Three years ago today I hiked Spurwink Island Path from Port Kirwan to the Berry Head sea arch and Spurwink Island beyond.
This beautiful trail is kind of out of the way for me, a 100 km drive just to get to the trailhead, not too far but not exactly close to home either. On the drive to Port Kirwan I enjoyed the Sunday Jigs and Reels on the radio, there’s nothing like some traditional Newfoundland tunes for a trip on the scenic Southern Shore Highway!
Port Kirwan, the start and end of my hike – Spurwink Island Path
When I started my hike in the early morning the ground was still crisp and frozen beneath my feet, but soon enough the bright sun warmed everything up, as promised by the forecast. I walked the entire hike in just a t-shirt, I’m not sure how warm it got in the end but I got a mild sunburn even after using an SPF 60 sunscreen.
It was a 20k hike from the trailhead to Spurwink Island and back, including all the little viewpoint trails and some fun off-trail exploration. I took my sweet time enjoying all the sights and sounds, the trail was in fair shape, a bit soggy in places, many trees down, but most of them were easy to get around.
Here are some pictures from the day:
Bald Head & Shoal Bay – Spurwink Island Path
Waves below Bald Head – Spurwink Island Path
Wildlife-wise, I only saw a few squirrels and seals, and they were all quite surprised to see me. Otherwise I had the entire trail to myself all day long, a typically wonderful East Coast Trail experience.
The beach at Chance Bay was a nice place for a rest-stop:
Chance Bay Beach – Spurwink Island Path
Forest trail- Spurwink Island Path
Three hours into my leisurely-paced hike I reached the spectacular sight of the sea arch at Berry Head, and set up my camera to take this photo of me on top. You may recognize the picture from the cover of the East Coast Trail Guide:
Berry Head Sea Arch – Spurwink Island Path
View from the top – Spurwink Island Path
On top of the arch I enjoyed the view towards Ferryland and the Sounding Hills across the bay; Spurwink Island was also visible from the arch:
First look at Spurwink Island – Spurwink Island Path
Continuing the hike just beyond Little Gallows Cove, I found my turnaround point above Spurwink Island:
Spurwink Island – Spurwink Island Path
I always split these long trails in half when I hike alone, returning for the other half some other day, this way I always have something nice to look forward to 🙂
newfoundsander 
Beautiful pictures
Thanks Janet 🙂
Hi,
Très intéressant mais j’aimerais trouver une randonnée entre 10 et 15km qui me permette de rejoindre mon point de dėpart à pieds ou autrement et qui soit particulièrement belle.
J’ai vu un book qui m’avait l’air très intéressant également mais il n’est pas disponible sur Android.
Avez vous des suggestions.
Merci de votre aide.
Bonjour Irmine,
Ma suggestion est de faire une randonnée sur le sentier ‘Mickeleens Path’ entre Bay Bulls et Witless Bay. Ce sentier a un peu de tout: de la toundra côtière, des sections de forêt, et des hautes falaises colorées avec de superbes vues sur la côte et les îles voisines. Le sentier lui-même fait environ 7 km et il est facile de revenir à votre point de départ sur un raccourci intérieur d’environ 3 km. Cela fait une randonnée totale de 10 km, à l’exclusion de quelques sentiers secondaires courts mais intéressants vers des points de vue.
Sander
Bonsoir,
J’ai une autre question : concernant chaque chemin, y a t il une carte disponible sur place, gratuite ou pas, pour éviter l’achat d’un livre juste pour une randonnée ?
Merci de votre aide
Irmine Caron
Télécharger Outlook pour Android
Bonsoir Irmine, Il n’y a pas de cartes sur place, mais la plupart des sentiers ont une excellente signalisation en place, y compris Mickeleens Path. Le raccourci intérieur de 3 km qui vous ramène à votre point de départ n’a pas de signalisation, mais il est facile à trouver sur Google Maps.
Sander
Would you say to go to Berry head and the gallows then return would be doable with an infant in a carrier? A hiking one of course. Parents have hiked quiet a bit! How long would the hike take?
Thanks
Hi Gina, experienced hikers can manage this hike from the Port Kirwan trailhead to the sea arch at Berry Head and back within about 5 hours. I usually take 6 hours for the entire hike and that’s with frequent stops to enjoy the views and the wildlife.
There are a few sections with possibles trees down, also some possibly muddy sections, that may present a challenge when hiking with a carrier.
Little Gallows Cove is really close to Berry Head, it doesn’t add too much time to your hike but is definitely worth it if the weather is nice 🙂