Guernsey Walker
Walk W6. St Martin's Village to Moulin Huet and back
Time: 1 hr. 5 mins.
A map of the walk can be found here.
This short but enjoyable walk starts in St Martin's Village and heads down to Moulin Huet and back, along pleasant paths and mostly quiet lanes, including the recently (2010) reconstructed 'Chmin dé Haout á La Fosse' along the upper reaches of Moulin Huet Valley. Some of this walk passes along paths used by walks R3 and R4.
The parking for this walk is in the public car park opposite Valpy's Hardware Store (Colin Torode Limited) in La Grande Rue / La Route des Camps. Note that, while the larger part of this car park is 10 hours maximum stay, some of it is only two hours. Bus routes to here are 5S, 5AS, 6S, 6AS, 7 or 7A.
Take the metalled path leaving the far end of the car park. After reaching St Martin's School and just after passing the large sycamore tree, turn left down the narrow lane. Note that the (un-signed) Masonic hall is ill-positioned in in my A5 Perry's, though not mentioned in the fold out versions. You actually pass to the left of it. (In fact both versions of Perry's are difficult to follow from the car park exit until the path turn off in the next paragraph, and it is probably better to stick closely to the walk instructions).
After 100 metres or so, pass a telephone pole, and soon afterwards turn left down the path with the two metal guard rails at the entrance (this path is not shown in Perry's). When you reach a housing estate bend left, then go straight through to reach the public road at a T junction (this road can be quite busy at times). Turn right then after about 30 paces turn left between 'Utopia' and 'Whitewings'. (Ruette Rabey).
Keep straight down then, just before reaching a T junction turn right by the house named 'Tober Lodge'. After 50 metres turn left down the path ('Pedestrians only. Riding of horses, motor cycles and cycles strictly prohibited').
At Moulin Huet Fontaine et Abreuveur turn right down the water lane. (Note this lane can get quite muddy after rain, and slippery in places after leaf fall in autumn and winter). Reach Moulin Huet car park, where there are public toilets (open 1st March to 31st October).
Turn left down the narrow tarmac lane ('No entry except residents and traders un/loading'). After the houses continue down the tarmac path signed 'Moulin Huet, Saints Bay, Icart Point'. Pass Moulin Huet Tea Room (open in season) to reach an information board about "Renoir in Guernsey" where there is also a seat. (25 minutes).
We are going to turn right here (signed on a granite block: 'Saints Bay, Icart Point'), but before doing so it's worth going the few paces further down to Moulin Huet Bay, before retracing your steps to here and taking the path up the steps.
After the initial steps there's a flatish section then some more steps. At a junction turn left (signed: 'Saints'), then after a zigzag or two, take a last flight of steps up to the top of the cliff at a T junction, near Bon Port Hotel. We will turn right here, but first it's worth taking a short detour to the left as far as the end of the headland where there is a stone seat and views to the Pea Stacks on your left and Saints fisherman's harbour to your right.
Then return back to the top of the steps and continue straight along the horizontal path. When you reach the top of a few descending steps, take the path forking off on the left (named on a granite block in Guernsey patois: 'Lé Chmin dé Haout á La Fosse'). Part of the way along, ignore a descending right fork which seems to be developing (presumably because people have accidentally gone down it only to find it's a dead end), and continue pretty much horizontally along the main path, finally gently dropping down a little to reach the tarmac valley road at Moulin Huet Pottery. Turn left up the road.
Pass La Roche Abreuveur et Fontaine, then keep straight ahead at a cross roads. Reach Hotel Bella Luce and turn right at the cross roads. When the road bends right after the hotel buildings keep straight on along the narrow lane 'Rue de la Vallée'.
You soon join up with your outward route just before St Martin's School, to follow it back to the car park. (1 hr. 5 mins.).