From Cupids Cove it takes about an hour going south on a peninsula to get to the next attraction, Castle Hill National Historic Site. On the way we pass through scenic wild areas and we even notice a few beaver lodges along the way, unfortunately no actual beavers. Given how few cars are on the main highway we are surprised how full the parking lot is, at least we can find a parking spot and then it is time to start exploring the site.
Castle Hill National Historic Site protects a series of fortifications erected by the French protecting the Placentia harbor for centuries which were then ceded to the English before being abandoned later. We also learn that the entrance is free to the fortifications proper the park charges a fee only for the small museum which we decide to skip. This is unusual when compared to other national parks we have been to, the entrance fee would be charged for both the outdoor and indoor sections.
We start with the smallest of the fortifications, the Detached Redoubt, which protected the entrance to the harbor. It has some scenic views all around, of course it was built at the top of a hill so the gunners have a 360 degree view.
From here we have to return back to the visitor center, it is short and nice hike with some great views.
From the visitor center it is time to go up again on a different hill to explore Fort Royal, the main fortification in this string of French defenses of Placentia. The main entrance is of course protected by cannon to defend against an attack on land.
The fort itself was constructed in stages and it was quite impressive in its heyday defending a few British attacks on Placentia while a few quite effective counterattacks were launched from here sacking St Johns and the surrounding area.
Of course the majority of cannons were protecting the harbor and the waterway that leads to the city proper to defend the settlers and the city. This means it also sits in a great location which now affords a great view of the city and the harbor.
Next it is time to explore the last in the series of fortifications protected by the National Historic Site, there are a few that are outside of the protected area. It is a beautiful trail through the forest unfortunately we are followed by a group of loud French tourists so we cannot enjoy it that much.
But we do hurry a bit and we lose them as we reach the Gaillarding Redoubt through a forest that seems to be haunted.
This redoubt also has great views but it is much smaller that Fort Royal, while still being in a better state than the initial redoubt, you can see how the fortification was looking based on the excavated walls. And then it is time to close the loop by returning to the car through the forest, we still have one stop left for today which we need to reach during daylight as we want to see a gannet colony.
