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Around The Rock In A Bad Mood
SIGNED TO CAROL ON TITLE PG. World traveler, Artic Explorer, Author, trip around Newfoundland, By Kayak and more.
- GenresTravel
193 pages, soft cover
First published January 1, 2008
About the author
Bernie Howgate
6 books5 followersThe dedication on the inside cover of Bernie's first book Tales of a Travelling Man " For my mother who gave me the strength to reach for the stars and my father who put fire in my belly " speaks volumes to his upbringing.
If God looks over his chosen fools, then Bernie has led a charmed life. He has an incurable child-like curiosity that drives him through his adventures. Meeting people has always been the name of his game. He loves the unexpected and finds himself just as much at home in equatorial Africa as he does in Canada's Arctic; whether he is sleeping under the stars, bedded down in a barn or being swept along by new found hospitality in someone's house. He seems to have that rare ability to disarm and blend in, no matter what his surroundings.
He jumped into the deep end of travel in 1980, stretching a two-month cycling vacation into an eight-year round the world cycling odyssey which led to his first book Tales of a Travelling Man. He had only been back in Canada for two years when he took off on another trip, cycling from Victoria, B.C. to St John's Nfld. on a Pakistani rickshaw which became the basis of his latest book entitled Newfie or Bust. The first time he laced on snowshoes or for that matter, paddled the open seas, was during an eight-month trip up the rugged Atlantic coastline of Labrador. This trip became the basis of his most popular book to date, Journey Through Labrador. He has also soloed 500 kilometers across Labrador's 'height of the land' in winter, and kayaked 2500 kilometers from Toronto, down the St-Lawrence River to Goose Bay, Labrador, which is the basis of his latest book entitled ' A Lazy Day in Summer'. He has also spent eighteen months camped out in two trapper's tents at the bottom of Lake Melville in Labrador's interior.
What sets him apart from his peers as a traveller is that not only are all his trips made solo, but because of their variety he has become over the years an accomplished outdoorsman, a self taught wilderness snowshoer and sea kayaker.
He can often be seen and heard on television and radio and has guested on such popular television programs as the Dini Petty Show, What on Earth, The West Coasters, Land and Sea and Canada A.M. . As well as being interviewed on numerous regional talk shows. CBC Radio's Hear and Now, serialised his Labrador trip and he has also guested on Morning Side, Basic Black and As It Happens. Micheal Enright once called his interview with Bernie "A breath of fresh air, the guy is a one off..."
Never one to limit himself to other peoples ideas or let grass grow under his feet, he now resides in Sept-Iles, Québec, learning French and promoting the outdoor life through his course Winter Camping.
It's been three years since his last major trip. The big 'Five - O' is just around the corner. Kayaking around the coastline of Newfounland has always intrigued him, so don't be surprised if you see it posted in his Sea Kayaking.
If God looks over his chosen fools, then Bernie has led a charmed life. He has an incurable child-like curiosity that drives him through his adventures. Meeting people has always been the name of his game. He loves the unexpected and finds himself just as much at home in equatorial Africa as he does in Canada's Arctic; whether he is sleeping under the stars, bedded down in a barn or being swept along by new found hospitality in someone's house. He seems to have that rare ability to disarm and blend in, no matter what his surroundings.
He jumped into the deep end of travel in 1980, stretching a two-month cycling vacation into an eight-year round the world cycling odyssey which led to his first book Tales of a Travelling Man. He had only been back in Canada for two years when he took off on another trip, cycling from Victoria, B.C. to St John's Nfld. on a Pakistani rickshaw which became the basis of his latest book entitled Newfie or Bust. The first time he laced on snowshoes or for that matter, paddled the open seas, was during an eight-month trip up the rugged Atlantic coastline of Labrador. This trip became the basis of his most popular book to date, Journey Through Labrador. He has also soloed 500 kilometers across Labrador's 'height of the land' in winter, and kayaked 2500 kilometers from Toronto, down the St-Lawrence River to Goose Bay, Labrador, which is the basis of his latest book entitled ' A Lazy Day in Summer'. He has also spent eighteen months camped out in two trapper's tents at the bottom of Lake Melville in Labrador's interior.
What sets him apart from his peers as a traveller is that not only are all his trips made solo, but because of their variety he has become over the years an accomplished outdoorsman, a self taught wilderness snowshoer and sea kayaker.
He can often be seen and heard on television and radio and has guested on such popular television programs as the Dini Petty Show, What on Earth, The West Coasters, Land and Sea and Canada A.M. . As well as being interviewed on numerous regional talk shows. CBC Radio's Hear and Now, serialised his Labrador trip and he has also guested on Morning Side, Basic Black and As It Happens. Micheal Enright once called his interview with Bernie "A breath of fresh air, the guy is a one off..."
Never one to limit himself to other peoples ideas or let grass grow under his feet, he now resides in Sept-Iles, Québec, learning French and promoting the outdoor life through his course Winter Camping.
It's been three years since his last major trip. The big 'Five - O' is just around the corner. Kayaking around the coastline of Newfounland has always intrigued him, so don't be surprised if you see it posted in his Sea Kayaking.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 11, 2024
Yes, he showed up on my doorstep selling his book. It starts off great, with vivid descriptions of both the land and the people. Part way through, it moves faster but loses the energy of the first half. The last 3rd of the journey is rushed. Still, it's an enjoyable read. It could really have used a proofreader. So many commas...
