Bonavista

Although we had come to Bonavista to see the puffins, we were looking forward to exploring the town that we’d heard so much about..

One of Newfoundland's oldest communities, Bonavista traces its roots back to explorer John Cabot's arrival in 1497. Legend says he looked at the shoreline and declared, "O Buona Vista!" - "Oh, happy sight!" - giving the town its name. Whether the story is true or not, it's easy to understand why those words have become part of Bonavista's history. Perched on a rugged peninsula overlooking the Atlantic, the town is known for its dramatic coastline, colourful heritage homes, fishing stages, artists' studios, and slower pace of life. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, seeing the puffins was the main reason we had made the drive to Bonavista. After spending far longer than we had planned watching them, we headed over to Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, where another colony of puffins nests on the cliffs below.

Unfortunately, it should come as no surprise, the weather had other ideas.

A  blanket of fog rolled in over that part of Bonavista, hiding much of the coastline from view. We could still see the few puffins who were posing for photographs on the mainland and stopped to take more photos before wandering through the lighthouse gift shop.

As we drove away from the lighthouse, we noticed several cars turning down what looked like an ordinary dirt road.  I became curious so we decided to follow them, crossing over a cattle guard (or Texas gate) before discovering, much to our surprise, the Cape Bonavista Community Pasture.

Since the 1960s, this shared pasture has been used by local farmers, who bring their livestock here to graze during the summer months. Instead of maintaining separate fields, cattle, sheep, and horses roam together across hundreds of acres of coastal grassland under the care of a pasture manager. It's a tradition that has become part of Bonavista's agricultural heritage and is one of the few community pastures still operating in Newfoundland.

We loved stopping to watch the horses, sheep, and cows peacefully grazing, but the biggest surprise was the scenery.

The pasture sits on top of the rugged cliffs along the ocean, and the views were absolutely breathtaking.  It felt largely untouched, and we found ourselves stopping again and again to take another photograph.

It was all so unexpected.

By lunchtime, we headed into town to Bicycle Picnics Café.

Housed in a beautifully restored heritage building, this charming café has become one of Bonavista's favourite spots to eat. In addition to serving fresh, locally inspired meals, they're well known for their gourmet picnic baskets, encouraging visitors to rent a bicycle and enjoy lunch at one of the many scenic spots around the peninsula. 

The café was every bit as charming as we'd heard. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch, the food was excellent, and, as always, we weren't in any hurry to leave.

After lunch, we wandered around the neighbourhood, browsing a few shops and admiring the beautifully restored buildings that give Bonavista so much of its character. Everywhere we looked there seemed to be another quiet street, another colourful home, or another view out to the ocean.

The more time we spent there, the more we liked it.

When it was finally time to get back on the road, none of us were quite ready to leave. Bonavista had become much more than the place where we'd come to see puffins. It was a town full of history, beautiful scenery, unexpected discoveries, and a pace of life that suited us perfectly.

As we drove away, we all agreed on one thing.

We'd be back.

If you’re planning your own Newfoundland Vacation and would like more information on Bonavista, you can find it here : Bonavista