Fort Duvernette

Fort Duvernette occupies the top of a volcanic plug rising some sixty metres out of the sea beside Young Island off St Vincent's southern coast, fortified in the early nineteenth century to cover the anchorage, and the way up is a stairway of more than two hundred steps cut into the rock. Cannon are still in place on two levels at the top. Boats run across in a couple of minutes from the Villa shore.

What you actually see

• The rock - a volcanic plug rising some sixty metres straight out of the sea.
• The rock-cut stairway - the flight of over two hundred steps to the top.
• The cannon - the guns still mounted on the batteries at the summit.
• The anchorage view - Young Island and the Villa channel from above.

When to go

December to May is the dry season and calmest for the crossing. Steps are slippery when wet. Mornings are cooler for the climb.

Honest expectations

The stairway is steep and the handrails are in variable condition. Boats are arranged informally on the shore. There is no shade at the top and no facilities.

Nearby

Young Island is beside it, and Villa is on the mainland shore.