Riverston and Rattota
Right at the north western end of the mountain range is Riverston, standing slightly apart from the other Knuckles (and more “Knuckly”) peaks. At least I think it’s called Riverston; it’s not clear whether the name refers to one mountain or the general area, and as you travel up the road there are small restaurants and guest houses each of which seem to spell the word differently.
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| Looking North from Riverston |
Coming from the town of Rattota, this is quite a fearsome climb for a cyclist: long and steep in places. As an optional extra you can also go off the main road at the top of the pass and carry on up for a couple of Km to a TV mast for even better views of the surrounding area.
The B274 which passes near the summit is about the only road in the mountains that actually goes somewhere: it drops down over an area of grassland called Pitawala Pathana which gives views both to the North down to the plains and to the South to the main Knuckles range, and eventually passes through some remote villages before coming out at Pallegama and allowing you to continue and finally reach towns such as Polonnaruwa to the North East or Mahiyanganaya to the South. If you have the time, energy and fitness that is.
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| The road from Rattota to Riverston |
The area is quite popular as a day-trip for local people on holidays and weekends. I’d avoid it on those days unless you fancy getting stuck in a small traffic jam near the summit of the pass, a place which is otherwise quiet and remote.
Elkaduwa
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| Tea Estate between Elkaduwa and Kandenuwara |
Elkaduwa is a small town on the western side of a ridge that spurs off from the main Knuckles peaks. The town itself is nothing special, but it’s surrounded by tea estates, steep slopes, and picturesque waterfalls. It’s relatively easy to get to from either Matale or Kandy, as long you don’t mind climbing on small roads for some time. Even in a tuk-tuk, it’s almost an hour from Matale.
Carry on slightly further uphill and off on a side road and visit Hunnasgiriya waterfall, and/or Hunas Falls hotel - the only real hotel in the area.
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| Hunnasgiriya Waterfall |
Not far north of Elkaduwa is Sembuwatte Lake, a beauty spot which is popular with local people at weekends and on holidays. The last few km to the lake is on an un-surfaced side road, but worth doing if you have a suitable bike or vehicle.
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| Sembuwatte Lake |
The Huluganga Valley
A large valley formed by the Huluganga river which comes off the Western side of the main Knuckles range. The knuckles-shaped peaks are seen from various points around the valley.
I’m calling it the Huluganga Valley because of the Huluganga River and a town of the same name. Seems to make sense to me. Other people seem to refer this area as “Knuckles” presumably because of its proximity to the most Knuckle-some peaks, or refer to the names of the different villages and tea estates: Bambarella (no, not the 60s film with Jane Fonda), Gomara, or Rangala.
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| Knuckles Plantation Bungalow, on the Gomara Tea Estate. Knuckles Peak is behind |
There’s a small network of narrow roads in the valley, and places to stay are dotted around. They’re often old tea estate bungalows and a few seem to be self-catering, which would require some organisation for a cyclist miles and miles away from any shop that sells more than basic provisions and snacks.
There is a real "lost world" feeling to this area, probably because it is cut off from big towns and main roads, despite the fact that many people live in the villages and estates of the valley. You could probably spend several days exploring around here, and it is also a base for more adventurous treks across the main ridge of the mountains. The scenery is also varied, from some lowland paddy fields in the bottom of the valley, up through tea estates, montane forests, and the rugged Knuckles peaks.
Deanstan and Meemure
I haven’t been to Deanstan. It’s at the South Eastern end of the range and is accessed from the main A26 by a side road coming off in the town of Hunnasgiriya. We tried driving up there a couple of years ago. However the road was in an even worse state than the others in this area, and was especially steep, so we had to turn back.
Tuk-tuks can manage it (they seem to go almost anywhere) and a mountain bike would be fine. However the problem is that the A26 leading there is not such a pleasant road, and it would be a long-ish ride to get to the Deanstan turn off from other bases in the area.
There may - just may - be a short cut across the Knuckles ridge on tracks from Rangala on the western side. That would be a real high, steep, remote off-road adventure. Maybe I’ll give it a go one day.
After Deanstan the road carries on and gets even worse - so it’s said - before eventually arriving at the almost mythical village of Meemure; tucked away in a basin in the mountains, the end of the long rough road in the middle of nowhere. I’ve not been this way, but even remote Meemure seems to be growing in reputation as a destination for intrepid local tourists and a handful of foreign visitors.
East of Hunnasgiriya on the main A26 the mountains drop down to the plains through eighteen hair-pin bends on a section of road that has been recently improved and looks like it could be in the Alps. I'd be tempted to do this as a climb from the other direction one day, especially on a road or touring bike.
Strava Segments
I didn't take my bike all the way to Sri Lanka just to get to create new segments on Strava. Honest. Anyway, this is the cyclist-nerd section where I thought I might as well list them. The point is not to show how fast I can go up hills - because I can't. And anyway I was on a mountain bike and stopped often to have breaks, look at the view, listen to the birds, take pictures, buy food and water, talk to people, and shout at annoying dogs.
But hopefully this provides useful info and some goals for other people ...
Accommodation
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