Day 31 St. Martins NB

 October 4 2022 - St. Martins NB

The charming fishing village of St. Martins population 280 is on The Bay of Funday, As the tide retreats, red sandstone caves emerge.

What a great day, sweater weather again.

Once a shipbuilding centre, this gateway to The Fundy Trail Parkway is famous for its red cliffs, echo caves and birdwatching activities. This is a lovely seaside community whose daily rhythms are guided by the rising and falling of the World's Highest Tides.

 

There are two main areas to stop, each of these were packed with tour buses. Amazing. And it was so nice not having to get back on a bus.

The harbour is tremendously photogenic. It's encircled by two covered bridges, a lighthouse and public gardens.

Quaco Head Lighthouse stands on a scenic point with an excellent view of St. Martins' beach and the Fundy Trail coastline. This 1855 tower was replaced in 1966 and altered a decade later with a concrete structure.

New Brunswick's only two-lane covered bridge was built in 2022 on the same alignment as the original 1935, 22 m (72 ft.) Vaughan Creek covered brige, which served as the primary link between St. Martins and what is now the Fundy Trail Parkway.

The new 32 m (105 ft.) long bridge is one of North America's rare double-barreled covered bridges, and includes a pedestrian walkway. Its design resembles the traditional style of New Brunswick’s covered bridges while taking into account today’s operational needs and accommodating larger vehicles and buses. The main façade is made of the same materials as the original bridge: hemlock and cedar from Norton. Part of the original façade was salvaged and donated to the Village of St. Martins.

At high water, the colourful fishing boats bob in the water in the village harbour. Once the tide recedes, those same boats sit in the mud on the ocean floor!

The original name of the community was “Quaco”. Quaco is the Akan (Derivation of Mikmaq word Goolwagagek meaning haunt of the hooded seal). The area west of the village is still named West Quaco. In 1604 Samuel de Champlain named the rising outcrop of land Cardinal's Cap.