It is always a joy to discover someplace new on a trip! On our last visit to the Island of Guernsey my niece Suzanne, and her husband Chris, and nephew Steve, and his wife Karen took us to the Renoir Tea Garden by Moulin Huet Bay. (It is pronounced “Moulin Wet” on Guernsey.) As new to all of us, we were excited to visit. Steve, our trusted chauffeur, drove down the one lane road toward the bay and found a parking spot.

The weather was superb!

Suzanne takes a photo of the bay.

We came upon numbered signs showing where the Impressionist painter Renoir painted on the island in 1883. This video link shows the Renoir signs and the area.

A close up of a sign.

A view of Moulin Huet Bay through the trees.

A few old cottages down the road.

This is a really nice video of the area and where Renoir painted.

This is the 1883 Renoir painting, “The hills around the bay of Moulin Huet Guernsey.”

There are 42 miles of “cliff paths” on Guernsey and many have old granite directions markers.

The path narrows as we head toward the bay.

The weather…and the flowers…were just beautiful the first of September last year!

Steve looks for a table at the Renoir Tea Garden which opened in 1983..

Such a gorgeous day!

Tea and pastries provided energy for the walk!

Just across the entrance to Renoir tea House is “Renoir Cottage”.

The cottage was built in 1780. The Renoir Cottage once served as a watchhouse and accommodation for silver miners. Victor Hugo visited it in 1859. The site fell into disuse after the German Occupation of the Channel Island. The surrounding valley and beaches were heavily mined and covered in barb wire.

Renoir Cottage is available to rent: https://www.renoircottage.com/

Renoir painted ‘Brouillard a Guernsey’ (Fog on Guernsey) in 1883, depicting The Cottage you see today, in its full glory, above the bay of Moulin Huet.

Thank you Suzanne and Steve for a wonderful day of new discoveries!

Renoir could have painted at this exact spot.

Sunbathers and swimmers in Moulin Huet Bay.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted “Enfants au bord de la mer a Guernesey”, “Children on the Seashore, Guernsey” in 1883. This is in the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They have the largest collection of paintings by Renoir (179) and Cezanne (69) in the world.

A swim in the bay looks refreshing!

Steps of a Cliff Walk head up the hill from Moulin Huet toward Icart Point.

I’m at Icart point on a simply fabulous day in 2019.

Put the Island of Guernsey on your travel radar if you love unique experiences, great beauty, fascinating history, superb restaurants,…and a slightly slower pace. Guernsey can be reached by a short flight from London Gatwick Airport, or the Condor Ferry from Saint Malo in france.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.