BBC TravelOct 21, 2026No cars, no phone signal: Canada's ghost island where guests still check inOnce the thriving heart of Labrador's fishing industry, Battle Harbour has found new life as an island retreat with barely a trace of modern life.11 things in this storyExpedition 51° highwayTraildrive for five hours along the forest-flanked highwayElsewhereBattle IslandNeighborhoodBattle Harbour, Canadatiny island once teeming with fishermen and merchantsJohn SladePlaceBattle Harbour, Canadaestablished a trading operation in the 1770sMarconi stationSightBattle Harbour, Canadatransmitted first expedition account to the New York TimesMerchant BuildingHotelBattle Harbour, Canadahistoric structure with restored rooms for guestsHarry Smith RoomHotelBattle Harbour, Canadanamed after former general store employeeBattle Harbour FootpathTrailBattle Harbour, Canada1.9km stroll past a newer cemetery and memorialMarconi towersSightBattle Harbour, Canadalast surviving pair in North America, built in 1906Cape St CharlesSightBattle Harbour, Canadamost easterly point in continental North AmericaGreat Caribou IslandNeighborhoodBattle Harbour, Canadaisland to hike with blueberry patchesVictor CroucherPlaceBattle Harbour, Canadaboy in iconic photograph, buried on the islandRead the full piece at BBC Travel →
