Soufriere, translated as sulphur springs, is in the same bay as Scott's Head, in the southwest of the island.
Its also a fishing village, flanked by abruptly-rising mountains and with clear waters it's great for snorkelling. Swimming out from the pebbly beach in front of the church and exploring the coastline, I found that the cliffs in this photo carry on dropping down vertically to a depth of 2000 metres! I've never seen anything like this before- from land to the big blue in one instant, with not the slightest coastal ledge. It was truly amazing, and corals, sponges and fish inhabited the cliff just below water level. It was also a slightly disconcerting experience- the cliffs didn't look that stable so I wondered if I would be plonked on the head by a falling rock, and floating above a vacant space I got a slight sensation of vertigo and kept on imagining what big things could be living in the depths (talking later to a hotel owner, sperm whales occasionally surface below the cliffs).
Church, fishing boats and mountains.
Fisherman's house, stream and view of Scott's Head.
Hot spot. Thermal water emerges from below the beach at the water's edge. At low tide, when the sea water is out, the thermal waters scald. Locals would sit within the ring of rocks for their daily bath.
Up the hill from the village, and amongst a lush forest, part of the mountain side is white with sulphur deposits and there are pools of boiling water with a sulphur smell. Pools have been built alongside the stream to bathe in.
Effectively, Scott's Head and Soufriere are perched on the edge of a massive volcano which rises from the depths of the ocean to the mountain peaks on land. The thermal sulphur springs are just a small sign of how geologically active this island is.
