Newfoundland

[PeterAit]

We are off in a week for a 10 day cruise around Newfoundland. I will enjoy wringing out my new A7! Any particular photo ideas? Being on a cruise we will be limited as to where we can go, but we have a couple of  days before the cruise with a rental car to poke around. Thanks.

[framah]

Twilingate has always been on my bucket list of places to go. Google ice berg alley and it will come up.

[Christopher Sanderson]

Since your time is short, I highly recommend spending some time in Trinity which is a little less than three hours drive North from St. John's.  If your taste runs to abandoned buildings, see if you can find a local boat there to take you out to one of the abandoned villages (outports). You will likely see whales & eagles on the way. There is a good hike on Skerwink Trail around the headland by East Trinity - it's almost opposite, across the harbour from the village of Trinity .

A word of advice: there is little seen from a car if you stick to the Trans-Canada Hwy. To see something of Newfoundland, you need to get off the highway and down to the bays, peninsulas, villages and headlands by the sea.

You may be a little late for icebergs up in Twillingate which are more often a Spring/Early Summer event but the tourism offices are very helpful in St. John's and you will likely receive good advice. Have fun!

[LesPalenik]

If your arrival airport is at St. John's, you can drive in just over two hours to St. Mary's ecological reserve on the south shore and then return to St. John's on the east side of Atlantic. Trinity and Bonavista are interesting and photogenic, you could do them in two days. Driving to Twillingate takes about 5 hours (unless you fly to Gander from where it is much closer).

This year was a very poor year for iceberg sighting. At this time of year, icebergs are gone anyway, and so are many of the seabirds. However, September is the best time for picking blueberries and cranberries, they are now everywhere. 

[wcarlew]

Great recommendations.  If you have the time and can spend the night in Trinity it is lovely (Irish Coffee on "the Bridge" at the Twine Loft), a bit of drive for the day though. If you are spending the nights in St John's I would suggest Brigus, Port de Grave, Bell Island, Petty Harbour, Ferryland. All quite close to St John's.  If you would like to hike a little before the cruise checkout the East Coast Trail, www.eastcoasttrail.com , La Manche, Red Cliff and many day hikes close by.  The city has some lovely little areas like Quidi Vidi, the Battery, Fort Amherst, lots of history (by North American standards). The Rooms for lunch has stunning view out The Narrows. Local music is great, Fred's Records is a wonderful independent music store that promotes local musicians. If you need some novels to read on the cruise, Wayne Johnston and Michael Crummy are 2 of many local authors. Great little city that I can easily spend a few days wandering around, in fact I never seem to have enough time in Newfoundland.