As I prepare to head back to Sri Lanka in just 10 weeks’ time to complete the final stages of the 323km Pekoe Trail, I’ve been naturally reflecting on the earlier stages that I’ve already completed. The landscapes were often characterised by sweeping tea estates that you’d see in a high end tourist brochure, far reaching highland views, and the famous blue train weaving around the plantation mountains. These are memories I reflect upon often, and they’ve become part of my consciousness now. However, it’s been the interactions with the locals I’ve met along the way, along with the wildlife, that I think have had the deepest impact on me, long after my walking was done.
Here are some scenes with three groups of people I’ve met along different stages of the trail who continue to inspire me.

Early glimpses (Stages 1 & 2)

I walked these two stages at the tail end of my grand trek across Sri Lanka in April 2024. That is when I met Sarath for the first time, as he guided me and a couple of friends along Stage 2. I had been wondering what my next challenge might be after the big cross country adventure was complete. After walking Stages 1 and 2, I decided I’d like to walk all 22 stages that make up the then newly curated Pekoe Trail.

Some of my favourite unreleased footage comes from the very beginning near Hanthana and Galaha. Images of the strong morning light on the tea bushes, tea pluckers busy at work, and smartly dressed school children were captivating. Those early stages set the tone for me. I felt as if I were being invited to walk through the landscape and become part of the life happening within it.

Walking with women in Hatton

As I was walking through the Hatton area, a group of local women who were field officers for an NGO called The Women’s Development Centre (WDC) in Kandy, joined me for part of the way. What began as an introduction turned into a couple of kilometres of shared walking and attempted conversation about common connections and daily challenges, including trouble with the local buses. I dedicate a chapter to that part of my journey in my book ‘Trekking Sri Lanka: More Than a Travel Guide’. The women joined me in Hatton to support me as I was raising funds for the WDC. How amazing is that!

Tea plucking and just resting with the women

Several times a day during every trek, I had to pause for a while to have a drink or a snack, perhaps to photograph something, or simply to take in the view. I recall that along Stage 6, which I trekked in April 2025, I took a break close to where a group of tea pluckers were having their mid morning break. I was invited to sit with them, or maybe I invited myself. I can’t quite remember. I guzzled my water and ate a protein bar while they drank their milky tea and chatted to one another. Their weathered hands, arms, and faces showed years of daily sun exposure. They were dedicated to tea estate work, probably through custom, but it was the resilience they displayed as they worked that was obvious for anyone to see. We had no shared language, yet in those simple moments, just sitting there, I felt a profound sense of connection with them and was humbled by their work ethic.

Children walking to school

I occasionally met children in their blue and white uniforms walking to school. Many had to walk long distances for an education, often 5km or more each way, yet they smiled easily and stopped to engage with me, despite their shyness. Their curiosity about seeing me always surpassed their reserve. I loved that. Their daily commitment to getting to school, and the tea pluckers returning to their daily grind, put any minor discomfort I experienced along the trails into perspective. It also reinforces why I link my trekking to volunteering for organisations that support women and children’s futures.

These are just three encounters, yet I could relay many more. They’ve taught me that resilience can be seen everywhere on these trails, that connection turns what many see as an ordinary walk into something meaningful, and that The Pekoe Trail really belongs to the communities who live here. We are simply passing visitors walking their well-worn work paths.

As I get ready for the final stretches toward Nuwara Eliya for Stages 17 to 22, before returning to complete Stage 13, the one that got away last time, I carry these thoughts  with me. They fuel my excitement and commitment to trek with a sense of purpose.

I’ll be sharing more photos and videos as I complete the final stages of the trail, but attached are just a few most of which I’ve not previously shared. In the meantime, I’m hoping they might inspire you to pay a visit and experience a stage or two for yourselves, where you’ll almost definitely learn something from the incredible people you’ll meet along the way and whose home is in these hills. 😊