June 25, 2019
I found this book in an antique shop at the start of a 3 week stay in St Johns; I’m glad I could read it and live on the island at the same time. I experienced the weathers extreme mood swings, the brutal icy wind and impressive views of icebergs and the vast seemingly never ending Atlantic Ocean. One thing Howgate could not be more right about is how hospitable Newfies are; I could not have been welcomed more by the locals during my stay. He gives insights to how the coastal communities have been changed over the years for many reasons but the hospitality is something that hasn’t changed one bit. I really think the book is about how there is always people around willing to help and they always seem to appear when you’re most in need. Also giving back by trusting people as a whole “A cabin door unlocked, is rooted in common sense and built on the knowledge that next time, it could be your turn to be caught out in the storm” is a great quote to keep in mind for daily life.
Howgate is obviously not a full-time writer but that’s irrelevant to the story. Its not necessarily your typical adventure story and is lacking in intense action and drama if that’s what you’re after; but if you want to hear a true to life account of the exceptional endurance challenge of kayaking round an island with a 6000 mile coastline then it’s a pretty great reference. He doesn’t sugar coat any of the experience and is very open with how vulnerable he felt – physically and mentally - at times during, something unexpected of a man in his 50s. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the outdoors and I’d recommend a visit to Newfoundland to absolutely everyone.
Howgate is obviously not a full-time writer but that’s irrelevant to the story. Its not necessarily your typical adventure story and is lacking in intense action and drama if that’s what you’re after; but if you want to hear a true to life account of the exceptional endurance challenge of kayaking round an island with a 6000 mile coastline then it’s a pretty great reference. He doesn’t sugar coat any of the experience and is very open with how vulnerable he felt – physically and mentally - at times during, something unexpected of a man in his 50s. Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the outdoors and I’d recommend a visit to Newfoundland to absolutely everyone.
July 17, 2008
This self-published book is an account of Bernie's kayaking trip around Newfoundland.
The style, like the author, is very engaging and having met him it became hard not to imagine this as a tall tale told over a few pints at the pub. Scarcely a sentence passes without a cliche or well-worn turn-of-phrase; sometimes they arrive as a constant stream.
As an adventure story I found it to be a bit flat. Whilst there were obviously moments of high drama they did not really get the pulse racing.
The book also suffers from proof-reading that has missed many of the more obvious errors - mostly ones that would be missed by the spell-checker - there, they're, their... Thankfully the aural nature of the writing means these are not as annoying as they might be.
Having said all of this I would recommend the book to anyone with a little adventure in their hearts. For those with interest in the subject matter it is very readable and gives a good sense of the harshness of the waters around 'the rock' and the incredible hospitality of the Newfies.
The style, like the author, is very engaging and having met him it became hard not to imagine this as a tall tale told over a few pints at the pub. Scarcely a sentence passes without a cliche or well-worn turn-of-phrase; sometimes they arrive as a constant stream.
As an adventure story I found it to be a bit flat. Whilst there were obviously moments of high drama they did not really get the pulse racing.
The book also suffers from proof-reading that has missed many of the more obvious errors - mostly ones that would be missed by the spell-checker - there, they're, their... Thankfully the aural nature of the writing means these are not as annoying as they might be.
Having said all of this I would recommend the book to anyone with a little adventure in their hearts. For those with interest in the subject matter it is very readable and gives a good sense of the harshness of the waters around 'the rock' and the incredible hospitality of the Newfies.
January 9, 2026
2026 2/100
Honestly aside from some great descriptions of rural Newfoundland, this fell flat for me. It’s essentially just a wandering account of how a very experienced yet under-prepared man boozes his way around the island, drinking and shooting the shit (or chit as he insists on calling it) with anyone who’ll listen to his opinions on the government and evils of urban life.
This is resplendent with typos, grammatical errors and enough commas to satiate an Oxford english professor, and its clear he put as much effort into proofing it as he did into stopping himself from including slurs that were absolutely inappropriate by the time this book was self-published in 2006.
The photos included are mediocre, and he also uses excepts from his blog as page filler numerous times. I’m thrilled I picked this up from a Free Little Library, as I’ve lost nothing but my time and gained a story about a new snoozer of a book.
Honestly aside from some great descriptions of rural Newfoundland, this fell flat for me. It’s essentially just a wandering account of how a very experienced yet under-prepared man boozes his way around the island, drinking and shooting the shit (or chit as he insists on calling it) with anyone who’ll listen to his opinions on the government and evils of urban life.
This is resplendent with typos, grammatical errors and enough commas to satiate an Oxford english professor, and its clear he put as much effort into proofing it as he did into stopping himself from including slurs that were absolutely inappropriate by the time this book was self-published in 2006.
The photos included are mediocre, and he also uses excepts from his blog as page filler numerous times. I’m thrilled I picked this up from a Free Little Library, as I’ve lost nothing but my time and gained a story about a new snoozer of a book.
December 31, 2025
If you had this book with you on a flight from Vancouver to Seoul, email me! red_smarties@live.com
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews