Maggie in Newfoundland Again 2016: Day 18 Twillingate

The day held sunny promise, then the clouds moved in! Growing up in Newfoundland you learned not to wait for the sun to shine or you might never do anything so we decided to move a little farther afield and head to Moreton’s Harbour and Tizzard’s Bay. We stopped at countless picture worthy spots that presented themselves at every twist in the road! After a while of rambling the rain didn’t materialize so we thought we would chance a hike and parked at the Old Dump Road to join the Twillingate Coastal Trail.

This trails brings you along sections of jagged coastline, through bogs and across barren stretches. It is completely mesmerizing and one trail leads to another in an interconnected web. We were happily following our noses when we, quite literally, stumbled into Spiller Cove. There was evidence of a path to the cove, complete with wooden stairs to aid your descent. Sadly maintenance on the trail was abandoned some time ago. Little Miss Curious just couldn’t leave it alone and stumbled down an overgrown path, grasping little trees to remain upright. My reward was to discover the most beautiful little cove surrounded by sea caves and populated only by gulls. The water was crystal clear and the beach, devoid of human interference was spotless and perfect without so much as a footprint to spoil the view. David, not quite so foolhardy as me, especially when he’s carrying his camera gear, stayed safely at the top, meaning the pictures of perfection are not near so perfect as they might be. There are many such places in Newfoundland. Traveling off the beaten path is not at all a risky thing like it might be in many other places. We frequently have views to ourselves and can imagine we are the only people in the world! Today though (perhaps because of the threatening clouds) we had the entire coast to ourselves for the entire day.

Coming out of that cove we wandered to another bluff and spent much of the afternoon excitedly leading one another to our next discovery. This was all well and fine until those storm clouds returned with a vengeance! Bogs, barrens and cliffs hold little chance of shelter from the rain. So as the shower became steadier the pace toward the spot where we thought we had parked the truck increased. We weren’t lost exactly. We were never in any danger. We always had a general idea of our bearings in relation to the sea and to town a few kilometers away. The problem was, it was raining and the quickest route would have been handy!

By the time we arrived back at the truck the sun was shining on two soggy but happy critters! Honestly, if we hadn’t been so hungry we may have been tempted to head back out on the trials! It was now mid-afternoon so food was next on the agenda.

One of the people we had met along the way talked about The Cozy Tea Room and Bakery as a great place for lunch. We have done well with recommendations and today the success continued. A tiny little spot in someone’s basement certainly earned it the “cozy” title! The garden fresh salad – super crisp with loads of mixed vegies, and the fish burger were exceptionally good. The fresh cod, significantly bigger than the bun, was garnished with fresh cheddar and homemade tartar sauce. A paper-thin batter gave it a little crunch. It was exceptionally delicious!

Late in the afternoon we had tickets to go the Orangemen’s Hall, to have toutons and tea and be entertained by The Split Peas! This group of seven local women have been performing together since 1993 when they split off from the local community choir. They all have “day jobs” - working cash in the liquor store, serving as a bank teller, nurses at the local hospital – though most of them have retired. They perform two nights a week throughout the tourist season, and take the occasional “other gig” like performing in The Shipping News! They sing traditional Newfoundland favourites, they write some of their own music, and even did a wicked rendition of Leonard Cohn’s Hallelujah. They were funny, had great harmony, knew when to get the audience involved and took a break only once to give us time to get our toutons and tea! They ended the evening by asking everyone to stand and invited us to join with them in singing the Ode to Newfoundland. Words were provided but I didn’t need them. We started every school day with the Ode to Newfoundland and while I remembered every word, it was a little tough to sing past the lump in my throat.

What a fabulous evening and a perfect way to end our stay here is beautiful Twillingate! I think we could stay right here for another month and not run out of new things to see and places to explore! We walked back along the harbour in the setting sun and I took a moment to offer a prayer of thanks for the incredible blessing of this trip!