A "not-to-be-missed" site in St. John's is the historic fishing village of Quidi Vidi a neighbourhood tucked right inside St. John's proper (pronounced "Kiddy Vidi"). It harbour is known as "The Gut" and was settled early in the 16th century, when it wa known by the name "Quaida Vaida". Philip Hiscock, a Newfoundland folklorist, ha suggested in a CBC post of July 24, 2018, that it might have come from Italian or Portuguese, sounding "possibly like 'quey de videy' meaning 'what a beautiful sight" or possibly from Latin however, its actual etymology is unknown.

Hiscock recounts a funny story featuring Moses Harvey, a Scottish Presbyterian minister who moved to Newfoundland in the mid-1800s: Harvey said he was standing up talking to some visitor, who looked at a sign of Quidi Vidi's name and said, 'Oh that must Latin, hey?" That's when Harvey looked at the tourist, perplexed - but then decided he was going to poke some fun. "Look, it's obviously Latin? This is where Julius Caesar came ashore. Julius Caesar and his men trumped up and they looked around and they said, 'What a beautiful sight."

Cuckolds Cove (St. John's): The cove that is close to St. John's is a small one just outside the entrance of the harbour of the city.

Almost in the "backyard" of St. John's, there is a trail that leads from North Head all the way to this charming cove, that is southeast of Logy Bay and close to Sugarloaf Head, that will lead you right up to the famous Signal Hill.

According to one website the trail from the Cove to Signal Hill was the path of French soldiers who overtook the English on January 1, 1709 and held St. John's until April 1708.

There is very small Fort at the end of Cuckold's Road.

Used with permission from "Uncovering the Origin of 1001 Unique Place Names in Newfoundland and Labrador" 2021 Jennifer Leigh Hill

Address of this page: http://nl.ruralroutes.com/QuidiVidi