Climbing the Pitons - St Lucia’s spectacular volcanic peaks

I was browsing through some brochures promoting the Caribbean island of St Lucia, and of course, they all contained stunning photos of the Piton peaks. St Lucia’s most recognisable feature, these twin, improbably-pointed mountains must be plastered over every poster and bit of publicity the island’s tourist board churns out.

Not that I’m complaining, as the Pitons never fail to grab my attention, and provide some of the most beautiful views in the whole of the Caribbean.

The Pitons also grabbed the attention of Ian and Norman, two of Tropical Sky’s guests, who have just told me about how they scaled Gros Piton, the larger of the two peaks, on a recent trip to St Lucia.

Making the climb

They sensibly took a guide (part of the local regulations if you want to climb the Pitons). It took them about five and a half hours to reach the summit and make their way back down again, they explained.

“It were a hard slog,” said Ian in his Yorkshire accent, telling me how hot it was when they made the ascent. It definitely looks pretty hard work to me, and what makes it all the more remarkable was that Norman went in for his scheduled hip replacement operations just after they returned home.

When asked if they would be climbing Petit Piton after a couple of days, they understandably chose the boat trip instead, but you can see from the photo what an amazing view it was from the top of Grand Piton. With a moderate level of fitness you can also climb the Pitons, and Tropical Sky will be more than happy to organise the trip and find a qualified guide for you.

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Gros Piton rises 771 metres from sea level in the south west of St Lucia, while Petit Piton, which is linked to its big brother by a high ridge, sits at a still-impressive 743 metres. Together they form part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The mountains owe their unique pointed shapes to being volcanic plugs, formed from hardened lava trapped within an ancient volcano’s vent. When the surrounding rock eroded, the erosion-resistant plugs remained. Edinburgh Castle in the Scottish capital is also in fact built on a volcanic plug.

Where to stay

Much as I like Edinburgh, though, I have to say that I would prefer to be in St Lucia. Tropical Sky offer several fantastic hotels with outstanding views of the Piton Peaks and perhaps my favourite is the Jalousie Plantation. It is set in a swathe of tropical forest right next to the Pitons and combines luxury accommodation with excellent food and service. For more about this resort and others in St Lucia give our expert reservations team a call on 0870 9079 605.

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