(Pouch Cove, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada)

While Gros Morne National Park on Newfoundland’s west coast justifiably gets a lot of attention, we’ve enjoyed hiking on the east coast too.  Over the past few days, we’ve hiked some very scenic (and very different) portions of the East Coast Trail near the villages of Pouch Cove and Bauline.

South of Pouch Cove, towards Shoe Cove, the trail begins with some very blustery and exposed sections just above the shoreline.  However, the trail then veers steeply upward into some surprisingly thick and lush forest…it felt almost like the coast of British Columbia!  The predominant theme here, however, was the constant roar of the ocean.  It is so loud that I thought I was hearing thunder.

North of Pouch Cove, en route to Cape Francis, the trail quickly becomes dominated by rock…some of it quite loose.

We scrambled by the evocatively-named Horrid Gulch (site of the 19th-century shipwreck of the Water Witch) and eventually found ourselves with a commanding view of both the remote coast (see photo at the top of this post…and note the size of the hikers on the nearest cliff) and the sprawling village of Pouch Cove.  I was thankful for my hiking shoes here:  the sharp rocks would have been devastating to ordinary running shoes.

Next up was the village of Bauline on the northwest coast of the Avalon Peninsula.  Walking around Bauline was like stepping back in time.  Located under a brooding mountain, its steep streets are lined with lobster traps and its harbour seems to be permanently enveloped by a salty mist.  It looked exactly the same as it did when I was here in 2001, with the exception of some new street signs.  While Bauline is by no means an isolated outport, it definitely gives you a flavour of life in a remote and historic fishing village.

The East Coast Trail here is different too:  the landscape is harsh and there are very few hikers.   Bring strong footwear…and be careful on the roads.  There are apocalyptic potholes on the road between Pouch Cove and Bauline.

Next up is an exciting an unusual international journey:  check out my next post to find out which country is surprisingly easy to reach from Newfoundland!