Giant in the Clouds

La Piton de la Fournaise towers over the tiny Indian Ocean island of La Réunion like a malevolent giant in the clouds. ‘Le Volcan’ is one of the most active shield volcanoes in the world, with almost constant eruptions since the island was first settled in the 17th century. Happily, most of the lava spews down into the sea away from any settlements - although the church of Notre-Dame des Laves marks a near miss in 1977. In the absence of a beanstalk, this photograph was taken from a microlight.