7. Exploring the South Coast ⛱️🌊

 

So many stunning beaches!

After our lovely stay in Udawalawe we were ready to crack on and really looking forward to reaching the south coast. By 9am it was already 28C so it looked like the heat was going to become our biggest challenge from now on 😅.  

We said our goodbyes and set off along the main road.  We'd discussed the route with our host the night before as, according to google maps, one of the roads ahead was closed because a bridge had been damaged by the cyclone. His son assured us we'd be ok and that there was a smaller bridge we could use instead. Sure enough we reached it after just a few miles and, whilst we had never doubted him, it was a relief to reach it and get through 😅. 

Soon after we were routed off the main road and followed some pretty country lanes with more shade and plenty of lush scenery all around us. The scenery seemed to change constantly though and suddenly we found ourselves on a canal path - noting that the smooth tarmac surface was much better than our towpath at home. No sooner had we spoken than the tarmac disappeared and we could see the rubbly dusty road which now lay ahead of us 🫣. A friendly local from the other side of the canal waved and then came over a small bridge to speak to us. He had a million questions which we answered as best we could and he reassured us the road would improve again in less than 1km. It helped enormously just knowing this and his prediction was absolutely spot on 😉.

Soon we were back on the main (but not busy) road again with nice views of open fields lined with coconut trees - similar to the views we'd often experienced in Kerala last year.  It was getting hotter and hotter though and our warm bottled water wasn't the best thirst quencher so we decided to try and find somewhere to stop for a cool drink. Options were limited so we had to settle for a small roadside shop and an orange fanta - it was cold at least so we were grateful for that. The lady that served us was very friendly and chatty - telling us about her sister who lives in Los Angeles and her three daughters. We would have stayed longer but, acutely aware of the lack of air conditioning and multitude of flies, we quickly said our goodbyes and bid a hasty retreat. 

Back on the road and in no time at all we caught our first glimpse of the sea just before reaching our accommodation for the evening - a fairly basic but nonetheless comfortable and clean room with a pleasant little verandah 👍. Wasting no time at all (just a quick shower and change) we headed out to explore and soon found ourselves on the beautiful Dickwella beach ⛱️.  After a short recce of the surrounding lanes to choose our dinner spot we settled back on the beach (with our beers, of course!) to watch the sunset and soak up the young and trendy beach vibe - and it certainly didn't disappoint. Dinner afterwards was equally good and I had a feeling we were going to thoroughly enjoy our time along the south coast - it felt like the "holiday" had just begun 😂. 

Having cycled from Udawalawe to reach the south coast our plan was to first head west to Galle for a few days before doubling back on ourselves to start our anti clockwise tour of the rest of the island. Yes, all the cycling up to this point could be considered a mere preamble 🤔. Note to self - watch more carefully when Max plans our next cycle trip 😉🤣!!

Anyway, it was another very hot day of cycling ahead - already 28C again when we set off around 9am the next morning and feeling quite humid. We took the coastal road and I quickly lost count of the number of stunning beaches we passed along the way. We passed through a number of popular resorts - some busier than others - but all the beaches I saw looked very pristine and seemed relatively quiet too. 

It's a very popular area for surfing area and, although the waves didn't seem at their strongest as we passed though, we still saw a fair few people out riding them. In the hot spots the shores were lined with surf schools and surf wear stalls - a very cool dude vibe indeed 😎.

We'd planned to make a stop for a cold drink at some point and, about 15 miles in, and on noticing a road sign, I remembered that a nice bar had been recommended by Rajini (a Sri Lankan friend of mine from our days working together at Punter Southall). I had a feeling it might be along our route and a quick check on google maps showed it was only about 5 miles ahead of us 👍.

After navigating the fairly busy town of Matara, we took a short diversion off the main road towards Madiha beach. This took us right along the shoreline past lots of lovely beachside shacks and pretty guesthouses and I could see what a fabulous little resort this was. The Doctor's House made the perfect little pitstop for us - and the upstairs roof bar gave us the most beautiful view of the beach 🤩. This short stop definitely helped us to survive the rest of the ride and the mounting heat. More beautiful beaches and I just kept thinking how ready I was for a few days rest near one of them 😃. We arrived in Galle just before 2pm and quickly found our hotel for the night - The Ivy Lane Hotel - situated inside Galle Fort. 

It's an old Dutch Sea Fort and a Unesco World Heritage Site, steeped in history with over 400 years of Portuguese, Dutch and then British colonialism. It now houses a network of charming streets, colonial-style buildings, pretty little cafes, boutique shops, and small museums all serving as a reminder to that colonial past. It reminded me a little of Hoi An in Vietnam (which I also loved 😍) but with fewer lanterns. 

We spent the afternoon just pottering around like proper tourists - except I couldn't buy anything due to a lack of space 🥲. Maybe that was a blessing in disguise though as prices in Galle seemed quite high relative to other areas we'd visited thus far. We walked along the Fort walls and past the lighthouse; beautifully maintained and providing the perfect photo opportunity (or several!). 

We only stayed inside the Fort Walls for one night and then moved to another guest house situated in the main town of Galle, just a ten minute walk away. Brixia Cafe was a beautiful little haven run by a very vivacious Italian lady and her Sri Lankan husband. Here I had the first decent (italian) coffee of the holiday so far! The breakfast was more to my liking than Max's but we both enjoyed it. The place was very tastefully furnished, spotlessly clean and had a family of the most adorable resident cats too ❤️.  Staying here gave us the opportunity to experience local life while still being able to visit the Fort area each day. We wandered round the local market and went for a fabulous massage too. It was all very relaxing and enjoyable - the perfect mini break really 🤩. 

