L’ANSE AMOUR, LABRADOR – Travelling by road around Newfoundland can be a long and winding road and sometimes down right mind numbing. Labrador is called the Big Land but the island of Newfoundland is pretty big also and the Trans Canada highway that goes through the middle by-passes the best parts. Here is the thing, if you think you are going to pop over to Newfoundland and see it all in a week you are mistaken.
The major sites people want to see at St John’s, Trinity-Bonavista peninsula, Gros Morne National Park and Lanse aux Meadows viking site. Let just leave Labrador out of this for a bit.
If you fly into St John’s and rent a car you have a 3-4 drive to Trinity and Bonavista. Gros Morne National Park is 8 hours away and if you are really committed it will be 11 hours to L’anse aux Meadows with minimal stops. St John’s to the Marine Atlantic Ferry terminal at Port aux Basques is over 800km. To do it justice you would want two weeks to cross the island and back hitting the major sites.
If you only have a week the suggestion is to pick one side of the island or the other and don’t spend half your week on the highway. Most people grossly underestimate how big the island of Newfoundland it.
Arrive by plane in St John’s or Deer lake or arrive by car from North Sydney, Nova Scotia and explore the west coast of the island in peace and a leisurely pace.
If flying book accommodation and rental cars early. There is always a shortage here in the summer.
We’ll leave Labrador for another day.
