Hackleton's Cliff

Barbados is not a volcanic island: it was pushed up from the sea floor as a stack of coral terraces, and Hackleton's Cliff is the edge of one of them, a limestone escarpment running for several kilometres along the eastern side at around three hundred metres, with the Scotland District below it. That district is the only part of the island where the coral cap has eroded through to the older rock beneath, which is why it looks and behaves differently from everywhere else, with landslips, gullies and clay soil. The cliff road runs along the top with viewpoints, and St John's church sits on the lip.

What you actually see

• The escarpment - the edge of an uplifted coral terrace.
• The Scotland District below - the only place the coral cap has eroded through.
• The viewpoints - along the ridge road, with the Atlantic beyond.
• St John's church - on the lip of the cliff.

When to go

December to April is the dry season and clearest. Mornings face the light correctly for the eastward view. The ridge road is narrow and slow. Rain makes the Scotland District roads below difficult.

Honest expectations

There is no formal viewpoint or facility, just pull-offs on a narrow road. The best views require knowing where to stop. The Scotland District below is prone to landslips and roads there are frequently damaged. It is a drive rather than a walk.

Nearby

St John's church is on the cliff; Bathsheba is below on the coast.