Northerly shoreline of Merasheen - part 1
Most people are familiar with the in-harbour views of Merasheen and the more well known areas like the Dirty Rocks, Long Point, Virgin Cove, etc. Here are some other pictures from the NNW corner of the island. In this segment, we'll look at the area between Margaret's Point and Pitcher's Point. Part 2 will continue from the Fender to the White Point.
As you go past the Westerd Head, you will pass landmarks from the Pond Head including Deadman's Pond, the Thunder Hole, Pidgeon Cliff, the Whiteman and the Man and Woman. Just inside the Pond Head sunkers lies Margaret's Point, the rugged North corner of the Pond Head.
At the top of Margaret's Cove Gulch, on a clear day you can see everything from the White Sail down to Jean de Gaunt. In this photo, you get a perspective of the shoreline from Big Margaret's Cove to the Wild Cove. A few years ago, me and brother Joe cut out the overgrown path in Margaret's Cove Gulch so you can now walk up to the Mark from this side of the Pond Head. It's rugged but worth it.
The first cove around Margaret's Point is Big Margaret's Cove. I always remember it as the place Jimmy Barrett would sometimes leave his dory and walk back to the harbour and also a place where my father would look to find some killick or ballast rocks.
A meadow runs between Big Margaret's Cove and Little Margaret's Cove and the shores of a house could be seen in the meadow until the 1970s. While not known for sure, it's believed a family of Viscounts lived there.
At the opposite Easterly end of the meadow is little Margaret's Cove. Looking outward, on the left in the distance is the start of the Ragged Islands including Crane Island and Jean de Gaunt. Center photo is White Point outside the Wild Cove.
The next cove along the shoreline is Paddy's Cove (called Beachy Cove on old maps) and likely named for Patrick Viscount who lived there in the early 1900s with his wife and brother John. You can read about the tragic drownings in the cove in 1911 by searching the site for that article or go here: Paddy's Cove tragedy. The reidge of land on the right is the Salmon Point, not to be confused with the Salmon Point going in around Breakheart to the Virgin Cove. Off in the distance you can see Grandy Point and Isle Valen.
This is the Iron Rock in Paddy's Cove, taken from the meadow where Paddy Viscount's house stood:
To give a perspective of the shoreline, the next photo is taken from the cliff overlooking Paddy's Cove showing the shoreline up to Margaret's Point. To the left, the first hill is referred to as the Lookout and on a clear day you can see the upper harbour and beyond, the White Sail grounds to the West and down to Jean de Gaunt. The hill in the distance is known as the Mark, which has a lead navigation marker at the top. You can access it by a rugged walk from the South side through Larkins Garden or from the North side through Margaret's Cove Gulch.
From Paddy's Cove by the sea, you'll pass the Salmon Point, Net Rock and then the Gut Rock just 30' off the tip of Pitcher's Point which marks the far West limit of Little Merasheen harbour. The Pitcher families lived on this point beginning with Joey around 1900 and Ron building the last house there in 1957. It was also home to Ambrose Power and Michael Cochrane. Further in that side of the harbour included the homesteads of Michael Ennis, Dennis Curran, Olf Rogers and Jimmy Barrett.
The left picture is Joey's Beach. Around the hill to the left is Mike Ennis' property. The right picture is the meadow with the remains of the chimney from Ron Pitcher's house and light pole.
We'll skip the harbour (except for a picture of this fine craft heading into Little Merasheen past the Frenchman) and in Part 2 head east to the Potato Point which marked the far East limit of Little Merasheen harbour.
