Ferryland Lighthouse Picnic

Friday, August 25, 2023 

Hi Blog!

We've been collecting lighthouses during our travels around Newfoundland. There are several on the Avalon Peninsula that we are looking forward to visiting, including the Ferryland Head Lighthouse pictured below. The older lighthouses usually have keeper's houses. Since all the lighthouses in Newfoundland have been automated, there is no need for keepers anymore. Communities are trying to find ways to use these old empty houses, which often need lots of maintenance. To help offset the costs, some of the old keeper's residences have been turned into museums and gift shops, while others now operate as B&Bs. The Ferryland Head Lighthouse keeper's house is now home to Lighthouse Picnics.

In 2003, local resident Jill Curran (whose great-grandfather was once keeper), started Lighthouse Picnics, offering picnic lunches from a small stand outside the building. But with an outpouring of community support and more customers than she could prepare food for, the keeper's house was re-opened in June 2004.

After carefully looking at the weather forecasts, we made our picnic reservations for Friday. Despite a very foggy start, the weather cleared by 10:00 a.m. We drove down from Tors Cove to Ferryland, with a quick stop at the Lost Colony of Avalon Visitor's Center to find out about a tour after lunch. More on that in the next blog.

The Ferryland Lighthouse sits at the end of a long ithsmus that extends into the Atlantic Ocean. We were able to drive halfway out before we had to park the Jeep and walk the rest of the way. From the parking lot, we got our first look at the lighthouse.

From our vantage point, we can look across The Narrows to Isle Aux Bois (Island of Trees). It's either a joke because there are no trees, or there were once trees that have since been cut down. 

From here we begin our 25 minute walk to the lighthouse. Work on the lighthouse was carried out during 1870 and 1871. The round, cylindrical light tower was built of stone and red brick and still retains its original lantern room, fitted with two rows of triangular panes of glass. The fixed white light from the tower’s third-order Fresnel lens was displayed for the first time on October 1, 1871.

A good part of the walk is through a coastal spruce forest. The road heads straight for the lighthouse.

The forest floor is covered with moss. The air smells fresh and earthy. The sound of ocean waves accompanies us along the road.

As we leave the forest behind, we get a better look at the lighthouse. In 1892, the outer brickwork of the light tower was crumbing. An iron casing was wrapped around the tower to protect and secure the structure.

Below, Dave stands in the opening in the wattle fence, in which green branches are woven to form a lattice and then dry in place. These types of fences are traditionally found in the British Isles and Ireland.

From here, we can look all the way back to the town of Ferryland.

When Hurricane Fiona swept across Newfoundland in 2022, it damaged part of the Keeper's House. Before Fiona, all the food for the Lighthouse Picnics was made onsite. The main part of the house is now a museum and gift shop. Until the repairs are finished, the museum is closed and the food is made in town and driven up to the lighthouse.

Once you pick up your picnic lunch, you then have to decide where to eat your lunch. Kathy spotted an inuksuk garden and we decided to have lunch with the inuksuks.

We spread out our beach towels and leaned up again some rocks to enjoy the view while we munched our lunch.

Dave enjoyed his chicken curry on whole grain bread while Kathy dined on roasted veggies and goat cheese. We each had a couscous and chickpea salad and a cookie. We washed it all down with fresh squeezed lemonade.

After lunch, we relaxed in the warm sunshine and watched the other visitors make their way around the various paths across the headlands. Two small islands known as Hares Ears sit just off the end of the peninsula. We decided to go take a look.

We spotted a seal fishing in the waters between the head and the island.

When we could go no further without falling into the ocean, we turned and took another photo of the lighthouse.

We spent the rest of our walk marveling at the forces of nature. Thousands of years of sediment formed layer after layer of rock, which then toppled over.

Blue sky moments are rare in Newfoundland. The clear skies paint the ocean a vivid blue. 

As we make our way back to the trailhead, we can now brag to have eaten at the most easterly restaurant in all of North America. 

To your health!