Canada's insider blog

As far as scenic views are concerned, Newfoundland need not worry about the competition. The coastline is rugged, as if it was carved out to create drama and tension.  Shallow dips in the landscape create small folds within the land, making rocky-and-bare beaches appear suddenly.

If you’re by foot, you’ll for sure make a discovery, like I did yesterday.

I walked the East Coast Trail with Karen of Newfoundland Coastal Walking.  As a disclaimer, Karen is the mom of my friend in Vancouver, so that’s how I discovered her services.  And I can’t believe that more people don’t know about it.

Karen’s home is a renovated marvel located in Topsail.  The home is peaceful and away from noise, the views are expansive, overlooking Conception Bay South from most corners of the house.  A large garden, 4 acres, and a lot of TLC makes her home an ideal option to book for hiking enthusiasts, who also enjoy the comforts of gourmet home cooking, fine wines and linens, elegant artwork and guided walking tours.

Karen takes care of you the entire week: She can book either adventure tours or a quaint dinner out overlooking Portugal Cove for you, or guide you on the hikes and tell you about the history of St. John's.  She is better than Lonely Planet!  She will also take you on a morning and afternoon hike, and hot, gourmet breakfasts and picnic lunches are also included. 

(If I can suggest, book the master bedroom that has wall-to-wall windows and a heated-floor bathroom with steam-showers.)

So back to my walk with Karen, we started the East Coast Trail at Mobile.  It's about a half and hour drive from Topsail.  Wild blueberry and dogwood flowers line the paths, and views of the wild Atlantic and cliffs that jet-out from the middle of the ocean it seems, almost unintentionally, are everywhere.  As we were walking the trail, we spotted a group of seagulls vigorously flying around a space at the bottom of the cliff, so we looked down.  And there it was...

A massive dead whale!  It was about 10 feet across, and about 15 feet long, already starting to decompose, a bit deflated and discoloured.  It looked like it had pink-and-black plaster paint spilled all over it.  Karen said she’d never seen anything like this before.  You have to see the photos and tell me what you think.  As far the East Coast Trail goes, it’s more than 300 km long and accessible at any point.   Picnics are a lure in the open-fields and deserted beachy areas.

If you've walked the trail before, what has been your favourite area to have a stop?