Irish Loop Self-Guided Smartphone Audio Driving Tour

IRISH LOOP AND SHEA HEIGHTS LOOKOUT. Begin a one-direction drive from St. John’s into coastal scenery, fishing communities and layered Indigenous, Irish and Newfoundland history.

Follow the coast past a trail whose ominous name recalls pirates, peril and early Atlantic travel.

BLACKHEAD. Pass a traditional fishing village where rugged ocean views meet Newfoundland’s seafaring heritage.

Visit Canada’s easternmost point, where historic lighthouses, wartime defences and vast Atlantic views await; the grounds remain open year-round.

Discover a quiet harbour community shaped by raids, legendary storms, innovation and local folklore.

PETTY HARBOUR AND VIKINGS ON THE SHORE. Pass colourful fishing stages while exploring the harbour’s long seafaring story and Norse-era context.

Travel through a landscape where even large inland waters keep Newfoundland’s familiar pond name.

BAY BULLS, BIG PONDS AND IRISH ROOTS. See a historic harbour framed by freshwater ponds, pirate stories and enduring Irish-settler traditions.

WITLESS BAY AND ECOLOGICAL RESERVE. Look offshore toward protected seabird islands famous for puffins, whales and rich marine life.

MOBILE. Pass a lively summer bay where whales, puffins, eagles and other Avalon wildlife often animate the coast.

TORS COVE AND VIEWPOINT. Pause for island-dotted ocean scenery and a community history marked by dramatic Atlantic storms.

LA MANCHE PROVINCIAL PARK. Discover coastal trails, hidden beaches and seasonal park access near one of Newfoundland’s best-known suspension bridges.

Watch for seabirds, moose and other animals adapted to Newfoundland’s rugged coastal and boreal landscapes.

Reach the trailhead for the rebuilt bridge and the abandoned village reshaped by the devastating 1966 storm.

CAPE BROYLE AND THE POOL. Follow a sheltered harbour landscape rich in curious place names, ponds and local folklore.

Pass a quiet burial ground associated with tales of flickering lights, glowing graves and enduring folklore.

CALVERT. Discover a small community whose former name, fishing heritage and unusual coastal formations carry outsized stories.

View a landmark lighthouse and sweeping headland scenery from this historic stretch of coast.

COLONY OF AVALON. See one of North America’s most important 17th-century archaeological sites, where ongoing work reveals early colonial life.

FERRYLAND AND THE AVALON WARS. Pass a historic settlement shaped by explorers, fishing fortunes, conflict and pirate lore.

AQUAFORTE. Enter a sheltered harbour whose name, pirate encounters and local firsts reflect centuries of coastal history.

Stop at a scenic roadside cascade near Aquaforte and the long-distance coastal trail.

FERMEUSE. Pass a fishing community where local storytelling and Atlantic traditions remain woven into everyday life.

RENEWS. Discover the origins of this distinctive place name in one of Newfoundland’s oldest European-settled harbours.

CHANCE COVE PROVINCIAL PARK. Consider a scenic detour for rugged coastline, hiking and stories of shipwrecks along the southern Avalon.

View the dramatic headland where wireless operators received the Titanic’s distress call in 1912.

Discover ancient Ediacaran fossils and Iceberg Alley scenery; entry to the protected fossil zone requires a separately reserved seasonal guided tour.

PORTUGAL COVE SOUTH AND POWLES HEAD. See a community shaped by the cod moratorium, coastal resilience and the nearby lighthouse headland.

Pass a quiet coastal settlement linked to Basque fishers, ship fires and stories of the pirate Black Bart.

TREPASSEY BAY AND BATTERY. Explore a harbour with military history and a remarkable role in early transatlantic aviation.

SHOTT’S. See a striking barrier beach between ocean and pond near one of Newfoundland’s most storied southern communities.

HOLYROOD POND. View a long coastal lagoon whose unusual geography and rich natural setting distinguish it from an ordinary pond.

Pass a community where Irish heritage, Ice Age geology and Newfoundland customs such as mummering come together.

Discover a harbour community once protected by cannons during the American Revolution and shaped by the river at its head.

JOSEPH’S AND SALMONIER RIVER. Follow changing community names past Father Duffy’s Well and the new bridge into the Salmonier landscape.

BUTTER POT, PADDY AND COCHRANE PONDS. Pass a seasonal provincial park of ancient rock and blueberry barrens near Hawke’s Hill Ecological Reserve and the turnoff for Salmonier Nature Park.

Return to the colourful capital where salt air, music and centuries of legend bring the one-direction Irish Loop journey to a close.