When I planned this journey, each drive would take me by day’s end to something I really wanted to see or do. But yesterday was different. I chose Bareneed for the driving distance, so my drive was all about the journey.

The Baccalieu Trail on the Bay Verde Peninsula took me from Dildo – yes! – to Old Perlican at the northern end, and back south to Bareneed near Bay Roberts. The Trail ran through village after village which made the drive fun.

So … Dildo. No one really knows where the name originated but the community has been around since 1711. Some say it originally was Dildoe, perhaps someone’s surname, and that the final e got lost over the years. In the 1990s a resident petitioned the Council to change the name but was unsuccessful. Dildoites like their name!

I have seen many photos of the highway signs but never any images of the town. I decided to remedy this situation and happily found a dear village. Note the name proudly displayed Hollywood-like on a hill above the village.

The Baccalieu Trail took me through the communities of Heart’s Desire, Heart’s Delight and Heart’s Content where the first transatlantic cable from Valentia, Ireland came ashore in 1866. Newfound and Labrador’s 2022 marketing message – Come Home – was proudly displayed in the Cable Station Museum. From the responses I have received on this trip, non-Newfoundlanders are welcome too.

There’s a striking lighthouse in Heart’s Content, built in 1901. I cannot find whether it is still operating, but I would be surprised if it has not been replaced by more modern technology.

The village of New Perlican’s brightly coloured sheds perk up the landscape.

The roads on the Bay Verde Peninsula were good compared to some I have travelled, but the shoulders narrow so stopping to take photos was fraught. I took a chance when I caught sight of Burnt Point; it was too pastoral to pass by.

Next up – Placentia and the Cape Mary’s Ecological Reserve. See you later!