Road Trippin’ – L’Anse Aux Meadows and the top of the Great Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada

By Ian Cobb

A relentless North Atlantic wind pushed calved slabs of iceberg into the shore, close to where a small creek emptied into Islands Bay that faces the gigantic mouth of the St. Lawrence Seaway at the upper end of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula.

Though a week into May it was a cold, overcast day at L’Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site, perhaps -5 C. As the site doesn’t fully open until June 1, all we could do was stroll around outside – but that was more than enough as we had the place entirely to ourselves.

An Irish-Viking myself, I found it difficult not to feel tugs at the roots of my heart.

It took a few minutes for the enormity of this bucket list adventure to wash over me as we strolled around the replica of a Viking camp circa 1,000 years ago.

With just a strong, cold wind and the odd spit of rain accompanying us, it became easy to fathom why Vikings abandoned the place for the nicer climes of Greenland, once they had sussed out what northern Newfoundland had to offer along with the harsh conditions to overcome.

Walking along the shore near the encampment, it took little imagination to conjure the image of longships and makeshift docks bobbing in the bay.

The groundbreaking archeological discovery at this site by Norse husband and wife Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad between 1960 and 1968 completely changed the historical narrative of European arrival in North America, knocking genocidal creep Christopher Columbus from the mantle as the ‘discoverer’ of North/South America.

A bunch of plucky Vikings seeking fame and fortune, and in some cases fleeing prosecution back home for a variety of charges, stumbled ashore at L’Anse Aux Meadows sometime between 990 and 1050 CE. Norse Sagas mention ‘Vinland’ and it is now believed this site is that fabled place.

Timber was more plentiful in the area then, so they constructed eight or perhaps nine timber and sod buildings, similar to the reproductions at the site today.

The site was also home to First Nations peoples for 6,000 or so years before the Vikings showed up.

L’Anse Aux Meadows was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.

The establishment of the national historic site also cranked up tourism at the northern tip of Newfoundland, with nearby villages and hamlets such as Hay Cove, Straitsview (where we stayed at Snorri’s Cabins), Quirpon, Little Quirpon, Noddy Bay, Raleigh, Ship Cove and Saint Lunaire-Griquet with most offering accommodations and dining options. Just not until June 1 or so, in most cases.

North Peninsula market centre St. Anthony is only about 40 km away, too.

We had the fun experience of being the first people seated and served for the year at The Daily Catch, a seafood restaurant in Saint Lunaire-Griquet that was as delicious as its name implies. While the restaurant was open, the same did not appear to be the case for the harbour, which was stuffed with ice floes.

Each small coastal nook of humanity was vivacious and defiant to the elements, with seemingly everyone owning snowmobiles and sleds to tow firewood from communal storage sites to keep them alive during the winter. And of course, because Newfoundland, beautifully sided and coloured homes.

The day we arrived in the L’Anse Aux Meadows area it was frozen. Literally. Powerlines, signs, fences, trees, buildings, docks and everything else was coated in ice, some with shark teeth shape bending to the powerful, cold wind.

It made for a special touring and photo shoots.

It is about an 11 hour drive to L’Anse Aux Meadows from St. John’s.

Before we headed for Newfoundland we wondered if it would be a ‘one off’ trip. By the time we had experienced St. John’s and then L’Anse Aux Meadows and The Viking Trail, it was clear we will return to The Rock, but during a wee bit warmer time of year.

Still, if you are seeking a Canadian adventure in this time of saying “sod Donald Trump and his rotten ilk,” look no farther than Newfoundland – though it is a beefy flight from Cranbrook to St. John’s (via Vancouver to Calgary – you know the drill).

It’s fun, friendly, fascinating and spectacularly beautiful.

Photos by Ian Cobb and Carrie Schafer

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