(click here to find Robinsons on the map)
(click photos to enlarge)
We call this page Robinsons, but this area like the Codroy Valley to the south has several communities. The main towns are Highlands, Jeffrey's, McKay's, Robinsons and Heatherton. There are several smaller hamlets also including: Saint Fintan's, Maidstone, St. David's, Cartyville and Fischells.
To reach this area, take the TCH east from Port aux Basques. You can take either Route 404 or 405 to access these towns. The area is on the south shore of Bay St. George, across from the Port au Port Peninsula. It's between the Codroy Valley and the Stephenville exit on the Trans Canada.
We spent the last week of our September 2015 trip in the Codroy Valley. We decided to take an afternoon to explore this area. We started by driving to Highlands, which is a scattered community along a very rough road along Bay St. George. It was extremely windy that day and we could barely get out of the truck to take the photo of the church and graveyard above.
We worked our way over to Maidstone and to our surprise found a huge dairy operation that compares with what you'd expect to see in Ontario and Quebec. There were even large fields of corn still waiting to be harvested.
(click photos to enlarge)
We drove through Jeffrey's and McKay's towards Robinsons. If you turn left on Church Road, you'll come to the Wells Farm Market. Continue to the end of the road and there is a sign telling you to keep right. You follow around a single lane gravel loop that gives you a nice view of the beach. Keep going and you come out where you started.
At the main corner in Robinsons, you will find Salt Water Joyz. They have gas, a convenience store, a bar, pool table, vlt's and a restaurant. We enjoyed a great home-made burger.
Keep following the road north along the shoreline and you'll get to Heatherton. The road runs close to the shore, so there are lots of nice views.
The signs on the Trans Canada say east and west in this area, but you are going more north and south. If you want Port aux Basques, you take TCH West. If you are heading to Corner Brook, you'll want TCH East.
Before you head to Newfoundland, you may want to consider one or more of the great field guides that are available. We have done short reviews of the following:
Newfoundland books available from Amazon.ca (Canada)
Newfoundland books available from Amazon.com (USA)