Old Lighthouses, A Town Named Dildo, and Historic Stone Walls
/After the puffin tour, we headed north again with a stop at Cape Spear Lighthouse, a Canadian National Historic Site. Located on Canada’s most easterly point of land, the Cape Spear Light is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland.
From its construction in 1836, the lighthouse was kept for over 150 years by generations of the Cantwell family. The lighthouse rises from the center of the lightkeeper’s residence and “is a striking example of the unique lighthouse architecture of the period.” We took a quick tour the residence which provided an insight into a lightkeeper’s family life.
The original Cape Spear Lighthouse rose from the Lightkeeper’s residence.
The light was replaced in 1955 when a new lighthouse tower was built.
The new Cape Spear Lighthouse replaced the old one in 1955.
During WWII, Cape Spear was a critical coastal defense battery. We walked through the tunnels which housed soldier’s quarters as well as munitions for the massive guns. Remnants of the gun emplacements are still in place.
Cape Spear is also the easternmost point in North America and is the first point on the continent to greet each day’s sunrise. We didn’t see a sunrise, but we did stand on the easternmost point of North America.
Most easterly point in North America
After a bowl of chowder in the Cape Spear Cafe, we toured the Leslie H. Noteworthy Art Gallery housed in the Assistant Lightkeeper’s house. “Let there be Light" is a multimedia exhibition sponsored by the Canadian Coast Guard Alumni Association and focuses on Noteworthy’s paintings of Newfoundland and Labrador lighthouses. We found it extremely enjoyable.
We continued north on the Avalon Peninsula and boondocked near the coast in a gravel turnout for the night, well-positioned for the next stop on our itinerary: the tiny town of Dildo and the Dildo Brewing Company. An unlikely name for a town for sure, records show the town’s name as early as 1711. Though there is no definitive answer, some believe that it comes from the French words for the place, ile d'eau, island of water, owing to its freshwater springs.
The town rose to fame in 2019 when Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night talk show host, began a several show focus on a town in Newfoundland named Dildo. Appreciating the attention, the town’s volunteer council eventually named Jimmy the honorary mayor of Dildo. Kimmel, in turn, declared Hollywood as Dildo’s sister city and had a sign fabricated and erected on a hillside in Dildo a la the Hollywood hills sign.
Jimmy Kimmel, honoary Mayor of Dildo, Newfoundland Photo credit: KKKNL1488
Photo credit: Marilyn Crotty, Canadian Press
The Dildo Brewing Company and Museum is an interesting place. Started by a brother and sister and their spouses in 2016, they aimed to be the hub of the community and it seems they’ve succeeded. Dildo’s local cultural museum which focused on the town’s rich fishing history was falling into disrepair. The building was renovated, the brewery was installed within the building and the museum was preserved. Win-win-win.
Dildo Brewing Company & Museum
We enjoyed a delightful lunch there on their sunny waterfront deck and their beer really hit the spot.
There was lots to see heading up the coast along the east side of Trinity Bay.
Shag Rock with Newfoundland’s iconic lobster traps in the foreground
There were three interestingly named towns along our route: Heart’s Delight, Heart’s Desire and Heart’s Content. It was Heart’s Content that proved most interesting.
Illustration credit: Saltwire
British explorer John Guy first recorded the area as a good place for fishing in 1612. Guy and 39 colonists had set up base in Cupids on the other side of the peninsula and noted the location during his explorations of the area.
The laying of the first trans-Atlantic cable from Valentina, Ireland to Heart’s Content in 1866 put the little town on the map. It was at the Heart’s Content station that the first overseas telegraph was received at this station. Content of the first official message: “Glory to God in the highest; on earth peace, good will towards men.”
The Heart’s Content Cable Station is now a National Historic Site.
As always, lighthouses are a draw for us. The distinctive candy-cane striped Heart’s Content Lighthouse was built in 1901 and was quite stately looking.
Further up the coast, Winterton was a tidy, colorful little town.
A rocky trail led to the Hant’s Harbour Lighthouse.
At the very northern tip of the peninsula, we stopped at Grates Cove National Historic Site. This historic site was unusual in that there was no formal visitor center or info kiosk. The key element of Grates Cove is its rock walls which are considered “a rare surviving example of a once common system of land and community organization particular to Newfoundland…”
Built in the 1700s, the community divided up its land into garden sections which were then enclosed within rock walls to protect them from animals. We hiked in the hills which are covered in the walls. The view from the top of ‘the hill’ was particularly impressive.
Hiking at Grates Cove Walls
We rounded the peninsula’s northern tip and headed south down the Baccalieu Coastal Drive along the western shore of Conception Bay. A steep descent led us into Bay de Verde. Views of the harbor from the Foreside Lookout were picture-postcard-perfect.
View of Bay de Verde from Foreside Lookout
We’d purchased a rather large lobster on sale from a local grocery and had it steamed. On a picnic table in Back Bay, Bay de Verde, we attacked the defenseless critter with pliers and hammer and extracted enough fine lobster meat to last for several delectable meals.
The roads on this stretch were in definite need of repair. David swerved from one side of the road to the other to avoid hitting some major potholes, but it was a major challenge.
As we wended our way down the coast, the roadsides were lush with lupine.
At the end of a long day, we found a gravel pull-out for the evening. There’s still so much to see in Newfoundland. How will we ever fit it all in?
Coming soon… Gander, Botwood’s murals, a giant kraken
