The Road to the Isles

Route 340 - (1 Hour, 45 Minutes Driving Gander To Twillingate)

Your journey through the Kittiwake Coast begins as you leave Route 1 onto Route 340; "The Road to the Isles."

The "Road to the Isles" takes you to scenic inlets and islands in Notre Dame Bay. The Visitor Information Center, at the Route 340 exit is an excellent place to begin. Here you can obtain travel tips about the area including scenic attractions, tours and ferry connections to Fogo Island, Change Islands and Labrador. You can also receive the latest information on icebergs and whales.

Notre Dame Provincial Park, on Route 1, just 1 km east of the exit to Route 340, is a provincial "keystone park". It has excellent camping and cabin accommodations as well as swimming and boat rentals. In winter, the park offers 7½ km of groomed cross country ski trails and a first class heated chalet.

Traveling Route 340, from Route 1, you pass hardwood groves of birch and maple which become an array of yellows and reds in autumn. Watch for the Highway Marsh, a Ducks Unlimited habitat project, where native Black Ducks and other dabblers come to feed. Moose can be spotted feeding throughout this area especially in early morning or late evening, so for safety sake, please be vigilant as you drive.

As you enter the town of Lewisporte, 11 kms north along Route 340, you will view the last of Newfoundland's trains at the Lewisporte Train Park. This Train Park has a railcar display and an excellent walking trail alongside Bottom Brook.

In the late 1800's European settlers were attracted to Lewisporte and developed a diverse economy of ship building, fishing, farming and logging. Lewisporte received its name from an enterprising Scotsman by the name of Lewis Miller, who established sawmills in central Newfoundland and used Lewisporte for its shipping yard.

Today, Lewisporte remains as a seaport community and the service center for the whole of Notre Dame Bay, servicing a regional population of approximately 12,000. In Newfoundland, the port of Lewisporte is considered to be the "Gateway to the North", as you can travel to Labrador via the Marine Atlantic ferry service.

Lewisporte has a first class boating marina complex with docking/dry-docking facilities and utility hookups. All necessary boating supplies are located within walking distance of the marina. Boat tours, sailing charters and lessons are available from the marina facility. The community offers the convenience of many amenities including Woolfery's Pond Municipal Camping Park, quality overnight accommodations, craft shops, boat tours, wildlife safaris, canoe excursions and hiking tours.

Well known for its community festivals, Lewisporte hosts the Mussel Bed Soiree and the Great Lobster Boil. In August, the Mussel Bed Soiree festival boasts delicious blue mussels which you can enjoy with other seafood and live entertainment.

A must see is the Museum Bye the Bay and its fully stocked craft shop. A great place to pick up souvenirs as you begin your Kittiwake Coast - Road to the Isles adventure.

Stopping at the marina in Lewisporte, you can arrange travel to historic Exploits Island and if you like enjoy a nights stay. This island was once a bustling community but was resettled in the 1960's. This island has a rich history and rare beauty and is a great place to get away from the everyday.

Before leaving Lewisporte take a short hike to the Hann's Point Memorial in the east end. This is a great place to photograph Lewisporte Harbour and Notre Dame Bay.

Next, visit Laurenceton just west of Lewisporte. This quiet farming community was once a World War II point of coastal defense. Today, it is very a quiet community with some of the sweetest air you'll ever smell. At the far end of this same community is a place known locally as Sandy Point. Here you can look across Notre Dame Bay and see Botwood. Many of the early flying boats during the war landed in this Bay. You may notice abandoned bunkers along the shore which were used to store ammunition and protect the area.

Sandy Point is also the site of a recent archeological excavation that is part of the ongoing research into the lives of the Beothuk Indians. The site proved to reveal many artifacts connecting Europeans and Beothuks to the area.

North of Lewisporte, Route 342 leads to the communities of Embree and Little Burnt Bay. In mid to late July capelin, a small smelt-like fish, spawn and roll up on the beaches, especially in the area of Fawke's Dock near Little Burnt Bay.

Back on Route 340, head east through Campbellton and discover Indian Arm River

Campbellton River was heavily used by the Beothuk Indians, and local inhabitants have found many artifacts in the area. This river is a prolific Atlantic Salmon river and local guides are available. During the early 1900's, this was an industrial town with a lumber mill and its own miniature railway. Also, in Campbellton you can pick strawberries and raspberries in season, and you can see Newfoundland Ponies. There is a lookout at Indian Cove Neck and further down on Route 343 is a farming community of Comfort Cove which has a small bird sanctuary.

Further along route 340, the community of Birchy Bay has converted one of its oldest homes into a museum. The "Over the Top" museum contains items that reflect the history of the town and its citizens. On the museum grounds there is a replica of a "winters tilt". For years prior to permanent settlement, men from Fogo Island used to settle in Birchy Bay in the late autumn and winter to cut firewood and lumber to build wharves and fish flakes. While in Birchy Bay, these men lived in studded "tilts". In the spring, they would return to the rich fishing grounds of Fogo Island.

Remaining on Route 340, you soon arrive at Boyd's Cove. This was the site of a major Beothuk Indian encampment during the 1600's and is now the location of a new Beothuk Interpretation Center. The Beothuk Interpretation Center has three main elements; the visitor center, the archaeological site, and a connecting trail system. The Interpretation Center houses displays that focus on Beothuk cultural history. Its circular architecture recalls shapes traditionally found in Beothuk construction. A 1½ km walking trail takes visitors to the perimeter of the archaeological site. Interpretive signage along the trail gives the hiker even more appreciation. Truly, this is one of the gems of Notre Dame Bay.

Leaving Boyd's Cove, Route 340 takes you over the first of the four causeways that connect Chapel Island, New World Island, and Twillingate Island to the "mainland" of Notre Dame Bay. These island causeways are one of the major reasons why this scenic route got its name.

