We visited St Lucia over the holidays and were very impressed with the natural beauty of this lovely Caribbean island.
We started in Casteries, the capital city, and headed to the very north of the island. First we visited the Plantation Beach area and then stopped at Pigeon Island National Park on the northwest coast.
In Casteries, our first stop was the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. This is a large beautiful church with a clock tower located in the center of town next to Walcott Square. Walcott Square is named in honor of the local poet, Sir Derek Alton Walcott, a St. Lucia native, who won the 1992 Nobel Prize in literature. In the square, there is an enormous raintree or samaan tree.
Leaving the city, we drove up and up along the sloping roads. The area around Casteries is very steep and many of the houses are built to fit into the natural terrain.
We stopped at a small knickknack shop that offered a gorgeous view of the city and harbor.
Next we drove north toward Gros Islet and stopped at a beautiful high point, dotted with estate homes, overlooking the ocean. I think this was one of the most attractive coastlines I have ever seen. We had excellent views of Donkey Beach and Plantation Beach.
Back on the bus, we headed for Pigeon Island National Park. The park sits on the northern end of Rodney Bay and offers a picture-perfect view of the ocean and the mountains.
The site used to be a British military base and there are some original stone structures and interpretive signs that give you an impression of how the area looked and what life was like during the late eighteenth to mid-nineteenth centuries. These structures are scattered over the park leaving plenty of space for running, playing, hiking or just soaking up the beautiful scenery.
We hiked up to Fort Rodney which is on the high point of the park overlooking the bay. It’s hard to give you a sense of how beautiful the views were from this perch. The natural beauty of the bay from here was stunning. I could see the approach to the park from the main part of the island and the northwest coast of Cap Estate, as well as the expansive beach and bay to the south.
Back at sea level, as we walked around the perimeter of the park, each turn of the shoreline seemed to bring into sight a new patch of beautiful beach or scenery. For example, these waves breaking on the coral, as we looked toward the peaks of Gros Islet, seemed to invite me to explore their secrets.
St Lucia, Simply Beautiful. That’s what the first sign we saw when we looked out onto Castries said. I don’t think I could put it better myself.
Casteries
Pigeon Island National Park
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