Flatrock to Pouch Cove, Northeast Avalon

By Neil Burgess
Photos by Tony Lee

Date:           Sunday, 24 April 2005
Paddlers:     Neil Burgess, Tony Lee, Leslie Wells, Jim Kelly, and Jamie Lewis
Start time:    13:00 NDT End time: 17:00 Breaks: 1 hour
Distance:     15 km
Conditions:   air temperature 6º C, water temperature 1º C, winds NW to NE 15 km/h, swell 0.6 -   1 metre, wind waves 0 - 0.3 metres

WARNING: sea kayaking on this section of the Avalon coast is safe only in ideal conditions (calm seas and light W winds) with a group of skilled paddlers. 

Flatrock map.jpg (122631 bytes) Map of the Flatrock area (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Saturday saw the St. John's forecast for Sunday looking perfect for paddling: sun, warm temperatures, light west winds, and seas less than 1 metre. I had wanted to paddle along the coast between St. John's and Cape St. Francis for a long time, and now the weather and seas looked right. A quick note on the nf.paddling newsgroup for a day trip from Flatrock to Pouch Cove brought interest from Tony Lee and partner Leslie Wells, and soon after from Jamie Lewis. Tony let me know that Jim Kelly was interested, as well. Great -- we had a group of five strong paddlers, all interested in some adventure.

Since the coastline immediately north of St. John's has a bad reputation, I re-checked the land, marine and wave-model forecasts on Sunday morning. Everything looked favourable. This would be a Level 2 paddle if the conditions were mild: open water with no shelter; high cliffs; several exposed headlands; few landing spots and fewer escape routes. Under less than ideal conditions, this route would quickly rise well beyond Level 2 conditions. Today, things looked good. Plans were confirmed by phone to meet at Flatrock around 11 am.

I lived up to my reputation for tardiness by arriving promptly at 11:30 am. Tony, Leslie, Jim and Jamie were all there and joked good-naturedly about my lateness. A little more sobering was the state of the Flatrock harbour breakwater. If ever we needed a reminder of the unforgiving power of the sea, there it was (photo 1). Huge boulders had been tossed by high seas right over the concrete wharf -- or what was left of it - by a severe storm a month ago. The destruction was incredible. But today, the seas were calm, the wind was light, and the sun was out. 

Flatrock launch 1.jpg (70217 bytes) Photo 1 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

We figured out an alternate put-in, close to the mail boxes, since the concrete boat ramp was buried by armour-stone and debris. We got our boats and gear ready, and shuttled the cars to the take-out behind the post office in Pouch Cove. Then back to Flatrock, into our dry suits, double-check our boats and gear, and get on the water. We had a pleasant send-off from a tourist couple from Ottawa, who were out sight-seeing on this nice day. It was just after 1 pm when we got underway.

We paddled north along the harbour to Murdering Gulch (photo 2). The stream and waterfalls were running with the strength of spring. We were off to a good start. The geology alternated between thick, rounded slabs of red sandstone and greenish layers of twisted sedimentary/metamorphic rock (photo 3). We approached the awesome cliffs of Red Head (photo 4). At the base of Red Head was a unique square cave (photo 5). As we passed under the high cliffs of Red Head itself, Jamie told us about a photo shoot he had done here. He used climbing ropes to lower himself over the edge of Red Head, with his camera, to get vertical shots of a kayaker several hundred feet below. He's certainly got a good head for heights. I told the group about a fellow who had committed suicide here by driving off the edge of the cliff in his pick-up truck. Ouch!

Murdering Gulch 2.jpg (63309 bytes) Photo 2 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Flatrock geology 3.jpg (65765 bytes) Photo 3 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Red Head 4.jpg (41613 bytes) Photo 4 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Red Cliff cave 5.jpg (55135 bytes) Photo 5 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

As we rounded the headland, we got into some mild clapotis. The swell was running a little less than 1 metre but at the eastern face of the headland, it got bigger. It was rebounding off the vertical cliff face here, resulting in mildly confused seas. We could only imagine what it would be like in moderate or heavy seas. 

