Morel, les Saintes, Volcanic summit in Les Saintes, France

Morel is a 136 m volcanic hill in the north of Terre-de-Haut, between the bays of Marigot and Pompierre. A broad ridge of dark grey and brown rock, partly covered by low green vegetation, slopes down to a curving shoreline with a thin strip of pale beach and a few small structures at its foot. An old defensive position, the batterie Caroline, stands at the summit.

Morne Morel rises to 136 m in the north of Terre-de-Haut, between the baie du Marigot and the baie de Pompierre. Its summit holds an old defensive position known locally as batterie Caroline. In 1822 Caroline, a Saintoise called "Princesse Caroline" for her beauty, threw herself from the height, believing her lover, the chevalier de Fréminville, dead at Saint-Christophe; he returned to Brest and kept her clothes. Engravings and accounts of the drama are held at the musée du fort Napoléon.

The summit's old defensive post is called batterie Caroline, after Caroline, a Saintoise known as "Princesse Caroline" for her beauty. In 1822 she threw herself from the top of Morne Morel, believing her lover, the naval naturalist Christophe-Paulin de la Poix, chevalier de Fréminville, dead at Saint-Christophe. Engravings and accounts of the drama are kept at the musée du fort Napoléon.

The climb is possible during daylight hours from sunrise to sunset, with some trails exposed and requiring sturdy footwear. Bring plenty of water and prepare for changing terrain with steep sections throughout the route.

The summit holds the remains of batterie Caroline, an old defensive position. Below, in 1822, Caroline, a Saintoise known as "Princesse Caroline" for her beauty, threw herself from the morne believing her lover, the naval naturalist Christophe-Paulin de la Poix, chevalier de Fréminville, dead at Saint-Christophe. Engravings and accounts of the drama are kept at the musée du fort Napoléon.