Twillingate

Icebergs calve off Greenland glaciers, drift south down the Labrador Current for a year or more and arrive off northeastern Newfoundland in spring, where the shallow shelf grounds them; Twillingate sits in the middle of that stretch, which is why it calls itself the iceberg capital of the world. The ice is typically ten thousand years old or more. Numbers vary enormously from year to year, and a poor season may bring almost none. Long Point lighthouse gives a land vantage. Humpbacks arrive with the capelin in late June and often overlap with the last icebergs, which is the best week to be there.

History

The Maritime Archaic people lived here about 3,500 years ago, followed by the Beothuk and possibly the Dorset, and the Beothuk survived in small numbers near Twillingate until the early 19th century. French fishermen worked the area possibly as early as 1500, settlers from England's West Country came in the 17th century, and for more than two centuries Twillingate was a busy trade and service centre for the Labrador and northern shore fisheries, with its own newspaper, the Twillingate Sun, from the 1880s to the 1950s; after the cod moratorium of 2 July 1992 it turned to tourism (Wikipedia, Twillingate).

What to look for

• The grounded icebergs - ancient Greenland ice stranded on the shelf.
• Long Point lighthouse - a headland vantage over the passing ice.
• The whale overlap - humpbacks arriving as the last bergs go.
• The boat tours - close approaches in settled weather.

When to go

Late May and June is the usual peak for icebergs, with humpbacks arriving late June; timing shifts each year and some seasons bring very few bergs. Track the iceberg reports before committing.

Before you go

Iceberg numbers vary hugely year to year and a bad season means none at all. Boats keep a safe distance because bergs roll and calve. Fog cancels trips.

Nearby

Terra Nova lies southeast; Fogo Island is east.

Key facts