Newfoundland South Coast Adventure: Rencontre East

Newfoundland South Coast Adventure: Rencontre East

July 2 – 10, 2016

Travellers: Four adults, three children

Saturday, July 2 – St. John’s – Pool’s Cove – Rencontre East: Drive down Bay Despoir Highway to Pool’s Cove. Take 5:45 pm ferry to Rencontre East (1 hr 45 min). Or drive down Burin Peninsula to Bay L'Argent. Note: If you choose to take this route, you will not have a vehicle to get you across the Connaigre Peninsula to continue visiting south coast communities to the west. 

We took the Northern Seal coastal boat to Rencontre East where Paul Tricketts (709-690-0811) met us at the wharf to go to Ackley House which we had booked through VRBO for $488 for two nights. Three bedrooms in completely renovated (spring 2016) old blue house with full kitchen and two bathrooms. Ackley House is on right side of harbour as the boat sails in to Rencontre East. Rencontre East has two stores, one of which has a liquor express. Paul has a second rental home called Chart House built right on the wharf near a small waterfall in Little Harbour Brook behind the community. Both vacation rentals are for a minimum of two nights.

We hiked around Downton's Pond on the boardwalk in the rain. To get there, go left at the cemetery, left at fork and pass by the dump.

Downton's Pond Trail, Rencontre East

 Unlike other communities we visited on the South Coast, Rencontre East does not have boardwalks (except around Downton’s Pond). Instead it has dirt paths which get mighty muddy when there’s a lot of rain. 

Paul shows us molybdenum sample from Ackley Mine

We also took an Off the Grid boat tour up Rencontre Lake with Paul and in driving rain. We walked the 15 minutes or so into the boat launch and had one stop at Ackley Mine to pick up some molybdenum samples off the beach outside the mine. Molybdenum was discovered here in 1882 and an American, John W. Ackley, living in a cabin on the shore next to the mine, attempted to set up a commercial operation in the early 1900s. This was not successful, Ackley did lend his name to the granite in which the molybdenum ore occurs. Molybdenum is silver and used to strengthen steel.

It was raining too hard to stop at Paul’s cabin for a mug up. Luckily Paul has a washer and dryer and kitchen with essentials in the house so we were able to dry our clothes and drink something hot to warm up.