalon, was predominantly Irish, and had become, de facto the “Irish Shore”. It has remained predominantly Irish in culture and tradition ever since, hence the appropriate moniker the “Irish Loop”.

We left the Trans Canada Highway and took NL 13.

According to legend, the name Witless Bay originally came from an early European habitant named Captain Whittle from Dorsetshire, England. The area was originally named Whittle's Bay, after this one family. Upon the death of Captain Whittle, his widow and children decided to return to England. Hence, the remaining settlers referred to Whittle's Bay as Whittle-less Bay and eventually, it became Witless Bay.

Then route 10. Bay Bulls is where we had scheduled our boat ride but cancelled due to Hurricane Fiona. It looked like we could have taken it, no rain in the forecast.

Tors Cove - Its old name, Toad's Cove, is believed to be derived from the Old English word "tode" meaning fox. It appears that there may be a valid basis for this conclusion, since an island near the shoreline is known as Fox Island. The name was officially changed in January 1910.

Million Dollar View!

Ferryland Lighthouse - a terrifying road (for me)! Insert bad language.

I took this photo on the way back down when I wasn't so white-knuckled.

Ferryland Head Light is an active lighthouse on Avalon Peninsula, southeast of the village of Ferryland, built in 1871. It is situated at the end of a long peninsula that juts into the sea.

Located roughly midway between Cape Spear and Cape Race, Ferryland Head was an ideal location for a lighthouse, being itself an obstacle for mariners. In the spring of 1859, “An Act to provide for the erection of a Lighthouse on or near Ferryland Head” was passed by the Legislative Council and Assembly that authorized the construction of the lighthouse using light dues, but it would be a decade before the project was started. During 1869, William Campbell and Thomas Burridge were awarded a contract for building the light tower and dwelling, a road from Ferryland Beach to the construction site was put in, and arrangements were made with lighthouse engineers David and Thomas Stevenson of Edinburgh, Scotland to provide a lantern room and lens.
It is a 25 minute hike to the lighthouse so we didn't.

This photo is from their website.

Founded by Lord Baltimore in 1621, Ferryland is not only one of the most historic communities in Newfoundland, but in all of North America.  Here too, was the birthplace of religious tolerance and freedom of worship in the New World. Incorporated in 1971, Ferryland now has a population of just over 400 people.

Ron Hynes The legendary Singer/Songwriter from Newfoundland commonly refered to as The Man of a Thousand Songs. Hynes was born in St. John’s in December 1950, and raised in Ferryland. He was a founding member of The Wonderful Grand Band, one of Newfoundland’s most popular performing groups, and has released seven solo albums. His debut album, Discovery, released in 1972, was the first album composed of totally original content by a Newfoundland artist. Hynes is a seven-time East Coast Music Awards winner, and past Juno and Canadian Country Music Awards nominee. He was named Artist of the Year (’92) and was presented with the prestigious Arts Achievement Award (2004) by the Newfoundland/Labrador Arts Council. In 2002, Hynes received an honorary Doctor of Letters from Memorial University in St. John’s in recognition of his original songwriting and his contribution to the cultural heritage of Newfoundland.

Click here to see the video if the link doesn't work.

We headed back to St. John's for a late lunch.

Click here for lunch.

Our hotel.

This is a very hilly town.

The St. John’s Courthouse has historic value because it was built as the fourth courthouse in St. John’s, the previous three having been destroyed. The first courthouse and jail, made of wood, was constructed in 1730 and remained for 100 years on roughly the same site as the present courthouse. Due to its age it was removed, and in 1831 a second building was constructed. It was two stories tall in order to accommodate the public hangings which were staged from the second story window. In 1846 this courthouse was destroyed by fire and a third building was erected as a Market House and Courthouse. When this building burned in the Great Fire of 1892 the courthouses were moved to other buildings within the city. In 1899 the government decided to build a new courthouse and the contract was awarded to Samuel Manners Brookfield for a final cost of $128,000. This contract was awarded amidst great controversy, since Brookfield was a Nova Scotian who planned to use materials for the building’s construction from his home province. Adverse publicity resulted in the use of local materials. The courthouse is also historically significant because the cornerstone was laid by HRH the Duke of York, later King George V, with a 14K gold trowel made especially for the ceremony.

The forecast looks like Hurricane Fiona will bypass us.