“You won’t be happy in St. John’s now that you’ve been here, you’ll miss this place.”
Nearly these exact words were spoken to us by two different people in two different places – Fleur de Lys and Trinity. But how could we drive all this way to Newfoundland and not visit their biggest city? Besides, we were here to hike the best trails and the East Coast Trail runs right through St. John’s.
Friendly hospitality in Trinity East
We are not immune to persuasion, however, so we shaved one day off our original itinerary so that we could stop in Trinity East for a night. Like so many decisions made on this trip, we adapted our plans when our gut drew us to a particular place. Home of the Brightside Bistro and Sisters Inn, Trinity East was the perfect stop to break up our long drive from Fleur de Lys to St. John’s.
When we walked into the door of Brightside Bistro, the only thing we knew about this place was that Eric was impressed by their menu.
Yes, we alter our itineraries based on menus.
Jaime, one of the owners, greeted us as soon as we arrived and proceeded to chat with us amidst a bustling atmosphere of lively conversation. The place was bright and happy and pumping with good music. In our beautifully decorated room directly above the dining room, I threw myself on the bed with outstretched arms and said “I feel like we’ve been transported to Ireland to one of our favorite pubs.”
At dinner, we discovered Chef Nikki was off for the night so Eric would miss that menu he’d been drooling over. With the face of a sad puppy, Eric quickly recovered once his fish and chips arrived. My chicken sandwich didn’t sound exciting either but it was FANTASTIC! As was our roasted beet and apple salad and my frou-frou beverage.
Our fellow diners were a mix of hikers (LOVE seeing hiking boots in a restaurant) and the owners’ family members. Father’s Day was that weekend and they were gearing up for a big bar-b-que the next day. With the ease of a master networker, Jaime pulled everyone into conversation that night. We learned that the bistro had just opened a month ago and that evening was the first night this chef was in charge of the kitchen. No one would have been the wiser, everyone working that night moved and spoke like old pros.
At breakfast, the conversations continued and really took off once we realized we shared a passion for Dave Matthews, the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons. They actually named the cafe after a Lumineers song. Jaime showed us the coffee bar they’re adding and I could see how deeply passionate the Brightside team are about this place. They all have jobs elsewhere and drive from Gander and St. John’s – that is a real commitment and it’s always refreshing to see people doing something that they love.
Making friends on the Skerwink Trail
Besides the food, we had also chosen Trinity so we could hike the Skerwink Trail, which often makes the “top 5” of Newfoundland hikes. Skerwink was beautiful, and you should absolutely hike it, but it was very crowded. I wish we had known about the other trails in this area, especially the Fox Island Trail which looked amazing!
I was surprised at how many photos I actually took of Skerwink, because my memories of this trail are mostly of conversations or me humming a tune to distract myself from how badly I needed to pee. There were plenty of trees and tucked away places, just too many darn people.
Had we left early, however, we would not have met the lovely people that we did. One couple from New Hampshire chatted with us off and on as we swapped photo spots and we bonded with others as we approached a den of foxes with baby pups.
But the older couple from Montreal was our favorite. We spent nearly an hour on the trail visiting with them, swapping travel stories as we seemed to share the same travel style. They were very interested in our Trips to Walkabout site and challenged me to find more companies that offer walking tours in French. Défi accepté.
Towards the end of the Skerwink Trail is a beach with views of a lighthouse and island (if it’s not foggy). Most people walked right past it but we love our beach walks so we sauntered for awhile.
Exploring Bonavista Peninsula
We had one day to explore the Bonavista Peninsula and that included our morning hike on Skerwink. The town of Elliston claims to be the root cellar capital of the world and they have puffins, so that was of course a mandatory stop. As expected, Elliston was crowded with tourists so I highly recommend coming early in the morning if you visit. The town was precious and I could easily see myself hunting for the root cellars and taking pictures of all of them. While I was disappointed by the puffins (they were too far for photos), I was awed by the beautiful cliffside walk. It reminded us of Mykines Island where we first saw puffins in the Faroe Islands.
The roads were terrible on Bonavista and it seemed to be something the locals just took in stride. Dodging potholes became entertainment! That didn’t deter us from enjoying a scenic drive around the entire peninsula, especially when there were icebergs on the horizon.
We arrive in St. John's
Our new friends pegged us well, for as we arrived in St. John’s I could feel my wings curling back into my body. St. John’s isn’t a large city by any means and it’s located directly on the coast with beautiful scenery all around. But they were right, we immediately wanted to be back in the small outports. It didn’t help that our Airbnb was a basement apartment below homeowners who had no idea how loud they were. I’m still not sure if it was the dog that sounded like he was breaking things or if they were teaching aerobics classes while wearing steel shoes. Nicest couple and best location near Quidi Vidi, but boy was it LOUD!
