It all began with a chat around the lunch table, after golf one day in June. We were talking about hiking holidays and my friend Trish said that Newfoundland was on her travel bucket list. I mentioned that I had been to Newfoundland many times and would be thrilled to visit again. Remelyn, another friend at the table, said that she was in. Within days, two more gals, Elizabeth and Maria expressed an interest in joining us. A trip was born. We chose dates and places and circled our calendars, delighted to have an adventure planned for the third week in September.

Toronto was in the midst of an unusual September heat wave as we boarded our direct Air Canada flight to St. John’s, Newfoundland. Upon arrival, St. John’s was a balmy 22 c and sunny and likely one of the nicest days of the year. The gals discussed stopping for provisions on the way to the hotel, however knowing how rare this warm September day was, I suggested that we make a beeline to our hotel, check-in and meet in the lobby ready to hike at 4 pm. We had chosen the Sheraton Hotel for its location close to downtown and Signal Hill and because it is one of the nicest hotels in town. It isn’t fancy, but it works.

As we made our way along Battery Road towards Signal Hill, Elizabeth, the gal in the group who is a native Newfoundlander, exclaimed that, “This weather isn’t normal”. We could not believe our good luck. This hike is a loop with views of the city, the harbour and the Atlantic Ocean. There is a part that narrows, with a steep drop to the ocean below. Thankfully, there is a chain to cling to, if heights aren’t your thing. As we climbed higher and higher, we paused frequently for water and photos. This is one of the most spectacular hikes in Newfoundland and it is just steps away from the city. After enjoying the views at the top, we made our way downhill to the city centre to an excellent sporting goods store, The Outfitters, as one of the gals had forgotten her hiking shoes at home. In no time, we had hiked 10 km and we were ready for dinner!

We took a five-minute taxi ride to Mallard Cottage for the first of many fantastic meals in Newfoundland. Unanimously, we decided at the end of the trip, that this meal was the best of the week. I had been to Mallard Cottage several times and strongly suggested that we all order the Chef’s Selection. It did not disappoint! For $60 each, we had countless courses of delectable local fare including cod cheeks, tuna tataki and smoked beets. What a way to start our trip!!

We woke up the next day to a misty morning, however we had come prepared. In Newfoundland, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. We took a 15-minute cab ride to the Ocean Sciences Centre in Logy Bay in order to hop onto a portion of the East Coast Trail. Before we started, we visited the three resident seals, merrily swimming in their tank. It helps having a local in the group to find these hidden gems!

The East Coast Trail is 265 km in length, and runs along the scenic shores of the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. This rigorous section is called Sugar Loaf Path and is 8.9 km. It winds its way along the coast with plenty of elevation to get your heart pounding. The wind was howling, yet the mist had cleared and we had stunning views of the rugged ocean-side cliffs. We stayed clear of the lookouts that take you to the edge of the trail, not wanting to be caught in a huge gust of wind and knowing that any fall off the cliff would likely be our last. I soon discovered that all of the gals have a slight fear of heights. Several trail runners zipped by, and left us scratching our heads as we cautiously stepped over slippery roots and rocks, not wanting to fall.

We arrived in Quidi Vidi at 2 pm, and hungrily begged the hostess at Mallard Cottage to find our damp group a table for a late lunch. Soon we settled-in for delicious soup and scones, a shared meat platter and Iceberg lager from the neighbouring Quidi Vidi Brewing Company. The lunch totally hit the spot and soon we were revived! We were so lucky to get into this spot (two days in a roll), where reservations should be made weeks in advance.

With a bounce back in our step, we hiked from Quidi Vidi to Signal Hill and back to the hotel to rest and relax until dinner. It was a clear night, so we walked one km downhill to Raymonds on Water Street for dinner. Raymonds is considered one of the top restaurants in Canada and was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s final episode of Parts Unknown. We loved the elegant dining room with views of the harbour where an enormous cruise ship was parked for the night. We all enjoyed our gourmet meal of delicately prepared and beautifully presented local foods.

After our sumptuous meal, we hopped into a cab for a short trip to Christian’s Pub on George Street to be officially screeched-in. We had pre-booked this experience and did not want to be late!

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To be screeched-in is a rite of passage for “come from aways” in becoming honorary Newfoundlanders. Brian Day, aka Chef Luke, is the owner of this pub and does a tremendous job with the ritual. Once the group being screeched-in (approx. 25 people from around the world) introduced themselves, we were each given a piece of fried bologna- aka, Newfoundland steak. We were told that years ago, the rich kids in town ate bologna for lunch while the poor kids ate lobster. Next Chef Luke carried a frozen cod around the room and asked each person to pucker up and give it a kiss, patiently allowing for Instagram snaps. The final assault to the senses was a shot of potent Newfoundland Screech Rum. Chef Luke wished us all luck, with the expression, “Long may your big jib draw”, then presented each of us with a hand-written certificate and remarkably remembered all 25 names. It was incredibly fun! Nicely warmed by the rum, we walked uphill, back to our hotel, with tired legs after a day that totalled 18 km of walking.

