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Shakedown: Newfoundland

Newfoundland meant ferries, fog, and some of the most dramatic coastline on the continent — puffins on the cliffs, whales offshore, caribou in the meadows, and fishing villages painted against the sea.

Our longest shakedown to date and a real test of living in the van for weeks at a stretch — exactly the kind of trip that tells you whether a build is ready for years on the road.

At a glance

Getting there
Ferry from Nova Scotia
Duration
Weeks on the island
Wildlife
Puffins · whales · caribou · moose
Terrain
Cliffs, fjords, fishing villages

Watch

The ferry and the fog

Newfoundland starts with a long ferry across the Cabot Strait and a quick lesson in island weather: fog that rolls in and out by the hour, and a coastline that feels like the true edge of the continent.

The driving is all jagged headlands, deep fjords, and clapboard fishing villages painted hard against the grey — the kind of place where you keep pulling over because the next cove is even better.

Wildlife everywhere

This is one of the best places on the continent to just stand still and watch. Puffins crowd the sea-cliff colonies, humpbacks work the bays close to shore, and caribou drift across the barrens.

It’s also where we proved we could live aboard for weeks at a stretch — cooking, working, and resetting without a house to fall back on. The strongest yes-it’s-ready signal so far.

Highlights

  • Puffin colonies on the sea cliffs
  • Humpback whales close to shore
  • Caribou on the barrens
  • Weeks of genuine full-time van living

From this trip

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