Upcoming book launch dates 2025
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Unforgettable Adventures: Highlights from My Sri Lanka Trip (Feb 2025)

WELL I’M back home, sprained ankle on the mend with the aid of rest and some physiotherapy. I didn’t complete walking all of the Pekoe Trail this time. I had to finish a couple of …
Continue readingHelp me blaze the Pekoe Trail: Support my Fundraiser journey

Trekking the Pekoe Trail, Sri Lanka’s Central Highlands to raise £10,000 for grassroots projects
Continue readingFREE CHAPTER of Trekking Sri Lanka: More Than a Travel Guide
It’s launching – Trekking Sri Lanka: More Than a Travel Guide

Book launch for Trekking Sri Lanka: More than a Travel Guide – about a 1,000km trek across Sri Lanka in three stages with each chapter focussing on a different off-the-beaten-track unique experience
Continue readingNew book coming . . .

I haven’t written a blog since mid-April, just after I returned from completing my trek across Sri Lanka. It’s been a busy time since then. Firstly, I’m thrilled to announce that I reached my £30,000 …
Continue readingSum up blog for 2024 trek . . . and beyond

From Galle on the south coast to Point Pedro at the northernmost tip on the Jaffna peninsula The route Above is my route that I’ve just highlighted in thick green ink showing the steps I’ve …
Continue readingDay 15 – Stage 2 of the Pekoe Trail and my final blog of our trip

Yesterday’s Lesson Lesson learnt from yesterday – set off as early as possible, and than even earlier, and be walking the trails by sunrise – we were out by 05.45 and heading by tuktuk for the start …
Continue readingDay 13 & 14 Hanthana arrival and trekking Stage 1 of the Pekoe Trail

We left our Kandy guest house for Hanthana, a remote tea picking area an hour’s drive from Kandy where we’re now staying for 3 nights. Uduwela is the local village about a 20 minute walk …
Continue readingDay 12 – Visit to WDC, the shop Sthree and Krystyna’s wonderful weaving

Women’s Development Centre (WDC) Women’s development censtaff were waiting for us when we arrived first thing in the morning to discuss the programmes they are working on and which we are supporting. Suzana and Gill …
Continue readingDay 11 – our colourful day in Manahapa Temple and pre-school with Rev. Ragama and his community

Warmest Welcome We received the warmest welcome today from Rev. Ragama and his community at Manahapa temple, Kuranagula where he, along with his community, began their Sinhalese and Tamil new year celebrations. We were presented …
Continue readingDay 10 – a magnificent breakfast visitor, the tranquil spice garden and meeting up with Suzana

During breakfast this morning a very large Elephant sauntered past just a few meters away which created a bit of stir amongst the hotel guests. Gill managed to catch him on video. On our way from Habarana …
Continue readingBlog 9 – Sigiriya summit by sunrise and Suzana’s volunteering

Alarm set for 4am today so we could climb Sigiriya Rock in time for the 6.05 sunrise. I wrote a blog last year with a brief history of Sigiriya when doing this with Kiran so I …
Continue readingBlog 8 – From Nilaveli to Habarana

First non big walking day today, but we managed to saunter a few kilometres around Kantalle tank, stopping at a roadside food seller for the unique to this region buffalo curd (fresher, richer, thicker and tastier …
Continue readingDay 7 – To Trincomolee via Kokkalai lagoon and sanctuary

Fundraising and trek update The best news today is that I’ve now completed my planned trek across Sri Lanka, achieved over three trips since Easter 2022. I’ve raised over £27,000 so far, with the support …
Continue readingDay 6 – a scuttling cockroach and the places we couldn’t find

We spent ages today trying to find the Puthukkdiyiruppa War Museum and when we eventually did we were told that only locals can go and that they need to obtain special permission to do so. …
Continue readingBlog 5 – Kilinochchi

Trekking Not an early enough start today so it got far too hot far too quickly and we only managed to trek 9km. It’s been so hot and it becomes unbearable when we start melting …
Continue readingBlog 4 – Elephant Pass

We learnt only this morning that the place we’ve been staying for the past three nights, Fox Resort Jaffna, was used as the headquarters for the (LTTE) Tamil Tigers’ Commander during the Sri Lankan Civil …
Continue readingDay 3 – Kayts Island

Kayts, Leiden or Velanai depending on whether you’re British, Dutch or Tamil, is one of the islands off Jaffna’s mainland that you get to by driving or cycling over a 21km causeway, or in our …
Continue readingDAY 2 – Around Jaffna

A breakfast of hoppers and coconut samba! Then a drive out to Point Pedro, named by the Portuguese during their rule at the early part of the 17th Century, and the northernmost point of Sri …
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