Tuesday 3rd of October 2023
St Johns, Newfoundland
Mary wrote: We docked around 0630 and got up at 0730 ready for our Signal Hill and coastal hike back to the ship. We had breakfast in the Ballindalloch and were seated near a window so we could see the town. The time for our tour had been changed to 1000, so it gives us plenty of time for breakfast and getting ready.
It did not seem very cold, so I was wearing my thin green fleece top with a zip fleece on top and my Mac. Mel thought I would be OK in my slip-on Skechers, but I would have been better in walking boots or trainers that laced up. We started promptly as we were sent from the Neptune Lounge straight to the yellow school bus. There was very little leg room, but we did not have far to travel. We were taken to the Museum for half an hour and then took some photos. The driver could not start the bus. (It sounded like a flat battery or could have been a burnt-out alternator or starter motor. It smelt of burning when I went back inside to collect my Mac). It took 20 minutes for another bus to arrive to take us to the top. We had ¼ of an hour to take photos and then started the hike.
Signal Hill has a height of 757 ft . We walked the North Head Route which is rated ‘Hard’, has a distance of 3.1 miles 7,000 steps in all, with 300 of them mainly downhill to negotiate. The hill was used as a signalling post to tell all the village which ships had been spotted and were coming into the harbour containing various supplies. The hill opposite was used by the ladies as a watch-out point when the men were away at sea.
We were told that if we managed the first bit, we should be able to do the rest of it. There were some easier route alternatives than the route we were doing. I managed the steps and even felt OK so hope for the best. There was a second leader called Kyle who helped me on the difficult parts but about halfway down the trail one man sat down and needed help, so Kyle stayed with him and got him to safety and a taxi. There were lots of wooden steps and stony paths and boulders with typical mountain footpaths to encounter. It was more challenging than we had expected. There were also some uphill sections. and at the end, when we went through the area called the battery with coloured wooden houses, it was uphill again which was very draining.
We finally got back to the ship at 1330, (half an hour longer than we expected, but we had lost 20 minutes awaiting the bus). The weather was very good, and the sun was shining so I was very hot. Speaking to a local, he said it was much warmer than usual for the time of year. We went to the Palm Cafe for a late lunch and then went to a talk about the Kiel Canal joining the North Sea to the Baltic, given by John Laverick. At 1600 we went back to the Palm for two pots of tea each, and we had a long chat with two widows, finally getting back to the cabin at 1720.
