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Over 1000 years ago, Vikings landed at L’Anse aux Meadows, UNESCO World Heritage Site, at the tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula.

The remains of a Norse village are found there, the first known signs of European presence in North America, with carbon dating suggesting that the Norse people were there between 990 and 1050 AD.

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“They came here for wood to supply their colonies in Greenland. They were probably here for about 15 years,” says Loretta Decker, Parks Canada product development officer for National Historic Sites in Western Newfoundland and Labrador. Decker grew up in the area, and her grandfather, George Decker, led archaeologists to the site in the early 1960s.

Back in the 990s, the area was lush and forested, but now it’s windswept and grassy with spectacular vistas. There are still remnants of the three pod-like buildings the Norse people built, which sheltered their colony of between 60 and 90 people.

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“It was a winter base camp. And everyone was together – if you were a Norseman, you’d get married at 15 and live with your parents for a while,” says Decker. “[The group] would get their wood, stay for the winter and leave for Greenland.

The Viking camp has been recreated at L’Anse aux Meadows, where travellers can see original artifacts, and hear Vinland sagas and Norse myths told by Viking-costumed storytellers around the fire. They can even enjoy a Viking drink, a local specialty made with berries.

It’s a five-hour drive through stunning landscape up the west side of Newfoundland from Corner Brook to L’Anse Aux Meadows. But it’s well worth the trip to experience a vibrant slice of Newfoundland and Labrador’s unique cultural history.

Advertising feature produced by Globe Content Studio with Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.