Wildland Tours

08/17/2024

The guests of Ponant Explorer Cruiseship Le Bellot, had a lovely day in St. John’s Port today visiting Cape Spear, Signal Hill and the City’s Highlights with !

08/15/2024

and is so pleased to have the guests and crew of the Holland America’s MS Volendam in the Port of St. John’s, NL today! WELCOME!! Photo Credit: Lisa Sabo

08/14/2024

Passengers and crew of Holland America’s Volendam enjoyed their time spent with the Vikings today in St Anthony and

08/12/2024

Another INCREDIBLE day in the Port of St. John’s NL for the guests and crew of the Norwegian Star! Welcome Back!! “Stay where you’re to, til we comes where you’re at!!”

08/08/2024

It’s always a good day when you can find a nice rock to sit on, relax and enjoy the view. There are lots of rocks on the “Rock”.

08/07/2024

It’s a “Go”. The Royal St. John’s Regatta. A must do on a visit to St. John’s.

08/06/2024

Sunday August 4th main course choices 5:15 & 8:00pm dinner sitting.

08/06/2024

It's a great day for racing a friend down the pond after finishing our Spider Challenge😍🕷️! Our zip line tours and spider challenge operate from 9am to 5pm.🙌🤙

08/06/2024

Have you visited Castle Hill yet this year? Every summer they create a brand new exhibit scavenger hunt to help you find and learn about pieces of history in the visitor centre.

These men are standing on the rocks where they used to dry out cod fish. Since Placentia (or Plaisance as it was called at the time) was a perfect spot for the fishery, it was fought over for years by the French and British.

08/06/2024

Experience the ultimate comfort and convenience on our Atlantic Puffin vessel 💚

A heated enclosed cabin, panoramic viewing, canteen, bar and two washrooms!

Join us for an unforgettable adventure to see the stunning Atlantic Puffins, without sacrificing comfort or accessibility.

www.obriensboattours.com

📸: Victoria Manson

08/06/2024

08/06/2024

Tuesday Tidbits
In honour of Heritage NL’s 40th anniversary each week, for forty weeks, we will be sharing one of our past publications.

This week learn about Living History Meets Social Enterprise: The Green Family Forge:
https://heritagenl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ICH-Case-Study-006-WEB.pdf

Photo: Blacksmith at work, Green Family Forge, Trinity, NL. Photo by Heritage NL, 2019.

08/06/2024

The infamous “Bakeapple”, whether you adore them or not they are a vital ingredient in the Newfoundland and Labrador culinary scene.

08/05/2024

There is no other Gros Morne. Inquire today about seeing this natural beauty on our summer 2025 vacations!

08/04/2024

Welcome to…………….Newfoundland and Labrador, the land of rugged shores and white sandy beaches.

08/03/2024

Ambassatours and Wildland Tours extend a hearty WELCOME to the guests and crew of the Seabourn Quest to the Port of St. John’s! ENJOY!! Reach out and say ‘whaddayat?’ to all you meet!!!

07/29/2024

Passengers and crew of Fred Olsen Cruiselines on the ship Bolette, enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day in Corner Brook today with a full Wildland Tours staff of guides enjoying it with them!!

07/25/2024

What a beautiful day in St Johns for the crew and passengers of the Fred Olsen Cruise ship Bolette. Enjoy today!

07/18/2024

The peace and quiet of our island is only interrupted by the birds! Visit yourself and take in the relaxing beauty 🌎

A beautiful evening for a quiet stroll in the forests of Bonavista Bay. The dusk chorus of Swainson's Thrush, Fox Sparrow and Magnolia Warbler were just icing on the sunset cake.

Wildland Tours Round Da Bay Inn

07/17/2024

The Norwegian Star arrived under blue skies and had another INCREDIBLE day in the port of St. John’s. The Wildlands’ Organization Team had all the boxes checked and were ready for the guests and staff to disembark for fun and adventure!

07/15/2024

Happy St. Swithin's Day Everyone!!! Looks like a good one out there!! 🙂

July month in Newfoundland was the month for the ‘excursionists’. It was the month when most established organization’s would be in the process of planning excursions ‘around the bay’ for their members. The date on the calendar that the organizers for these excursions were watching was July 15.

July 15 in Newfoundland was traditionally known as St. Swithin’s Day, (or more properly, Swithun) a day on which people watch the weather for tradition says that whatever the weather is like on St. Swithin’s Day, it will continue so for the next forty days.

The residents of St. John’s, many of English ancestry were very familiar with the Elizabethan weather-rhyme:

‘St. Swithin’s day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin’s day if thou be fair
For forty days ’twill rain nae mair.’

The excursions were holiday outings by coastal vessels to the Newfoundland outports, the most popular being Renews, Placentia and Trinity. Upon arrival in these villages the ‘townies’ would be greeted by the locals where they would be treated to a breakfast “after which the sports of the day would commence.” Some of the ‘sports’ included horse races, foot, hurdle and sack and wheelbarrow races, shooting matches and in the evenings dramatic entertainment and lantern shows .
Organizers for the excursions were disappointed to find on July 15, 1881 that it was a wet day. The local St. John’s paper, The Evening Telegram reported.
“A wet St. Swithen’s Day. Oh, whatever trials are yet in store for excursionists this season.“
Organizers of the excursions were well aware that individuals would be less reluctant to reserve a spot on an excursion if inclement weather was anticipated.
Who was St. Swithin?
St. Swithin (or more properly, Swithun) was a Saxon Bishop of Wi******er. He was born in the kingdom of Wessex and educated in its capital, Wi******er. He was famous for charitable gifts and building churches. A legend says that as the Bishop lay on his deathbed, he asked to be buried out of doors with the poor where he would be trodden on and rained on. For nine years, his wishes were followed, but then, the monks of Wi******er attempted to remove his remains to a splendid shrine inside the cathedral on 15 July 971. According to legend there was a heavy rain storm either during the ceremony or on its anniversary.
This led to the folklore tradition that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day (July 15th), it will rain for the next 40 days in succession, and a fine 15th July will be followed by 40 days of fine weather.
How did the tradition get to Newfoundland?
Beginning in the early 17th century, immigrants from the West of England (mainly from Wessex) began to settle in Newfoundland. By the early 1800s they had founded numerous fishing villages and towns and comprised about 60 percent of the resident population. The Wessex component was the largest ethno-European group to settle Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of these immigrants (80-85%) originated in the counties of Devon, Dorset, Hampshire and Somerset, with notable additions from the adjacent counties of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Cornwall.

07/15/2024

The passengers and crew of the MS Zuiderdam enjoyed a lovely day in St. Anthony with our Vikings!!  Ambassatours and Wildlands.

07/14/2024

Today we welcome the crew and passengers on Holland American’s MS Zuiderdam.

07/13/2024

How did you celebrate MUSEUM DAY NL today? Newfoundland and Labrador’s incredible and rich heritage is waiting to be experienced every day in our amazing Museums, Galleries, and Heritage Sites throughout the province!

07/13/2024

The start of a beautiful day in Newfoundland and Labrador.