Signal Hill to Quidi Vidi

Hi Blog!

Yesterday's bike ride into St. John's, Newfoundland, gave us a great introduction to the city. On Friday, July 6, 2018, we decided to drive out to Signal Hill and learn a little more about the history of St. John's at the Signal Hill National Historic Site. Signal Hill is a hill which overlooks the City of St. John's. Due to its strategic placement overlooking the harbor, fortifications were built on the hill beginning in the mid 17th century. While the fortifications were interesting, we were there for Red Chairs!

As we climbed Signal Hill, St. John's spread out before us. Tradition declares that St. John's earned its name when explorer John Cabot became the first European to sail into the harbor on June 24, 1497, the feast day of Saint John the Baptist.

Shortly after St. John's was discovered, various countries fought over it. The Dutch, British and French all took turns sacking the city. The very profitable cod fishing made St. John's a tempting target. As a result of the War of 1812, Newfies were concerned the Americans might try and attack St. John, so they built more fortifications. During world War II, the Germans attacked by firing two torpedoes into the harbor. Luckily, no damage was done. Here, Kathy stands ready to defend the harbor from all comers!


After the British took the city back from the French in the the late 1700's, they built Fort Amherst on the other side of the harbor entrance. The first lighthouse in Newfoundland was built at Fort Amherst in 1810. The current lighthouse was built in 1951.

At the summit of Signal Hill, sits Cabot Tower. Construction of Cabot Tower began in 1897 to commemorate both Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee and the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's landfall. The building was declared officially open in 1900. Signal flags were used to communicate between ships coming into the harbor and the harbormaster. A Marconi wireless station was also located in the tower.

While we were touring the tower, we were advised that a cannon would be fired at 12:00 noon. We gathered with the folks from the tour bus and waited for the big bang. During the park video, we learned that some local pastors were up in arms about firing the cannon on Sunday, since it interrupted their Sunday sermons. The uproar didn't last long, since most of the residents set their clocks by the cannon each day and finally decided that the cannon should, indeed, be fired on Sunday.

After the big bang, we hit the trail. The coast of Newfoundland is just littered with hiking trails. The Newfies don't let the steep cliffs stop them. They just build stairs!

Today's hike connected three short trails as we made our way from Signal Hill to Quidi Vidi (pronounced "Kiddy Viddy"). Along the way, we passed a bald eagle nest sitting below the trail on a thickly wood slope. It was amazing to be able to look down into the next and see the eaglet hop around.

We missed the trailhead down into the village, but our little side trip gave us an amazing view of the harbor. This once small fishing village is now the home to Qudi Vidi Brewing Company, the maker of Iceberg Beer. Yes, the beer is actually made from icebergs or at least the water that's left after the iceberg melts. It's a nice, malty lager, but their 1892 Ale is a little darker and has become our favorite Newfoundland beer.

On our way to the brewery, we ran into a young couple from Caraquet, New Brunswick (where we had camped with our RV earlier this trip!), who were also headed that way. We invited them to join us and spent time comparing notes about camping in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. The local fish-and-chips truck was happy to provide us with some lunch. Before we knew it, it was time to part with our new friends and head back from whence we came. On our way out, we noticed a pair of red chairs out on the point.

While the stairs were daunting, nothing was keeping Kathy from bagging more chairs! Besides, how bad can these stairs be after the 476 stairs at Fishing Point in St. Anthony? Who needs a stairmaster when there are Newfoundland hiking trails?

The walk down gave us great views of the entrance to the harbor. This big boy gave a loud blast on its horn as it passed the lighthouse.

After making our way out to the point, we were nearly blown out to sea. The winds were so strong, Dave had to hold onto his hat.

We couldn't decided which view we liked best. The first showed the lighthouse at Fort Amherst. This one shows Cabot Tower on Signal Hill in the background.

In order to take our mind off the climb back, we counted the steps. It was only 326. A small price to pay to add more Red Chairs to our collection.

Until next time, stay thirsty my friend.