Near the end of Route 340, you arrive to Dildo Run Provincial Park, an excellent home base for campers wanting to sightsee in "Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour, and all around the circle". In season, this is a good area to buy lobster.

At the end of the "Road to the Isles", visit the historic community of Twillingate. Twillingate is where the Slades, Nobles, Earles and Durders, merchants from Poole, England, established trade in the mid 1700's. Once the hub of the lucrative fishery in this part of Notre Dame Bay, Twillingate was so prosperous that it had its own newspaper, "The Twillingate Sun", and a championship cricket team. The town's most famous resident was opera singer Georgina Stirling. In the late 1800's, Miss Stirling, who was professionally known as Marie Toulinguet, won acclaim for her performances at the Paris Opera and in La Scala, Milan. She is buried nearby in St. Peter's Cemetery. Her story and that of the town is told in the Twillingate Museum in the former Anglican Rectory. Parts of this fine old home have been restored to illustrate an upper class residence at the turn of the century.

Today visitors flock towards Twillingate to explore its history and to discover the mighty icebergs, whales and birds that gather in these waters. While you can see all these wonders of nature from the shore, there's nothing like the experience of being on the sea aboard a tour boat with a local operator. The community also has exciting museums, craft shops, architecture, galleries and an abundant supply of comfortable overnight accommodations. Near Twillingate, Long Point Lighthouse is the best place in North America to see icebergs along "Iceberg Alley."

Spend a few days getting to know Twillingate. Meet the friendly people, take in the majestic scenery and enjoy the cultural experiences. Events such as the annual Fish, Fun and Folk Festival guarantee a good time.

A popular community to photograph near Twillingate is Durrell. This fishing village seems frozen in time with narrow lanes winding close to rough spruce wharves. There is also a museum located on a hill overlooking the community.

Heading south towards the mainland, exit Route 345 and detour into Moreton's Harbour. Once a thriving commercial center, Morton's Harbour is now a quiet village. Here you can check-in to a local Bed and Breakfast and visit the local Museum and Marina. The marina has shower and laundry facilities for those who arrive by pleasure vessel. Inside the museum are relics from the town's heyday as a shipping center. There are stencils with the names of the markets - Trinidad, Jamaica, Puerto Rico - and the products such as mackerel fillets. This town's connection to the sea is still alive.

Departing the Twillingate area and looping back towards Gander Bay try a side excursion that is an "Islands Experience" - visit Fogo Island and Change Islands. Begin at the community of Farwell where you can catch separate ferries to Change Islands, with a sailing time of 25 minutes, or Fogo Island, which is 50 minutes away.

Fogo Island, a mere 25 km long and 14 km wide, was first settled in the 1680's by fisherman, but the area remained relatively isolated well into the 20th century. Today, descendants of these first inhabitants retained traces of their Elizabethan dialect. Many early customs brought from England that have since disappeared, continue in the communities on Fogo Island.

The community of Fogo is the largest community on Fogo Island. It was probably named not for the North Atlantic fog, but after the Portuguese description "fuego", or fires, which were the signs of Beothuk encampments that were frequently seen by the early settlers. Jacques Cartier, the famous explorer anchored here indicating early European exploration as far back as 1534. The community was often used as a summer fishing station by the French, Spanish, and Portuguese during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since permanent settlement, Fogo has grown to be a busy and productive fishing community.

Fogo is also the site of Brimstone Head and the festival that bears its name. This magnificent landmark is considered to be one of the four corners of the earth by the Flat Earth Society. The local Bleakhouse Museum displays many interesting artifacts from the Island's rich fishing heritage.

Following your visit to the community of Fogo, visit beautiful Barr'd Islands on Route 334, a few kilometers from colorful Joe Batt's Arm, named for a deserter from the crew of explorer James Cook, who charted this coast in 1763. Sandy Cove on Route 334 is the most northeasterly point in Notre Dame Bay and is known for its gorgeous sandy beaches. The community of Tilting with its strong Irish heritage was the site of the first U.S. Ground Radar Early Warning Station in the North Atlantic. History is interpreted through a series of hiking trails throughout the community. Visit Lane House, the oldest house in Tilting, restored and filled with intriguing antiques.

Returning from Tilting onto Route 333 visit the towns of Seldom and Little Seldom. Today, these communities are quaint fishing communities but they were was once very active in the fishing industry. The Fogo Island Marine Interpretation Center is located in Seldom. This center is a restored building from the Fishermen's Union Trading Company and you will find exhibits related to a cod liver oil factory, the Fogo Island Co-op and the Funk Islands. Craft Shop , marina, public showers and laundry are conveniently available to visitors.

On the return trip to the ferry keep your eyes peeled for caribou, which roam just off Route 333, and the Newfoundland Ponies that spend their summers grazing all over the Island.

Change Islands is the home of the Squid Jigging Grounds, the famous Squid Jigging Song and is a place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Located in Notre Dame Bay between Twillingate and Fogo Island, Change Islands is a community built along a narrow tickle with a causeway that joins the two largest islands.

There have been people here since the latter half of the 18th century when the Labrador fishery rose in prominence. Since that time, people here continue to fish the ocean and preserve their history and culture.

Here, you will find an artist's paradise, rich in geological features, with white painted clapboard and salt box houses that sit in tidy green gardens. Fishing stages and stores, painted in traditional red ochre, hug the shore and tiny coves.

Follow the nature trail to Indian Look-Out, the highest point on the land and to Deer Pond, where beavers make their home. Enjoy a walk up to Tall Boy for a breathtaking view of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as, icebergs, and whales. From there enjoy the Squid Jiggers Hiking Trail.