We rounded Newells Point and paddled under the dark, brooding cliffs in Red Head Cove (photo 6). The beach in this cove offers a partially protected take-out but the surrounding cliffs offer no escape route. A few remnants of winter icefalls clung to the cliffs, melting quickly. In a few places, chunks of ice floating in the water reminded us that the melting ice would eventually fall from the cliffs. Paddling north towards Abrams Head revealed more sea caves and ledges. Turning the corner into Stiles Cove, we gazed on a couple of waterfalls, more caves, and slabs of rock sloping into the water (photo 7). We spotted a memorial cross on a cliff top on the south side of Stiles Cove, which remembers a young drowning victim. We landed on the beach below the largest waterfall and had lunch (photo 8). The mild conditions made for virtually no surf on the beach that day. Stiles Cove offers an exceptional, protected take-out but again no escape from the cliff-lined beach. An old iron ladder, which offered escape to wayward fishermen that sought shelter here, disappeared years ago. With its vertical walls, deep ravines, waterfalls, ledges, and caves (photo 9), Stiles Cove is one of the most scenic places on the coast north of St. John's. Hikers on the East Coast Trail here already know the mysterious beauty of this place. Kayaking provides a whole new perspective on this treasure.

Red Head Cove 6.jpg (78258 bytes) Photo 6 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Stiles Cove 7.jpg (62845 bytes) Photo 7 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Stiles Cove lunch 8.jpg (86399 bytes) Photo 8 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Stiles Cove cave 9.jpg (70883 bytes) Photo 9 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

After a 45 minute lunch break, we set off again to the north into Seals Cove. Vertical cliffs and two gravel-bedded caves greeted us (photo 10). We rounded the corner past a sea stack, which demanded some precise paddling (photo 11). We continued into Small Point Cove (photo 12). The cliffs and sloping benches of rock were amazing (photo 13). Continuing north, we came to a magical waterfall with a huge, shiny boulder near its base (photo 14). A bench of rock hid the base of the waterfall, and added to the mystery of the place.

Seals Cove cave 10.jpg (72794 bytes) Photo 10 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Sea stack 11.jpg (80941 bytes) Photo 11 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Small Point Cove 12.jpg (37403 bytes) Photo 12 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Small Point cliffs 13.jpg (72172 bytes) Photo 13 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Dogs Hole waterfall 14.jpg (79436 bytes) Photo 14 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Another kilometre of paddling brought us around Black Head North (photo 15). It was easy to see how this exposed headland would bear the brunt of storms and heavy seas out of the northeast. As we past a deep cleft in the cliffs, known as Chimney Gulch (photo 16), Shoe Cove Island came into view to the west. Negotiating the very narrow passage between this Island and the mainland (photo 17) brought Pouch Cove into view. We explored a huge cave in Strawberry Cove (photo 18) that had huge chunks of ice hanging from the ceiling. We made a quick detour into the protected waters of Shoe Cove (photo 19) and we landed for a short break on the shingle beach. An old, gated track leads out from the beach to Shoe Cove Road, a possible escape route on foot. The East Coast Trail also passes by Shoe Cove beach.

Blach Head North 15.jpg (41498 bytes) Photo 15 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Chimney Gulch 16.jpg (48340 bytes) Photo 16 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Shoe Cove Island 17.jpg (57784 bytes) Photo 17 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Strawberry Point cave 18.jpg (39485 bytes) Photo 18 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Shoe Cove 19.jpg (66134 bytes) Photo 19 (thumbnail - click on image to enlarge)

Two more kilometres brought us to the slipway at Pouch Cove at 5 pm. Hauling the boats and gear up the steep slipway behind the Post Office gave our legs some much-needed exercise after a great paddle. A quick drive took us back to our starting point at Flat Rock, to pick up the other vehicles.

Thanks to Tony for capturing an extensive photo record of the trip. Visit the Gallery on his web site (http://www.kayaktherock.com/) for dozens more pictures of our trip.

Our route can be hiked along the East Coast Trail (which can be accessed in Flat Rock, or Pouch Cove, or along the way at the end of Red Head or Satellite Road. The hike is scenic but does not come close to the views you get from your kayak. 

So, next time conditions are right and a group of you want to explore some dramatic coastline very close to St. John's, here is the place.

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