EPIC DRIVING TOURS IN NEWFOUNDLAND 25
This is also the part of Newfoundland where you find Cape Race Lighthouse , the historic location where the distress signal for the HMS Titanic was first received in April 1912 . An active lighthouse to this day , it ’ s also an interpretation centre with fascinating archives documenting that fateful occasion .
The southern coast of Newfoundland is spectacular . On the rocky coast , seals bask on the rocks and perform tricks as if they know they ’ re being photographed . The coast leads to glorious cliffs above , upon which there are rocky plains that are home to herds of reindeer . It ’ s an otherworldly spot that seems both remote and welcoming at the same time .
Another route with plenty of history is the Baccalieu Coastal Drive , which skirts the coastline of the Avalon Peninsula . Here , we have the great fortune to find a company called Cape Race Newfoundland , a local outfit owned and operated by Newfoundlanders from generations back . The company ’ s focus is on creating authentic and one-of-a-kind experiences in the province , and they proudly claim that no two custom-designed trips are alike .
The company owns seven original bolthole homes in St . John ’ s , Bonavista and Trinity , from which guests begin their carefully planned visits . Founder Ken Sooley kindly squeezed in a two-night stay for our family at E . J . Sooley House , the place his grandfather called home , in Heart ’ s Delight on Trinity Bay .
TOP : HEART ' S CONTENT , AVALON ; BOTTOM : TAKING IN THE SIGHTS AT BONAVISTA . ( PHOTOS COURTESY OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR TOURISM )