Clarenville

Clarenville is a town of 6,300 people (2016) in Newfoundland at the base of the Bonavista Peninsula. It is the last town with most major amenities on the way up to historic Bonavista town. It is a quaint town with friendly well-to-do people.

Understand

Clarenville is in the Shoal Harbour valley fronting an arm of the Atlantic Ocean called Random Sound. The town grew in importance after it became a junction on the Newfoundland Railway where a branch line to the Bonavista Peninsula left the main line. The construction of the Trans-Canada Highway through the community in the 1960s resulted in it becoming a local service centre for central-eastern Newfoundland, serving 96,000 people living in 90 communities within a 100-km radius.

The town is a gateway to the Discovery Trail, extending down the Bonavista Peninsula to Trinity and Bonavista, reputed site of the first landing of European explorer John Cabot. The trail is a panorama of scenery, historic sites, coastal towns and villages.

Clarenville has developed in a narrow strip between the coastal ridge and the sea. The average width of the corridor is between 450 and 600 m. It is at the most westerly end of an in-drift called Random Sound, extending 25 km inland behind Random Island. As probably the deepest, best sheltered, ice-free port on Newfoundland's east coast, Clarenville is suited for commercial shipping and recreational boating.

History

There is no definite date for the first settlement of what is now Clarenville. There was a sawmill at Lower Shoal Harbour around 1848. Clarenville's name has been attributed to a memorial to the Duke of Clarence, eldest son of the then Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) who died in 1892.

The first settlers of Lower Shoal Harbour, the Tilleys, travelled from Hants Harbour in 1848 because of the abundance of timber here. Along with the saw mill, the Tilleys became involved with fox farming, gardening, coopering, blacksmithing, fishing and fish canning. John Tilley and Sons were the tinning operation to tin salmon in Newfoundland.

Get in

Clarenville is near the centre of three peninsulas: Avalon, Burin, and Bonavista. Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) and Highway 230 pass through the town linking Clarenville to the Bonavista Bay area and to the rest of the provincial road network.

Clarenville is 190 km from St. John's, which has the nearest major airport.

By bus

• DRL-LR, ☏ +1 709-263-2171, drl@eastlink.ca. Operates a route daily between Port aux Basques and St. John's with numerous stops including in Stephenville, Corner Brook, Deer Lake, Grand Falls-Windsor, Lewisporte, Gander, and Clarenville. Travel time to Clarenville from Port aux Basques is 11 hours, from Corner Brook is 7.5 hours, from Deer Lake is 6.5 hours, Grand Falls-Windsor is 3.75 hours, from Gander is 2 hours, and from St John's is 2.75 hours. (updated May 2022)

Get around

• Clarenville Cabs, ☏ +1 709 466-1900. (updated Jun 2019)
• Benoit's Taxi, ☏ +1 709 425-3600. (updated Jun 2019)
• Seaview Taxi, ☏ +1 709 466-2666. (updated Jun 2019)

See

• Clarenville Heritage Society Museum, 7 Stanley’s Crescent off Marine Drive, ☏ +1 709 427-8216. Early Jul to early September: daily 10AM-5PM. In the former CN Railway station built in 1942. By donation. (updated Jun 2019)
• The Transatlantic Cable Monument (next to the old cable station on Cormack Drive). The monument was erected in 2005 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landing of the first Transatlantic Telephone Cable (TAT-1) connecting North America to Europe. (updated Jun 2019)

Do

Nearby are three golf courses, hiking trails, snowmobiling country.

• White Hills Ski Resort, ☏ +1 709 466-4555, toll-free: +1-877-466-4559. The only ski resort east of Corner Brook. White Hills is also home to the New Curtain Theatre Company at the Loft Theatre. Full-day/half-day tickets: adult $50/$36, youth $30/$20, child under 5 free, cross-country $20. (updated Jun 2019)
• Bare Mountain Trail, Manitoba Drive. 1 hr 15 min hike with lookouts. (updated Jun 2019)

Buy

• 1 Walmart, 11 Shoal Harbour Dr, ☏ +1 709 466-3014. M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 10AM-6PM. (updated Jun 2018)

Eat

• Rod's Restaurant, 2 Shoal Harbour Dr, ☏ +1 709 466-1555. F 7:30AM-10PM, Sa-Th 7:30AM-9PM price=. Fish and chips, deep fried seafood, burgers, sandwiches and wraps. (updated Jun 2019)
• 1 Stellar Kitchen at Clarenville Inn, 134 Trans Canada Hwy, toll-free: +1 877 466 7911. Daily 7AM-10PM. A full-service restaurant with a breathtaking view. Many local ingredients sourced directly from the market on the hotel property and surrounding local farms: fresh seafood, meats, and pastas. (updated Jun 2019)
• Bella's Grill, St. Jude's Hotel, TransCanada Highway, ☏ +1 709 466-1717. Daily 7AM-9PM. (updated Jun 2019)
• Tai-Hong, Tilleys Rd, ☏ +1 709-466-2929. Su-Th 11:30AM-9PM, F Sa 11:30AM-10PM. Chinese buffet restaurant. (updated Jun 2019)
• 2 Irving Station diner, 130 Trans Canada Hwy, ☏ +1 709-466-2073. Daily 6AM-8PM. It's actually some of the best family dining in the province and the view of the ocean from the windows in the dining area is spectacular. (updated Jul 2020)

Sleep

• 1 Clarenville Inn, 134 Trans Canada Hwy, toll-free: +1-877-466-7911, reservations@clarenvilleinn.ca. (updated Jun 2018)
• 2 Quality Hotel, 247 Trans Canada Hwy, ☏ +1 709 466-1717, toll-free: +1-800-563-7800. (updated Jun 2018)
• Restland Motel and Suites, toll-free: +1-800-205-3993. 5 rooms and 9 efficiency units with drive-up entrance. A shuttle service ride to the nearby White Hills Ski Resort. Some rooms air conditioned. Designated pet-friendly rooms, restaurant, pub. Rooms $120, suites $140, efficiency units $130, apartments $140. (updated Jun 2019)

Go next

Routes through Clarenville

Gander ← Terra Nova National Park ←

W  E

→ Jct S → Mount Pearl → St. John's