On delightful place names, an old friend sends this note about Newfoundland:

All right, all you word-lovers, I really must share with you the wonderful place names we encountered on our camper trip to Newfoundland. Not that we visited all these towns and headlands and bays and arms of the ocean, mind you, but they are all on the official map, and we managed to see our fair share of them.

Now, I know that a bight is not a bite, but rather a tiny harbor. But I did not know that a tickle is a tricky little channel. And in any case, I was delighted by the whimsical possibilities so many of the names brought to mind. There was no bight at Jerry’s Nose, just a point. Jerry’s Nose was not near Nicky’s Nose Cove or even Blow Me Down. There was a Pitts Sound, not far from Happy Adventure.

I don’t know if Nipper’s Harbour was a bight or not, but Manful Bight surely was. There’s also Lushes Bight, Snakes Bight, and wildest of all, Wild Bight…not far from Dark Tickle. Tickles can lead to any number of things, I suppose; I don’t know exactly where Leading Tickles lead. Perhaps to Spanish Room. Or to Ha-ha Bay. Or maybe to Seldom or to Tilting. Toogood Arm was quite near Virgin Arm, out near the Bay of Exploits.

We did get to Come By Chance, but not to English Harbour, out near the island of Ireland’s Eye. And we were content to pass up Path End and Witless Bay.

I do regret missing a cluster of villages on the east side of Newfoundland, though. They sound lovely, or at least optimistic. They are Heart’s Desire, across the bay from Little Heart’s Ease, not far from Heart’s Content and Heart’s Delight.

Our Newfoundland travel has been a delight. For the next few weeks we’ll be campering through Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. And it’ll tickle me to watch for other interesting bits and bights.

SEJ