This follows on from Trip Report 5 which can be read here:
tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g154962-i754-k40…
L’Anse au Meadows is the major tourist attraction in the Northern Peninsula and everyone goes there.
L’ANSE AU MEADOWS is nearly at the northern most tip of the peninsula where a stream flows through boggy and grassy areas with granite outcroppings overlooking a bay dotted with islands. If you are lucky you may see moose grazing in the valley. There is a huge car park and large intrusive visitor centre which makes no attempt to merge into the landscape. In September 2010 the exhibits were being refurbished so there was little to see. The gift shop had a good selection of books.
It is a ten minute walk along a well made track to the ruins and reconstructed houses, so it is advisable to visit in dry weather.
The Parks Canada web site is disappointing and there is little detailed information about the site and no map. However we were given a useful information leaflet with out admission ticket which has a certain amount of information about the site and a plan of the remains. There are guided tours and it is worthwhile doing one of these. They explain the history and significance of the site and take you round the remains identifying the different different buildings and what they were used for.
The Vikings settled here briefly about 1000AD when Lief Erikson arrived from Greenland with three boats and 60-90 people. The site was occupied intermittently over 20 years and is thought to have been used for over wintering when exploring further south during the summer months. They got as far as the east coast of New Brunswick. During this time other ships arrived from Greenland in search of timber. When the site was abandoned the buildings were burnt.
Tales of the voyages to Greenland lived on in oral tradition and were written down in the Vinland Sagas in the late 1200s.
The site was rediscovered in 1960 by the explorer Helge Ingstat who was shown the grassy humps and ridges which locals assumed were an aboriginal campsite. After excavation the ruins were reinstated so all that can be seen are lumps in the ground. So you do need to do the tour to understand what you are looking at. There are the remains of three complexes each of which had a dwelling (long cigar shaped building) and workshop.
A Viking long house, shed, smithy and smelting hut have been reconstructed on the site. Bog Iron was smelted to make make nails for boats.
There are costumed interpreters who include Bjorn the chieftain, Thora his wife, Gunnar the ship's captain, Harald a smith and Kol a serf who was building a boat using traditional tools (and hoping he wouldn’t be asked to sail it as he didn’t think it would meet the exacting requirements needed by the Vikings). Allow plenty of time to talk and ask questions. Try on the Viking helmet and lift up the sword....
There is a nice 3km walk from the site along the cliffs and past the Skin Pond where sealskins were soaked to remove hairs which takes you back to the car park.
There are no refreshments at L’Anse au Meadows. The nearest are at the NORSEMAN RESTAURANT. We were after a ‘cup of tea to go’ but it was laid out for meals and looked and felt pretentious. The Art Gallery consisted of a few post cards, books and knitted items.
The end of the peninsula beyond L’Anse au Meadows is delightful. We had intended walking along the headland but the vegetation was lush and knee high, making walking difficult for me. We took to shore and followed this round the headland along the beach and back. The beach was fairly narrow with lots of mussel shells, sea urchin shells and fine seaweed which looked a bit like chinese noodles washed up on beach. There was bright yellow seaweed growing on the rocks and some kelp which looked a bit like caterpillar eaten cabbage.
Next morning was also bright and sunny so we drove to Pistolet Provincial Park to book places on the guided tour ($5) to Burnt Cape in a mini van. This needs to be done on a good day as there is no shelter and it is very exposed.
PISTOLET PROVINCIAL PARK is mainly trees with a small camp site and day parking area beside a large lake with beach and picnic area. There are no trails.
It is a good gravel road from Raleigh to BURNT CAPE ECOLOGICAL RESERVE but the road through the reserve is very rough. We were glad we hadn’t taken our own car, although it would be possible to park by the entrance and walk in. The area is limestone with a few eratics. It forms a massive block with no fractures or pavement. Frost thaw action has broken the surface down into smaller fragments of all sizes. The area had been a quarry producing road stone.
The botanist Merritt Lyndon Fernald visited Burnt Cape in the early 1900s and discovered many new species of plants, some of which only grow here. It is recognised as being one of the most important botanical sites on the island with a lot of rare flowers. When the quarry closed the area was turned into a reserve with the agreement of the local community. We made different stops to look at the different plants and an area of frost polygons. We drove to the end for the views. The tours no longer include the geology trip to Big Oven although one group had brought their own car and were given instructions to find it. It was an interesting visit as we were shown the different flowers and the scenery is good.
After being dropped off back at Pistolet Park we picked up our car and drove back to RALEIGH. The season had finished. The cafe was shut until 4pm. The craft shop was shut although a neighbour let us in to have a look. Raleigh is a long straggling settlement along the shore. At the far end are some nice old wooden houses and stages. There is an ongoing programme to restore these as a 1940-50s fishing enterprise. There is a sign saying ‘ no admittance unless on a tour’. We could see fish flakes with cod drying and old fisherman explaining their use to 2 visitors.
We spent the afternoon exploring the road down to Boat Harbour. It was a nice run along the edge of Pistolet Bay with some good views. The tide was well out but by time we drove back it had come in and was lapping near the road. We made a brief stop in COOK’S HARBOUR, a large settlement with an old wooden church (now storage) and shop selling everything and with a big hardware section.
We followed the road round the low lying headland across the limestone barrens (not a tree in sight) through WILD BIGHT (few desolate houses) to BOAT HARBOUR. This had a very sheltered harbour with a few houses stretched out along the coast line. There was no church, shop or school but there were lots of small waders in the muddy coves around the settlement. The cemetery was out on the headland surrounded by a white wooden fence and reached by a track built by the locals. We walked out to headland through the lush vegetation to a low rocky shoreline with flat flags of limestone with reefs further out so waves broke before reaching the shore. There was a good sea running with lots white horses. It was a lovely spot. After leaving Boat Harbour we parked at the side of the road and ambled across the barrens, enjoying the scenery and looking at the vegetation. Apart from the birds we were the only living things to be seen. This had been another good day.
Like Labrador, the Northern Peninsula had more than lived up to expectation.
