5. The mountains - Mandaramnuwara, Nuwara Eliya and Haputale

 

Stunning tea plantations - huge climbs 😅

Our time in Kandy passed all too quickly. Although a little sad to be saying goodbye, we were glad to be leaving the city once more for the countryside and mountains (even though that was going to involve alot more climbing).

Thankfully we took a different road out of Kandy meaning that we didn't have to navigate the steep descent from our hotel or the busy streets of Kandy - and I was grateful on both counts!

The first ten miles or so were very pleasant - a mixture of relatively quiet main roads and quieter country lanes. Abit of climbing but nothing too strenuous. Then, just as we began the tougher climb, the road seemed to narrow and became more of a dirt track. When stretches of tarmac reappeared there were lots of potholes and loose gravel. We saw plenty of residual damage from the cyclone again - although I'd say overall the initial clear up operation has been pretty impressive and quick.

We deviated slightly from our planned route and by staying on the main road we cut out some of the red bits of the climb while adding abit more distance (a trade off we both agreed was worthwhile 👍).

A while later, with most of the climbing done, we found a great pitstop for lunch - a local roadside cafe serving delicious rice and curry - and only £2 for both of us (including a very large tip which they were reluctant to accept 🥰). While tucking into our lunch we were joined by a large group of French tourists all on Royal Enfield classic looking motorbikes (obviously it was Max who spotted the bikes and not me 😉). It looked like they were touring with a support vehicle - Max thinks he spotted them again a couple of days later while we were cycling. 

From there it was downhill all the way to our accommodation for the night. It was a little more basic than we'd enjoyed so far but at only £12 each for half board we weren't complaining 😃. We only needed a decent shower, something to eat and a good night's sleep to set us up for the next day - and the toughest climb of the trip so far which was awaiting us - up into the tea plantations in Nuwara Eliya!

We made an early start the next morning and were treated to a short but sweet descent with very pleasant views as we left our accommodation.  After that though it was one helluva slog for most of the rest of the way 😅. Before too long the climbing got so tough we had to get off and walk - which certainly didn't feel like the easy option! Thankfully there was plenty of shade and temperatures were a bit cooler generally given the altitude. 

We passed lots of lovely locals waving and cheering us on and all looking utterly amazed to see us 🤣. We politely declined three very kind offers of a lift from a couple of friendly truck drivers - one of whom passed us twice. I think if we'd seen him again a bit later we might have caved in 🫣. 

We cycled whenever the climb eased but it was only for short stretches which became less frequent the higher we got. The road surface worsened too and again we saw plenty of evidence of the cyclone destruction.  Eventually (after over two hours of walking and pushing the bike) we reached the tea plantations and both the road and the climb improved allowing us to cycle the rest of the way. 

With no more climbing for the last 6 miles we picked up speed and had a fabulous ride through the tea plantation villages with our music on. That almost made the humongous effort worthwhile and we arrived at the Golden Legacy Hotel in Nuwara Eliya in really good spirits ready to receive another very warm welcome 😍.

It didn't take us long to decide where to eat that evening. After the stupendous ride we were absolutely starving and both craving an indian curry. Luckily for us the most amazing hotel in Nuwara Eliya - the Heritage Grand - also has the most fabulous restaurant and we were over there as soon as they opened for the evening. We ordered enough food for three people and still ate every last morsel in a jiffy - it was absolutely delicious 😋. In fact it was so good we went back the next evening and repeated the entire experience all over again 😂.

I was quick to point out to Max that, should we ever visit Nuwara Eliya again, we'd be staying at the Heritage Grand 😉. It's the most beautiful hotel with stunning grounds and particularly famous for its afternoon teas. We treated ourselves to a luxurious massage and sauna/steam experience the following afternoon. There was a very glamorous wedding taking place in the hotel (which we almost gatecrashed) and it was great to catch a glimpse of the action and see all the beautiful outfits 🤩. 

Nuwara Eliya, often referred to as "Little England", is famous for its British colonial architecture. Signs of the British heritage remain evident everywhere in the Tudor style buildings, golf courses, racecourses, country clubs and pony club. One particularly famous tudor style building is the Old Post Office, the oldest in Sri Lanka, it's still fully operational and also a tourist landmark. We wandered up there and, like many other tourists, bought a few postcards to send back home. We strolled around Victoria Park and Gregory Lake but opted out of a tour round the tea plantations having already "enjoyed" our own self styled tour on our journey into NuwaraEliyathe day before. 

After two nights r&r we felt ready to take on the next climb to reach our next mountain destination, Haputale. We weren't expecting it to be quite as tough as the last one but nevertheless we were still anticipating a few stings and had a hunch we might be pushing the bike again for the last few miles up through the tea plantations 🤔.

First though we had a very pleasant cycle out of Nuwara Eliya - past Gregory Lake and through a number of pretty hillside villages. We did a huge amount of descending in the first ten miles with loads of hairpin bends. A bus always seems to appear from nowhere when we could do without it but Max is never phased and seems totally fearless (unlike me 🫣). We only stopped our speedy descent for a few photos and a couple of tightening adjustments to the disc brakes which were running red hot.

Eventually we reached the end of our descent and then faced a pretty gruelling climb. We didn't give up but I'll admit there were a few moments when I very nearly did 😬. Once we reached the foothills of the tea plantation  we faced the worst bits of the ride - some of the switchbacks were pure evil and the road signs said it all really. We only pushed for one small section though - and in our (my) defence it was a 16% gradient!! The views were stunning though - it's hard to do them enough justice at times 🤩.  We reached a small railway station that looked like it was stuck in a time warp but it was a sign we'd finished our ascent and were nearly home and dry 🎉. From this point on it was downhill all the way to our accommodation for the night - the Vantage Hills Resort complete with an infinity pool overlooking the tea plantation below 🤩. 

Max wasted no time getting in for a dip even though, being in the mountains and it being quite a cloudy day, it wasn't exactly hot! We certainly needed most of our layers that night sitting on the beautiful terrace for dinner. We chatted to a young Australian couple from Melbourne. They were telling us how expensive property has become over there and how difficult it is for young people to get onto the housing ladder. It seemed a little strange to us given how much available land they have on which to build over there. 

We really enjoyed our brief overnight stay in Haputale. The food and hospitality were both excellent and we felt rejuvenated and excited for our next adventure - onwards Udawalawe in search of elephants 🐘 😀.  

Lush landscape everywhere 

Max waiting patiently while I stop for photos 😊

I always love a colourful veg stall 😍

Rice fields aplenty 

More cyclone damaged roads 

The cafe where we stopped for a £2 lunch 

Our balcony with a view at Mandaranuwara 

Our hosts from Mandaramnuwara 

One of the many steep road we climbed 😅

The stunning landscape was our reward

More cyclone damaged roads 

The glorious tea plantations 

Dinner at The Grand Indian 😋 

The gardens at the Heritage Grand Hotel 

The wedding we nearly gatecrashed 

Outside the Grand Heritage Hotel 

The Old Post Office Nuwara Eliya 

The market in Nuwara Eliya 

My capsule packing 😉

Gregory Lake, Nuwara Eliya 

Gregory Lake - it was huge! 

More plantations as we left Nuwara Eliya 

Stunning views aplenty 

Ditto 

A sign of the pain to come 😅

Looking back at the most evil climb 😬

Ditto 

The old railway crossing, Haputale 

Max waits patiently again 

Our room at Vantage Hills 

Straight in the infinity pool 

I'll just stand on the sideline thanks 😂

A 2km landslide due to the cyclone