So after a three day break we felt ready to face another hot cycle ride - this time just 25 miles along the coast and worth the small effort for the four day rest at Mirissa that awaited us there. 

It was hectic getting out of Galle but that only took a few minutes - Max is brilliant at navigating the traffic and facing the tuk tuks and buses head on. After just a couple of days off the bike my anxiety levels have returned to square one again but thankfully it doesn't take me too long to get back in the swing. 

After a short while we turned off the main coastal road, followed a canal path and passed through a few small settlements. It was a nice diversion for a while but we were soon back on the main road which wasn't particularly busy and gave us both the seaview and the sea breeze. Heading east again meant we were doubling back on ourselves and Max pointed out that this ride marked the proper start of our coastal ride around the whole of Sri Lanka 😳. 

We weren't in a hurry to reach our accommodation and fully intended to stop for a drink somewhere nice along the coast. Having cycled this road already we knew there were plenty of options - in fact we were spoilt for choice really. This proved fatal though because then we (well I) started to look for the "perfect" stop and we ended up doubling back on ourselves to one of the surfing resorts we'd passed earlier 🫣. It was a nice enough pitstop but arguably not worth the detour and perhaps a valuable lesson in seizing the moment more in future 😉. The ice cold sodas did lift us though because once back on the road we picked up the pace and seemed to push through the last few miles in no time at all. We soon arrived at Bon Accord, the guest house where we'd be staying in Mirissa for the next four days and where we'd also stayed when we last visited Sri Lanka over ten years ago 🤩. 

I'd had mixed feelings about returning to Bon Accord. Lovely though it was, sometimes it can be a disappointment to try and recreate an experience. I needn't have worried though because from the moment Prasad welcomed us we felt instantly at home. He is the most amazing host - and such a kind and thoughtful person 😍.  He still has two gorgeous dachshund dogs which we were soon introduced to - they were so cute and adorable. Our room was beautiful and the balcony was a perfect place to sit and relax and be entertained by the monkeys and the peacocks 🐒 🦚. 

Breakfast every morning was the highlight of the day - much as we remembered it from our last visit. All the guests are seated at one large table and Prasad would serve a huge array of different Sri Lankan specialities. As he brought each dish to the table we were given an explanation of what it was and how best to enjoy it. Needless to say it was all delicious and we tried fruits there that we haven't seen anywhere before or since. Chatting to the other guests was also part of the overall experience. For the first couple of days we were joined by two Swedish couples who had holidayed in Sri Lanka many times and, like us, had returned to Bon Accord. We talked about lots of different things and they gave us plenty of useful tips and insights on places we were heading to later in our trip. Next we were joined by Sara from the UK who had just finished an organised tour of Sri Lanka and was having a few rest days before setting off on another trip to Kerala! It was really interesting to swap travel experiences and also to hear about her job back in the UK where she works as a nurse in a hospice 😍. 

Mirissa has expanded considerably since we last visited and become a little too touristy for our liking. That said, the beaches were stunning - Max had his first proper swim of the trip and we saw the most beautiful sunsets. Also, Bon Accord was situated at the far end of the resort in a quiet little haven of it's own - just a few shops, cafes and restaurants and a chilled vibe 😎. We found a fabulous morning yoga class in a beautiful outdoor setting which we joined a couple of times (the monkeys joined us on the roof on the second day!) and a lovely restaurant (recommended by Prasad and endorsed by the Swedish guests 😉) with tasty food and a perfect sea view 🤩. I had my toenails painted by Dilshu and Max had another vigorous massage so what else could we really ask for?? 

Lotus flower pond - lots of these everywhere 

The canal path where we met a friendly interrogator 😊

A brief pitstop and a chat with friendly locals 

Sunset on Dickwella beach 

Ditto 

Bob Marley music suited the mood 🤩

Another tasty curry 😋

The first of many beautiful beaches 

The view from Doctor's House, Madiha Beach 

Madiha Beach 

Not sure which beach this is 🤔

Nor this one! 

🤔🤔

Our room at the Ivy in Galle Fort 

Loved the painted door 😍

Galle Fort 

Outside our room at The Ivy 

Our room at Brixia Cafe, Galle 

Spa Ceylon Boutique, Galle Fort 

Just doing a spot of shopping...!

Reminiscent of Hoi An 

Galle Fort and Lighthouse 

Just the view this time 😄

Breakfast at Brixia Cafe 

Chanel the cat at Brixia Cafe (this was definitely her seat 😂) 

Old plane at Koggala air force base

Carefully chosen pitstop on the way to Mirissa 

Our room at Bon Accord 

Mr Peacock strutting his stuff - the view from the balcony at Bon Accord 

Ditto - this was his booty call! 

Sunset on Mirissa beach

Surfers corner, Mirissa beach 

Max's first swim 👍

Delicious curry buffet - Dhana's curry pot 

A++ restaurant, Mirissa (Prasad put a flower in my hair each evening 🤩) 

Yoga with Igna at Jackie's guesthouse, Mirissa 

What a view - A++ restaurant, Mirissa 🤩

Prasad couldn't wait to get on the tandem 😂

We felt quite sad to say goodbye 🥲

Indie and Cindy the dachshunds 🥰