Paul and I have good friends who live in St. John’s, who were unfortunately away the week my group visited. My friend Sandra would have been a welcome addition to our group of five. Sandra kindly made arrangements for a good friend of hers to accompany us on one of their favourite hikes. After breakfast, we made our way to Pam’s lovely, beautifully landscaped home. We quickly made several connections with Pam, including that she is an avid golfer. We promised to invite Pam to play at Lambton with us on her next visit to Toronto. Today we were doing an end-to-end hike, so two cars were needed. We were going on another section of The East Coast Trail- this piece is called The Cobbler’s Path. One car was left at Red Cliff Road, while the other on Doran’s Lane. The views on this 5-km ocean-side hike are outstanding! My hiking poles helped with the steep and slippery descents, where some of the gals used their bottoms for stability. It was another glorious and sunny day and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer guide than Pam, who graciously showed us the way and quickly became a part of our group.

After saying good-bye to Pam, we got in the car for the 3-hour drive to Port Rexton. We quickly found out that rest-stops on this section of the Trans-Canada Highway are few and far between. When we could wait no longer, because we were “starving”, we stopped at Mary Brown’s Fried Chicken (Mary has “the best legs in town”) and ate a surprisingly delicious fast food lunch. In no time, because time flies when there are five women chatting in a car, we arrived at The Fishers’ Loft, our home for the next three days.

I have been to the Fishers’ Loft many times, so when we started planning this trip, I knowingly convinced the group to stay at this lovely inn. I have always stayed in a room in one of the houses, yet this time, so that we could have rooms in the same building, we stayed in the Conference Centre. I was thrilled with my beautiful room overlooking Port Rexton’s Ship Cove and Fox Island. We loved having the comfortable and stylish main floor living room to ourselves for games of Scrabble and a glass of wine before dinner. The steep path down to the main house for meals was not a problem as I had warned the girls to leave their heels at home.

Just steps away from the inn is the Skerwink Trail, one of my favourite hikes, anywhere! The loop hike from the inn is 7 km, with stunning ocean lookouts and views of the town of Trinity along the cliff-side trail. We walked it twice, in different directions for completely different experiences. One day we extended our walk into Trinity East where we saw some guys building a fishing boat. Of course, that spurred us on to sing, “I’s the B’y that builds the boat and I’s the B’y that sails her”, as we marched back to the inn. Following a traditional Newfoundland lunch in Trinity at the Dock Marina Restaurant, we walked around the town. At this time of the year, many of the shops are closed for the season. We all picked up yummy treats for our families at Aunt Sarah’s Chocolate Shop. Mirabella’s, a lovely gift shop was closed that day, however we returned the next day to purchase some beautiful items.

One afternoon, we visited the John Crosbie Sealers Interpretation Centre in Elliston for an interesting lesson in the history of sealing in the province. When we stopped by puffin island in Elliston, we found out that we had missed the puffins by a week, as they had gone to sea for the winter. I have been to see the puffins before in the heart of the summer and at that time, there were more than we could count.

The next day, following an early lap of the Skerwink Trail, we drove to Bonavista and ate a delicious lunch at Mifflin’s Tea Room. We had hoped to go to the Bonavista Social Club, the “It” spot in the area, however it was closed that day. We hiked along the Cape Shore Trail and around the Light House in Bonavista, then paid our respects to John Cabot’s statue with a group selfie. Other options for lunch were Two Whales Coffee Shop and Oh My Cheeses in Port Rexton, however both were closed that day.

We decided to eat all three dinners while in Port Rexton at the Fisher’s Loft. Darkness came at 7 pm and none of us wanted to negotiate the winding roads with roaming moose in the dark. There are no taxis or Ubers in Trinity. Following a round of Scrabble (really a lesson from Remelyn, our expert Scrabble player) and a glass of wine, we would make our way to the restaurant at the Fishers’ Loft where every bite was fresh, homemade and delicious. Each dinner was different and wonderful however the fresh cod was our group’s favourite. We couldn’t believe how much we ate for breakfast, unable to resist the homemade scones, oatmeal, muffins, granola, eggs and daily specials. Hiking does work up an appetite!!

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the airport and home to our families. On the way to the airport we made an important stop. We visited the Iris Kirby House, a shelter for abused women and children that was founded by our travelling pal Elizabeth’s mother, Iris Kirby. Iris left an indelible mark in St. John’s and this shelter was named after her for her efforts in raising funds to build it and in being a champion of women in Newfoundland. It was my first time visiting a women’s shelter and I was impressed and inspired by the work being done there.

Once again beautiful Newfoundland worked its magic on me. I love this place and cannot wait to return! My four friends all plan to return with their husbands in the near future, wanting to share this special place. Thanks to the gals for the hikes, laughs, great discussions, scrabble lessons and camaraderie! I loved every hike and every bite! In total we walked 74 km, took 103,942 steps and climbed the equivalent of 475 flights of stairs. It was a wonderful week in Newfoundland!

Stay where you’re to ’til I comes where you’re at.

Long may your big jib draw!