August 5 –Ferry/drive to Argentia (NFLD)

As is our usual mode of traveling, we did not plan ahead or reserve anything to do with our passage to Newfoundland, and we were lucky to have things work out for us without much delay. When traveling by bicycle, it is really hard to make reservations for anything more than a few hours in advance because a change in the weather can change everything.

There are 2 ferries to NFLD that leave from here, one to Argentia, and one to Port-aux-Basques. The ferry to Port-aux-Basques is more or less a direct route from the closest points linking Nova Scotia and Newfoundland, and takes about 6 hours. The ferry to Argentia is about 14 hours long, but you travel much further east and arrive just 140km outside of St. John’s . The drive between Port-aux-Basques and Argentia is about 800km. Our original plan was to catch the next ferry to Argentia, and then bike in to St. John’s. However that ferry, which runs just 3 times per week, was sold out for vehicle space for the next sailing. The ferry to Port-aux-Basques was also sold out, but as luck would have it, they had just decided to put on an extra sailing at 11PM on August 4, so we made a quick decision to get on that ferry and just drive the 800km over to Argentia!

We really felt like we were heading out on an ocean voyage. They have cabins for rent – seemed like a great idea considering it was a night passage, and you are not allowed to stay in your vehicle.