Iceberg Alley

We travelled to Twillingate on the north shore of Newfoundland (see map here: Twillingate) which is famous for icebergs during the peak season of May and June.  Apparently, it is the combination of the Labrador current, which sweeps the icebergs south from Greenland, meeting the ragged shoreline and many bays around Twillingate that traps the icebergs until they melt enough or break up enough to clear the rocky shoals on the sea floor.  Whatever the dynamics behind it, we had beautiful views of many icebergs in several coves around Twillingate.

A growler (small piece of iceberg) in Twillingate

Iceberg at Twillingate

Iceberg at Twillingate

Icebergs at Twillingate

Iceberg at Twillingate

Beautiful blue Iceberg at Twillingate

Another blue Iceberg at Twillingate

We saw lots of Icebergs. Very beautiful!

Twillingate is a quaint town, like so many in Newfoundland, that was founded and grew based on the fish.  It was originally called Toulinquet by French fishermen in the 1600's who never settled there but fished the area every summer and were reminded of  a group of islands off Brest, France. It was one of the larger towns in the area due to its sheltered harbour and easy access to the rich fishing grounds nearby.  As fish stocks declined and the government put a moratorium on cod fishing in 1992, Twillingate reinvented itself as the "Iceberg Capital of the World" and this has allowed the town to thrive from the tourism dollars that are spent there.

In the evening, we enjoyed the Twillingate Dinner Theatre which featured many traditional songs and some hokey skits.  We enjoyed the company of 3 other couples at our table. One was from Vancouver, another from Calgary and the other from Toronto. The Dinner Theatre was just three weeks in their new location. We had lobster and mussels (Bev) and salmon (Al). I would say that the food was not top notch but it was tasty anyway. The evening was fun and relaxing!

Playing the Ugly Stick

Playing the spoons

A skit involving Darryl and his brother Darryl (even though they're female) telling jokes and playing
 the Ugly Stick and Tambourine. Hokey but it couldn't help but be funny!

All in all, the trip was definitely worthwhile, just for the icebergs!

The next day we took the ferry from the Town of Farewell to Fogo Island. All trucks and vehicles with trailers or boats had to back onto the ferry. Although we were the first in line to get on we were the last to board which meant we were the first to leave. The trip was about 50 minutes and the water was very calm, much to Bev's delight. We saw many smaller islands and a few icebergs on our trip.

Once on Fogo Island, we drove right to the top of the island to the Town of Fogo. We camped at Brimstone RV Park. We had the best campsite. We were about 10 metres away from the ocean. It was a nice rocky beach and only about 1 km away in the ocean was a nice big iceberg. What a lovely view. As the sun set, the view was even better.

Al, Pippin and Bev in front of Campsite on the ocean on Fogo Island.
Note the iceberg in the background.

The view we had from our campsite of the Iceberg

Iceberg at sunset

The Rocky Beach

Camp fire on the Beach

Bev on the Beach

Beautiful Sunset

The next day, while eating breakfast, we witnessed the iceberg roll over. That was amazing! Apparently it is rare to witness this. This happens when the part underwater melts enough to shift the centre of gravity too high, causing the whole thing to rebalance itself.  So now the underside makes the iceberg much shorter but a lot wider. Can you see it in the photo below?

Iceberg after it rolled over. See the long arms extending out from the main part.

Joe Batt's Arm: What an unusual name! Legend has it that the name of the community came from the first European settler, possibly a deserter of Captain James Cook in the early 1750s. The community is shaped as an inlet and in those days it was called an "Arm". The deserter, Joseph Batt, settled here and the locals liked him so much that they named the village Joe Batt's Arm. Go figure! We thought that the name was so unique that we just had to visit there. Little did we know that the Fogo Island Hotel is located there.

 The contrast between the modern hotel and the community to me is great. It sticks out too much from the colourful community and the round edges of the rock. The stilt legs on the hotel are supposed to copy the stilt legs that you might see on a house or fishing shed but because the hotel is set off to the side, I did not get the connection. Apparently the cost of a room per night starts at $1600 and goes up from there. Yes, I guess the rich and famous can stay there. Apparently the Trudeau family was there a couple of weeks ago and it was rumoured that Harrison Ford was there recently. The owner of the hotel is also improving the community by expanding a local airport, buying up more properties and converting them into craft studios and shops. The locals are very happy about this.

Fogo Island Hotel. I am not a fan of the architecture. Too modern.

Fogo Island Hotel in the background of Joe Batt's Arm.

View looking away from the Hotel

It was a lovely experience in Twillingate and Fogo Island. I would highly recommend that you don't miss this part of Newfoundland. After speaking with many Newfoundlanders who have lived here all their lives, most have not even visited here. What a shame! We have also met several people who grew up on Fogo Island and they have lots of stories to tell.