It is unlikely, if you do go to St Lucia, that you would not go to see the Pitons (unless the beach is all you want!) – but equally they are not so special that you would be likely to go to St Lucia primarily in order to see them (unless perhaps you are a really inveterate WHS collector!).

These volcanic plugs, rising c2000 ft straight from the sea, are certainly spectacular and the nearby town of Soufriere, with its slightly ramshackle wooden buildings and fine views of the Pitons, makes a pleasant outing in its own right. “Petit Piton” is in fact taller than (the “wider”) Gros Piton. The site is inscribed for its natural beauty (ni) as well as for its volcanic nature (niii) and it is possible to climb Petit Piton but this needs permission from the Forest + Lands Dept and a specialist guide ($45US). We did not do this (it is quite steep/precipitous apparently) although the site is supposed to contain a lot of wildlife including 5 St Lucia endemic bird species. Equally a large part of the site consists of the marine area and we cannot comment on the marine life/snorkelling etc.

The Pitons Management Area includes Sulphur Springs – a volcanic area of bubbling mud pools and sulphur fumaroles which is all that remains of a volcano which collapsed 40000 years ago. On the same holiday we visited a similar, indeed apparently slightly less active, sight at Galway’s Soufriere on the island of Montserrat. A couple of years later it exploded in a major eruption which killed several people and led to the closure of the island for some years together with the, apparently permanent, evacuation of its southern part. So think of the underlying power which the bubbles portend!

A negative aspect of the area is the hassling of tourists especially in Soufriere and Sulphur Springs. I know that locals, on reading this, are likely to write outraged letters about people only trying to make a living in difficult circumstances etc but you need to be prepared for the clash of “Sandals All Inclusive Tourist” meeting “Un(der)-employed Local”. It would be fair to state that this was more “wearing” than “oppressive” insofar as we experienced it

At the Springs guides may or may not be “compulsory” (depending on how adamant you are) to “assist” you to follow the paths and prevent you from straying onto the soft areas where indeed there have been accidents. We found this site a bit “tacky” – it claims to be “the world’s only drive in volcano” which perhaps tells you something.

However we particularly liked the view of the Pitons themselves from the terrace of the up-market Dasheene Ladera boutique hotel/restaurant (not far from Sulphur Springs) where you can stop for a drink even if you are not staying. I quote :- “Attire for dinner is Island Elegant Casual”. As you sip your drink in peace amid the beautiful scenery it is perhaps not surprising that those not keyed into this aspect of St Lucia’s economy feel the need to do a bit of “hassling”!