Newfoundland South Coast Adventure: Gaultois

Monday, July 4 – Rencontre East – Pool’s Cove – Hermitage - Gaultois: Ferry from Rencontre East (7 am) to Pool’s Cove, Overland from Pool’s Cove to Hermitage, ferry from Hermitage to Gaultois either 9, 11:15, 4:15, 6 or 7:30

Paul came on his quad to carry our gear and the children down to the ferry even though it was early: 6:30 am. We drove across the peninsula to Hermitage, had a picnic before hopping aboard the Terra Nova for Gaultois.

Gaultois is the largest community on Long Island. It’s only a 20-minute ferry ride from Hermitage and so hidden, you wouldn’t know where to enter the harbour if not for a small light station at the entrance. There’s a small island in the harbour called Whaler’s Island where a small whaling operation sat.

Gaultois has a lovely red and white boardwalk and two stores; one right next to the Inn and the other down at The Bottom, which is an area of town beyond the Inn with a lovely short hike along the water’s edge.

Gaultois has a music festival (in 2016, July 22-23) and the newly renovated Thomas Garland’s store near the dock.

I had booked three double bed rooms for $85 a night each, breakfast in at Gaultois Inn for two nights, with booking.com.  3 Point Road, (709-841-4141, info@gaultoisinn.com

A covered four-seater side by side picked up the children and gear at the ferry while we walked around the harbour to the Inn, which is surprisingly large. 

Susan Hunt and chef Emily took care of us finding us fresh cod and turkey dinners. They had supper waiting for us when we arrived after a long afternoon of hiking the 6 km return to the resettled community of Piccaire (pronounced Pickary), one of four resettled communities on Long Island. Because a black bear had been hanging around garbage boxes in Gaultois, 

Black bear on the highway near Conne River

Bear scat with an undigested plastic bag

Susan was worried about us hiking without bear spray so she arranged four students working for the Conservation Corps to accompany us. Dawn, Matthew, Coby and Noah not only stayed with us all the way to Piccaire and back. Good thing too because we definitely would have gone astray. Hopefully with the work completed by them this summer, the trail will be more clearly marked. 

No sign of Mr. Bear but we did see lots of fresh bear scat, one mound with an undigested plastic bag through it. We did see one black bear a few days later just north of Conne River ambling across the highway. Susan and the four students went above and beyond in making sure we were safe and happy. Dawn even zipped me back to the Inn before we set out to get our already wet hiking boots because she knew how wet the trail would be.

Piccaire (N 47.36.37, W 55.55.58) has a tea room in a house that had been floated back from Gaultois, and if you give notice, someone can be there waiting with tea. 

Piccaire Tea Room

The trail begins just past the library and you pass by Simm’s and Winterhouse Ponds with frogs hopping out of your way as you pass. It is fairly strenuous – you need water and snacks - but you can take a shortcut on your way back past Cluett’s Pond that brings you back to the Gaultois Inn.

There are other hikes to Cluett’s Cove and the Whaler’s Cave.