Maggie in Newfoundland Again 2016: Day 16 Twillingate

We woke early to more rain beating down on the trailer roof! I love the sound of rain on the roof but when you are itching to get out and explore the day – not so much! This rain was really not good since a vicious thunder and lightning storm was keeping the rain company!

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in our little retreat and by 10:00 we were out and going, enjoying brilliant sunshine and warm breezes. It’s a common in Newfoundland, when the weather is not good, to hear someone say, “Wait a minute. It’ll change!” The saying exists because it’s so true!

I had one small map of Twillingate and so stopped at the camp office to help orient us to the hiking trails in the area. We had a lovely chat with woman in the office. We learned about several other things to see and do in the area. We made dinner reservations. We were given additional maps. All great and very pleasant, none of it helped us with the hiking trails! We are not really sure who created these maps, but they did a pretty terrible job. Not to worry though, Twillingate is small. If you drive around for a while you’ll find everything you need!

We decided to start our exploring on The Top of Twillingate. This hiking trail was advertised as “not being for everyone” but offered panoramic views of the entire (what used to be, before the causeway was built) island. Let us just say that it isn’t wheelchair accessible! We managed and the trail was fairly well marked so there wasn’t much fear of getting lost.

The climb up the 300+ foot mountain was spread out over 3 km, so no actual rock climbing per se, but the trail boasted an interesting example of maintenance. Part of the trail at the bottom went through a bog so was thoughtfully equipped with a boardwalk. As can happen in a bog, the boardwalk sunk into the moss in places leaving the walkway submerged. It was thoughtfully repaired by removing the handrails and laying the planks down as a path. In parts we literally walked a plank to continue on the trail allowing us to stay (mostly) dry.

Stairs had been built in other places to help navigate steep sections. I don’t think any two steps followed the same angle and if they needed a little shoring-up in places, well random size wedges were driven under the steps. We did take pictures but not sure they really tell the tale.

We met a lovely couple from St. John’s along the way and we hiked together for a time. We laughed together at the trail design in spots, shared stories of other hiking adventures and stood together as several of the top lookouts to admire the views, making the whole thing worthwhile.

By the time we arrived back to the truck, we were hot! We stopped to pick up our tickets for the Twillingate Dinner Theatre, where we were told to, “Come early when da bar opens. You can get half sloshed and den da show will be hilarious.” So while I was certain we wouldn’t take the advice, I was rather certain we were in for an evening of lively entertainment! It was then back to the trailer for a snack and a cold drink. David had some work come in while we were gone so he worked while I caught up on my reading!

The dinner and show tonight was as promised – absolutely delicious and very funny. The same six people do everything for the evening! They were the people who took our reservations, sold us our tickets, served drinks and welcomed us when we arrived. They served the food, cleaned the tables, chatted to everyone and sang, danced and regaled us with Newfoundland humour that had us roaring with laughter! We were placed at a table with a middle-aged couple from Corner Brook, two women travelling together (one from St. John’s and one from Holyrood) who knew the Horan family – specifically my cousin Mack, and an older couple in Newfoundland for the first time from Kingston, ON. Their lively conversation completed the picture of a perfect evening!