Road to the Beaches
This
region is full of sheltered coves, sandy beaches and sparkling waters.
This tour will take you to some of the best spots for water sports in
the province. Here you will find rivers to canoe, ponds to fish, inlets
to sail, and clean, clear pools to swim.
Travel east on Route 1 from Gambo to the growing community of Glovertown which has become the central town in the Alexander Bay area. It offers a wide variety of services, beautiful scenery, and warm hospitality.
From here, along Route 310, you can visit Saunders Cove, Traytown and Cull's Harbour before doubling back and continuing to the Eastport Peninsula where, in season, fresh vegetables are available from local gardens and greenhouses. Here you'll also find some small amusement parks.
Sandringham is the most westerly point of the peninsula, and good fishing can be found in its many ponds and streams. Just a stone's throw along the road is Eastport, a farming community and service centre that is the hub of the peninsula and where you may take your choice of several roads leading to neighbouring communities. Eastport is famous for its beautiful, sandy beach equipped with change houses, picnic tables, and fireplaces.
One
very worthwhile side trip from Eastport is a four-kilometre drive north
to St. Chad's and Burnside. A small museum in Burnside displays Beothuck
and other aboriginal artifacts from nearby Bloody Reach. You can also
take the ferry to St. Brendan's, a trip that is filled with terrific photo
opportunities. St. Brendan's island was settled by the Irish and the Old
Country accent is as strong here as anywhere in Newfoundland.
Return to the main section of the peninsula and continue on Route 310 from Eastport to Salvage, the oldest settlement in the region. Here an old house has been converted into a Community Museum displaying a collection of artifacts that reflect the long history of the place. Don't forget your camera because Salvage is a photographer's dream. This is a good place to sample some foods popular with Newfoundlanders.
Double back on Route 310 and turn south from Eastport to Sandy Cove where the beach is one of Newfoundland's finest. Hike up Sandy Cove Beach where a mounted telescope provides a close-up look at the entire area. A short distance west of Sandy Cove you will come to Happy Adventure and its two adjacent coves known as Upper and Lower Coves. Besides enjoying the shallow beaches where children can wade in safety, you will indeed have a 'happy adventure' with a feast of lobster. Live lobsters can be purchased fresh during the lobstering season in early summer.
Complete the loop route back to the main peninsula highway at Eastport.