Property Overview

Share This Listing

Property Description

An Irish Loop Tour is a great family adventure while staying in the community of Holyrood Newfoundland. You can enjoy a one-day excursion around the Irish Loop. There are Whales, Caribou, Icebergs, Birds, plus many Nature Reserves and Historical places.

Bay Bulls is an old settlement where you can go on a boat tour of Witless Bay Ecological Reserve. The town gets its name from the french version of the bull bird "Baie Boules" which winters in Newfoundland. The town was fortified in 1638 when Sir David Kirke governed Newfoundland from Ferryland. The community was burned by the French several times up to 1796. In the waters of Bay Bulls there is the ship wreck of the HMS Sapphire which was sunk in action against the french in 1696.

The Irish Loop takes you to the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve where you can see humpback whales, millions of sea birds and 10,000 year old icebergs, at the same time, in late spring and early summer. The reserve consists of three islands and the waters around them. There is a phenomenal number of Seabirds here that nest and raise their young. On Gull Island there are 530,000 Leach's Storm Petrels, with another 250,000 on Great Island. Green Island has 74,000 Murres. There are also tens of thousands of Atlantic Puffins, the provincial bird. As the tour boat cruises near the island you'll see puffins running and skipping along the top of the water. They spend most of the year on the open ocean and only come ashore to breed. The chicks are in burrows on the steep sides of the islands. Here you'll find Razorbills, Great Black backed Gulls, Northern Fulmars, Black Guillemots and Black Legged Kittiwakes. They all eat capelin.

Area Information

Tors cove 47 km from St.Johns is a good place to see whales from shore. Further along the shore you will come to LaManche Provincial Park. The park is in a beautiful river valley and has lots of wildlife that attracts many nature enthusiasts and artists. La Manche River offers good canoeing and wonderful sightseeing along a hiking trail that leads to a spectacular waterfall. Another trail brings you to the ghost town of La Manche. While little remains of the houses the river cascades into a beautiful harbour with grassy fields surrounding it.

While touring the Avalon Peninsula you may want to visit the Avalon Wilderness Reserve. You can get a permit to visit the 1070 square kilometre reserve at the La Manche Park office. The Avalon Wilderness Reserve is home to a 5000 strong heard of woodland Caribou, the worlds southernmost. For those interested in Canoeing, Fishing, or hiking this is a excellent trip.

Continue along route 10 to Cape Broyle and visit the Devil's Stairway, an interesting Rock formation where Satan is supposed to have left his footprints in the face of the cliff.

South along the Irish loop is Ferryland where one of the first English settlements in North America was founded in the 1620s. Over the past decade archaeologists have been excavating the Colony of Avalon. You can watch the dig and take a guided tour. Artifacts are on display near the dig site. Ferryland also has an intriguing community museum, and every summer hosts a folk festival to celebrate a strong Irish heritage.

A short drive down the coast will bring you to Aquaforte where the harbour resembles a Norwegian fjord. Long ago a squadron of the French fleet ran aground to avoid bombardment by the English. Some say they buried a treasure here and made their way across the peninsula by foot to Placentia.

Vacation Rental Website

Property Amenities & Features

Additional Bedroom Information

There is 2 double beds to accommodate up to 4 people overnight.

Rates

House Rules

Please contact the listing owner for more information about the House Rules.

Cancellation Policy

Please contact the listing owner for more information about the Cancellation Policy.

Availability

Reviews

Street View