A Long Way Back

Continuing from  Hike to Uthuwankanda and Bathalegala- part 1 We came back to Mawanella town, had our lunch and luckily after getting some directions, we could catch the bus to Bathalegala junction when it was just about to leave. There was only one bus for a few hours on that route, otherwise, you had to get off at Gevilipitiya junction and travel 4 km to Bathalegala junction, which we had to do after returning. From the Bathalegala junction, it was 2.5km to the trail head. It was a small, concrete paved way and starting from the junction, it was one continuous climb. The concrete paved way A glimpse at our destination Bathalegala, also known as Bible Rock, is 798m in height above mean sea level and it's way taller than Uthuwankanda, which is less than 400m in height. It had been rainy and overcast since the time we descended Uthuwankanda, but as we climbed, we

After the off-season journey to Sri Pada  this is our next hike, climbing Uthuwankanda and Bathalegala (aka Bible Rock). Our first destination, Uthuwankanda: this is famous for a hide-out used by a local hero named Deekirikevage Saradiel better known as Utuwankande Sura Saradiel who fought bravely against British colonialism. Actually, our destination was Saradiel Rock, located in the Uthuwankanda area. So it was 7 in the morning when we got off the bus at Mawanella with a crew of three, had our breakfast and hired a three wheeler to Uthuwankanda junction (1.5km from Mawanella), turning right at the junction to Uthuwam Mawatha. It is possible to travel in a vehicle along this road to get closer to the destination, but since we needed to see the surroundings, we started our journey on foot from the junction. After about 1 km turned left onto a concrete paved road that was heading toward Saradiel Rock and about 500m ahead, we found the trail head. The trail was through a small