Tarpum Bay

Tarpum Bay is a small village of pastel wooden houses on the western shore of southern Eleuthera, quiet, shallow-watered and slow. It drew artists from the 1960s onwards, and the most visible result is the castle-like house built by the painter Mal Flanders on the ridge above the settlement, a folly of towers and battlements that looks over the bay. Galleries operate in a few of the houses, and the sunsets over the shallow water are the village's other claim.

What you actually see

• The pastel houses - painted wooden cottages along the shore road.
• The castle folly - the artist-built battlemented house on the ridge above.
• The galleries - painters' studios and shops in the village.
• The sunsets - light over the shallow western bank, the reason people stop.

When to go

November to April is the dry season. Sunset is the hour worth timing for. The village is quiet year-round and quieter still in summer.

Honest expectations

It is very small and an hour or two covers it. The castle is a private property seen from outside. Galleries keep irregular hours and several have closed.

Nearby

Rock Sound and Ocean Hole are south, and Governor's Harbour is north.