Baba Velo: Discovering SL, one climb at a time! Part 4

In the past 6 months due to many logistical reasons I did not really have the chance or time to explore SL. I was sort of satisfied with the rides I mentioned above but deep within me I knew I had to ride beyond that since some of the finest places lied in the central highlands and beyond. A few weeks ago Vandit mentioned on the forum that he was going to Bhutan, a place on my top 5 destinations to ride. I know Bhutan very well as I have lived there in the past and have explored just about every corner of it but on foot! When he proposed the idea that I could join, i was ready to jump on the bandwagon. When I started to figure out the logistics for me to get from Colombo to Paro with my bike, half my inspiration died. Thats when I thought i was being a fool trying to go to Bhutan when I still had the whole of SL to explore. I was charged now and ready.I started looking beyond Hatton on the maps and came across 2 reservoirs just a few kms beyond Hatton. I thought I could pack my bikes and try to spend an extended weekend out there. Trying to google or research about bicycling in SL is futile, there is absolutely nothing except a few counts of riding in Nuwara Eliya tea trails. I was up for whatever the place offered. So Thursday I left Colombo for the reservoirs. I packed the car the night before with my MTb, bike tools and extra wheel sets. But i was going to ride my scott atleast to Hatton.

Riding up the hot slopes of Ginigathena

By the time i started riding the day after it was already 30c in the shade. it was miserably hot and humid. I decided to take it easy since i was just looking to get to Hatton. Much of the description of this ride has already been stated above. Half way up the climb to Ginigathena, it was so hot I felt my head was turning around and there were moments when I was blanking out. That alarmed me and I stopped for my car to catch up. My driver too was alarmed as he rarely sees me stop on a climb. As the car approached me I made hasty signals to hand me a bottle of water. Emptied a bottle of water on my head and I told my driver that I would ride to Ginigathena and then just ride the car. I kept a moderate pace from there on and it felt a lot better.

It got misty and cold and wet.

Ginigathena is at 650odd metres but every time I pass thru there it seems a good 10C cooler to Colombo. Also the ride to Ginigathena is always sunny and exposed to the sun while the ride from Ginigathena to Hatton which is a further 15k of climbs is usually wet, cold and cloudy. Maybe it is the mountains that create those conditions. Wet and cold sounds miserable if you were in England but when I saw the conditions playing out to the usual script I changed my mind and decided to ride all the way to Hatton. My legs found new vigor and i set out rolling on the bike again. The rain intensified and got misty thru the winding climbs. Fine, no worry at all. I asked my driver who was right behind me to keep those fog lights on!

I just kept going till I reached Hatton. On reaching Hatton I realized that I took more or the less the same time I usually take to climb till here! Just on the outskirts of Hatton there is tea shop, a really cool place with a scenic overlook. I always end my ride there with a cup of warm tea. The scott was put on top of the car, made a phone call or two to figure out our way to the cottages that I had booked around the reservoir. Soon got the confirmation and we set out to reach there before it got too late. My driver had to drop me and get back to Colombo the same day since he was needed at home the next day a friday a working day for both my wife and son.

Common sight around Dickoya!

Tea Plantations around Castlereigh

The reservior I was heading to is called the Castlereigh reservoir. It is set in a valley of tea plantations and lined with tall timber trees. Just beautiful. Amazingly scenic place. The roads heading out to Hatton to the reservoir was broken tar and I was glad I also had the MTb in the car! It is about 8kms from Hatton, a downhill drive and passes thru a small tea factory town Dickoya. Dickoya really seemed like a sleepy town where time had decided to take a break!! It was pouring now but still midst of the tea plantations on sloping hills were women dressed in colorful raincoats picking tea leaves.