Timeless Trinity

If ever there was a delightful place to spend a few hours, or for the really lucky visitor a few days, it's the charming town on Trinity, Trinity Bay.  The redundancy in the name comes from the fact that Newfoundland and Labrador is not divided into counties; if two communities happen to have the same name, they can't be differentiated by county so have to be referred to by the bay on which they lie; hence the distinction between Trinity, Trinity Bay, and Trinity, Bonavista Bay.  While both communities are lovely, it's the Trinity Bay locale that's our focus today.  The town lies roughly an hour north of the Trans-Canada Highway via Route 230.  It lies on the shores of Trinity Bight, a large indentation of Trinity Bay's shoreline that includes a number of small communities.  Its huge
and easily-defended harbour made it an important fishing port in the 1700s, as well as a centre for lumbering, shipbuilding and other trades. In its heyday, Trinity was home to more than 800 people and was a thriving centre for trade and commerce. Today, it has a year-round population of fewer than fifty, but in summer it can still be a bustling place, where restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and museums can be found. Its inviting, tree-lined streets or boat tours beckon, while for the more ambitious the Gun Hill Trail above the town centre overlooks miles of spectacular coastline. Museums include the Cooperage, a restored barrrel-maker's shop (seen above left), the Lester-Garland House, the Trinity Interpretation Centre, Lester-Garland Premises, Hiscock House, the eclectic
Trinity Museum and the Green Family Forge, among others.  There's no shortage of possibilities for sightseeing and learning about the area's fascinating history. Friendly and knowledgeable animators provide information and answer your questions about the various sites, and a wander through the narrow streets of the town is rewarded with photo opportunities at every turn. Dominating the skyline is the imposing St. Paul's Anglican Church. Its neatly fenced graveyard is filled with inscribed stones, each of which has a story to tell, and the interior of the church is softly lit with a number of finely crafted stained-glass windows (below). Across the water lies Fort Point, Trinity's newest restoration, where a trail leads to a number of storyboards surrounded by a stockade fence.  Trinity is also home to the Rising Tide
Theatre, a professional theatre company that stages a season of performances, including comedy, drama, and dinner theatre, that extends well into the fall. The season's anchor event and best-known work is The New Founde Lande Trinity Pageant, an outdoor walkabout performance that takes place in the afternoon. Members of the company portray an array of characters from Trinity's past, and lead their audience to various locations around the town. It's an opportunity to step into history and meet some of the people who played a vital part in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador.  There's only one small drawback to visiting this little gem of a town: once you've experienced the lure of Trinity, you'll want to return for another look!