Noise aside, it was nice to be back in a city where food options were more plentiful. Eric was starting to look like a scruffy nerf herder (any Star Wars fans here?) so we walked into Moammar’s Barbershop for a trim. I knew he was in good hands when I saw how meticulously placed everything was on Moammar’s shelf. He quickly felt the shape of Eric’s head and then the Edward Scissor Hands magic began. The man was quick and precise and I could tell that it was bothering him that Eric wouldn’t let him touch his beard. This was a barber who expected perfection, it was like watching art! His job done, Moammar looked to me for approval, I nodded, and Eric walked out with the best cut he will probably ever have.
Hiking sections of the East Coast Trail
I had a list of sections that we could hike along the East Coast Trail, Newfoundland’s famous long-distance trail. Our original plan was to hire transport services each day so that we could hike entire sections and be returned to our car. By this point in our 50-day trip, we didn’t want to be confined to a schedule so we opted to hike shorter versions each day, simply turning around on the trail whenever we felt like it.
Our first hike was Silver Mine Head, parking at Middle Cove Beach and heading northwest up the coast. I wasn’t feeling well that day so we only hiked 3 miles, turning around where the homes were directly on the trail (just past the bridge and waterfall). Coastal hikes are always our favorite, and this one followed closely along the edge so we loved it!
We didn’t plan it this way, but the next day we reached our 100th mile of hiking on this trip exactly at North Head on the East Coast Trail. We arrived early which ensured a parking spot at the popular Cape Spear Lighthouse
Heading south on the trail, we stopped for lunch at North Head and visited with a group of Newfoundlanders, one of which had cousins that live in Baton Rouge. They were impressed with my Newfie accent but said Eric needed work.
Weather was not on our side for most of our stay in St. John’s, so our third day of hiking the East Coast Trail was short-lived. We drove past Torbay and Pouch Cove, both pretty towns I would recommend for an alternative to the city. It was raining as we drove up the road to Cape Saint Francis, which was in terrible condition so we actually parked at one point and walked the rest of the way.
The rain was getting worse and fog was moving in, so we only hiked a short portion of the White Horse Path. It was beautiful, probably my favorite spot, but it’s also one of the most difficult sections of the ECT and dangerous in bad weather. Just when we thought we were the only crazy ones to come out in this weather, we met up with two young men, one who went to university here and the other who was visiting from San Antonio, Texas. Neither had a rain jacket or hiking boots, just “out for a stroll.”
The end for us but beginning for others
The morning we left Newfoundland, we walked to Quidi Vidi. It was pretty and Instagram-worthy but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the people who live there. It’s a tiny area and I can’t imagine what it’s like during high tourist season. We watched as high school seniors dressed in formal gowns and suits had their photos taken. A woman told us that graduations are a week-long celebration in Newfoundland and they have a big party similar to our proms here in the States.
We stopped for a picnic lunch at Topsail Beach, where the East Coast Trail begins. Yesterday morning we were bundled up in coats and our eyelashes were freezing, today was warm and full of sunshine. Appropriate, as it was the first official day of summer for school kids. Children were walking around in shorts and tube tops and rushing from school to stop at Berg’s for ice cream. Eating our beet and wheat berry salad, we watched as families played on the beach, thinking “time to go home, the crowds are out and the sun is shining.”
Sobering moments on ship
Our adventures weren’t quite over yet, as we hopped on the Argentia Ferry for our 16-hour overnight return to Cape Breton. WiFi never worked and food options were scarce so we splurged on the buffet supper. Bring snacks and books, that’s my advice for anyone taking the ferries to Newfoundland! A ferry is always an adventure, however, and this was no exception. We eavesdropped on people listening to the news on their phones, they had just announced that the Titan submersible had experienced a catastrophic implosion and everyone had died. We had been watching search helicopters fly by that week as we hiked near St. John’s, where the Titan began its journey. Sobering news, which is probably why I had a panic attack when we turned off our cabin lights that night. In a room with no windows and sinking submarines playing in my mind, I felt the need to reach out and hold Eric’s hand. Life is a risk and I’ll never regret living it to the fullest as long as he’s by my side.
Final advice for visiting Newfoundland
When to visit
- Mid-June is the sweet spot. It’s the best time if you want to feel more local, have cooler temps for hiking, less crowded trails and businesses are open. The only downside is missing the chance to hike Gros Morne Mountain.
Choosing an itinerary
- If you only have 1 week, pick a side (west or east) and don’t try to squeeze in the entire island. You’ll miss out on the experiences that make this place so special.
- If you have 2 weeks, split them up between east and west Newfoundland, spending more days on the west coast if you prefer day hikes and small fishing towns. If the East Coast Trail is what you’re after, spend your entire trip on the east side and add in some time for one of the neighboring peninsulas.
- If you have time to spare or you prefer off-the-beaten path places and interesting people, head straight to the northern outports and immerse yourself in one of the friendliest cultures in the world.
Read our Hiking Guide to Eastern Newfoundland if you’re interested in planning a hiking trip. If you missed our previous stories about this trip, you’ll find them at Trails and Tales of Western Newfoundland and Fleur de Lys Newfoundland, Land of Storytellers and Icebergs.
