Kerley’s Harbour was first recorded in the Census in 1845, with a population of 40. The harbour was originally occupied on a seasonal basis, but permanent settlement likely dates back to the early 1800's. Restricted by the surrounding landscape, the community reached a peak population in 1935 of 90 residents.
After Confederation and the collapse of the Labrador Fishery, the few remaining residents moved out of Kerley’s Harbour in 1963. The cartroad to this fishing community makes up part of the hiking trail. The remaining four-kilometre hike through barrens, wetlands, and dense forest brings you to British Harbour.
Although British Harbour prospered with a population of 224 people in 1901, it only had a population of 52 people in 1936. The community was finally abondoned after World War II, and the trail to British Harbour serves as the only land link to this once thriving community. Abandoned homes, tombstones, and stone foundations remain as relics of former times.
Passing Through Cape Random
The British Harbour Trail passes by the film set for the television series “Random Passage” which was aired in 2002. This site, known as White Point, depicts a 19th Century village in outport Newfoundland. The site provides a visual contrast to the abandoned communities of Kerley’s Harbour and British Harbour, while showing us the harsh life settlers lived along the coast of Newfoundland in the 1800s.
Besides the strong cultural component, the trail also offers spectacular coastal and inland scenery. The variety of wildlife includes moose, muskrats, beavers, and eagles. There is also an abundance of flowering plants, including blue flag iris and our provincial plant, the pitcher plant. This trail also passes through a variety of landscapes including dense forests, rock barrens, wetlands and ponds. Rockhounds, birdwatchers, and botanists are encouraged to interpret this natural environment since it is a relatively unexplored area.
Trail HighlightsLocation: Accessible from the community of New Bonaventure off Route 230 onto Route 239.
Length: Trail to Kerley’s Harbour: 2 km. Linear (40 minutes)
Difficulty: Trail to Kerley’s Harbour: Easy - Moderate Description: Remnant foundations, root cellars, and picturesque harbours await you on this trail, as you view the remaining evidence of Resettlement. Walk the cartroad constructed several hundred years ago to Kerley’s Harbour, then proceed to British Harbour on an upgraded hiking trail. |
For More Information, please contact:
Bonaventure-English Harbour Development Association
P.O. Box 38 Trinity, NF A0C 2S0
Tel: (709) 464-3564 Fax: (709) 464-3880
Email: beda@nf.aibn.com