Boil Ups on the Beach

By Janice Stuckless

Olga Carpenter photo

If you grew up in a place with a nice beach where you could gather around a warm fire, sharing food, drinks and laughs, you’re pretty lucky. I grew up in Twillingate – boy, was I blessed! Brownie Beach, French Beach and Spillar’s Cove; Robin’s Cove, Ragged Point and Fifield’s Cove (my personal favourite); Salem’s Cove (a.k.a. Solomon’s Cove or other names depending on pronunciation), Back Harbour, Wild Cove and the old Spencer’s Park – and these are just the few that I frequented and can name.

And what constitutes a boil-up depends on the person and the foodstuffs you brought. When we had beach fires as teenagers, it was more likely a lunch of chips and pop (or “wobbly pops” as we got older). It could be as simple as classic wieners and marshmallows; as genuine as freshly caught trout, mussels or periwinkles; or as complete as a Jiggs dinner, pease pudding and all.

We asked our Facebook friends to recommend their favourite boil-up beach, and we scrolled through Downhome- Life.com looking for readers’ beach boil-up photos. Here are some of the best ones we found from all over Newfoundland.

Topsail Beach

This is a favourite spot for residents of Conception Bay South and visitors from “town.” There are firepits and picnic tables, and an unbeatable sunset view over the islands of Conception Bay.

McKay’s Beach

Iris Woodworth-Watson photo

Located in beautiful Bay St. George, McKay’s is between Robinsons and Jeffrey’s.

Cape Ray

Wayne Osmond photo

From sand dunes to big beach rocks, the Cape Ray seashore has something for everyone. For instance, it’s a good place to cook up toutons and tea on the rocks.

Searston Beach

Sherry Jones photo

This sandy stretch of beach in Codroy Valley is a natural habitat for the endangered piping plover, so watch where you walk and set up your fire.

Clam Cove

Amy Clark photo

This cove near Cape Race marks one of the deadliest spots in Canadian shipping history. In 1863, the SS Anglo Saxon ran aground here in heavy fog. She broke apart on the rocks and sank, killing 237 of the 445 people aboard.

Britannia Beach

Lori Janes photo

Britannia is one of several communities on Random Island, in Trinity Bay near Clarenville. This is a popular area for recreational boating, especially sail boats.

Jersey Harbour

Bonnie Goguen photo

Where there may have been plenty of fires on this beach in its heyday, you’re more likely to have this place to yourself now, as Jersey Harbour (near Harbour Breton in Fortune Bay) was resettled in the 1960s.

Middle Cove Beach

Roy Snow photo

When the capelin roll on the northeast Avalon Peninsula, this is one place they’re likely to come in. For some, there’s nothing like a freshly caught capelin cooked on the fire.

Sally’s Cove

Johanne Barefoot photo

Local legend has it that Sally’s Cove was named after a woman, Sally Short, who was escaping her husband with her children and they were shipwrecked here. It is located within the boundaries of Gros Morne National Park.

Crescent Lake

Pansy Snow Roberts photo

Keep an eye out on the water while enjoying a beach boil-up here in Robert’s Arm. An elusive monster named Cressie is rumoured to lurk beneath the surface.

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