“I’ve thought long and hard about it, but I think my favourite place would be Middle Cove Beach. Not Logy Bay or Outer Cove, but Middle Cove Beach in Newfoundland.

"I grew up in the town of Middle Cove, and Middle Cove Beach is right near the town. To me, it’s the classic Newfoundland beach. It has the classic Newfoundland beach rocks, the classic Newfoundland trees, the river flowing through the beach rocks into the ocean. It is simultaneously spectacularly beautiful and incredibly dangerous, which is what makes the Newfoundland coastline so compelling.

“Middle Cove Beach probably wasn’t my favourite place growing up, but absence makes the heart grow fonder.

“Some of my earliest memories are there. I can remember it seemed like it was a lifetime away from the city, but of course, it’s only a 20-minute drive from downtown St. John’s. I went past it twice a day every day for most of my life. I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid. Like any other kids, you go down there with your friends and do things like climb on the rocks and throw rocks at one another.

“Every time I’m back in Newfoundland, I always pull onto the beach and hang out for a bit.

“This past summer, I was driving past it and I saw four whales breaching right there... it’s just spectacular. It feels like you could be in the middle of nowhere when you’re there, and because it’s Newfoundland, the weather could change five times in five minutes.

“Newfoundlanders have no choice but to embrace the weather. When the weather is incredibly insane and brutal, that’s when Newfoundlanders say, ‘Hey, let’s go for a walk to the beach,’ and on beautiful days, they say, ‘Hey, let’s go for a walk to the beach.’

“I’ve been there in every season, every month. It’s all good. The last time I was there, it was about a month and a half ago... I managed to squeeze in a 10-minute stop. There are tons of spectacular beaches in Newfoundland, but this one happens to be my particular favourite.

“If I’m ever showing anyone around Newfoundland, I take them there, and then to my parents’ place because my dad makes the best homemade bread in the world. It’s just all part of the tour. I’ll be back this summer.

“I’m not an overly sentimental person about it. I wouldn’t say I sit there and gaze off into the horizon or anything, but I can’t even imagine being home and not seeing it. It just symbolizes home to me.”