beauty

What gets you up in the morning?

What gets you up in the morning?

Well, sometimes you need a little bit of inspiration.

Fortunately in the Sri Lankan Hill Country you just never know what you might get.

Is this worth waking up early for? You bet!

The morning light washes the hills below - it's good for the soul

When in Sri Lanka, get up early and see the Country at its best.

I know that it’s a tough ask to get up early when you are on holiday, however, I assure you that it is  just worth it.

Any photographer, worth his salt, would tell you that the light is the kindest to the camera either in the early morning or as the sun goes down.

It’s just boring when the sun comes up and goes down around the same time everyday

When I was living in the UK I remember having various conversations with friends and them saying that they really like the seasons and wouldn’t want to live in a place where the seasons didn’t change during the year.

I must admit that I would probably have agreed with them for most of my life.

I remember being young and really looking forward to the rugby season from September to May after a long and uneventful Summer. 

I wasn’t a cricketer, athlete or sailor so my summers were very long and I looked forward to the grounds getting softer to make hitting the floor a bit more palatable.

A beer or two and an exaggerated story or three in a pub when it is chilly inside and you are being warmed by a pint or four of Guiness is a thing of beauty to a rugby player.

The optimism of Spring, where the weather becomes more pleasant and the evenings get longer, are a thing that was eagerly awaited.

So, seasons were really important for me.

However, as age crept up on me, I longed for a stretched summer and a concentrated winter where Jack Frost would throw his javelins of icicles at me.

As I sit in Sri Lanka and can forgive the sunset at six p.m.

A romantic sunset silhouette.

Compromise is what a lot of life is about.

I have given up those long, comforting summer evenings which were full of excitement and optimism for a twelve hour life in shorts and t-shirt all year round.

I feel that I am the victor in this choice.

Every time I get a little melancholy for what I had in the past I bring back the memory of the challenge of getting from Bank Station to my office on a bleak November morning with blast of cold and driving rain accompanying me on my way. I felt abused and uncomfortable at the end of that tumultuous journey and that awakens my senses to appreciate what I have in this Paradise Island.

My wife wakes me up from time to time

My wife is great at sleeping.

I say this and I am just jealous of her.

I had difficulty sleeping when living in the heart of London.

As soon as it got dark in the darker months I would want to go to bed and sleep – it’s just natural for me but at 6 p.m. in the winter it’s a bit of a problem. A disturbed night as sirens from police cars, ambulances and the drunken shouts of a late night reveller would ensure a broken night.

In the warm nights of Summer when it was dark at midnight and light at four a.m. I would have sleep deprivation as when there is light “I am awake!”

Every so often when I do get a good nights sleep I am awaken before my body is ready by my wife saying “look”.

From my slumber my bleary eyes slowly focus on a thing of beauty that nature has delivered to us and I survey the view of the hills below which are bathed in a beautiful light whilst I am reclining in our bed.

I feel guilty if the I am too drowsy to really appreciate what mother nature has put before my eyes and I then make an incredible effort to rouse myself so that I don’t miss this snapshot of our life.

I, however, am comforted that I will be able to enjoy another magical view on another morning when I am more engaged in life.

Wake up early, you won’t regret it.

I urge our guests to leave the blinds in their rooms open and be woken up by the light in the early morning and take their chance to see the potential heartwarming view in the morning. I can’t guarantee a splendid view as mother nature is in charge of the daily event and it is up to her to deliver, our guests have the option of turning over and going back to sleep and getting up when their body tells them it is ready. It appears to me to be a win-win situation.

Experience spectacular mornings from the comfort of your bed (sometimes) at GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

We have three kingsize bedrooms at GlenMyu Estate which have floor to ceiling windows which look out onto the valley below towards the South Coast of the Island.

Waking up to a spectacular view is a great start to a day.

If you want to find out more about a stay in the Sri Lankan Hill country please visit our website via the link below.

What gets you up in the morning? Read More »

Lipton Seat

Lipton Seat, Sri Lanka

Stunning views from the viewpoint from where Scottish tea baron, Sir Thomas Lipton, used to survey his vast tea empire

Lipton Seat is a stones throw away from GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka and is well worth a visit.

The top of Liptons Seat is 1970m above sea level and the elevation provides some stunning views of the country.

It has a panoramic view over the hills and you can see Udawalawe Tank (reservoir), Handapanagala Lake, the Wedihiti Kanda Mountains, Chandrika Lake and Hambanthota Port which is located on the southern coast.

You can see five provinces from the viewpoint including Uva, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Eastern Provinces.

As your view includes the surrounding tea estates you are likely to see some tea pickers with their baskets on their back where they put the picked leaves.

What will I see on the way?

There are two ways to get to Liptons seat however we have only been there via Haputale and Dambetenne Tea Estate. 

On the way from Dambetenne Tea Estate you can see Lemastota Waterfall.

You will be travelling through beautifully manicured tea plantations. The route is well marked and you will travel through some narrow roads (some in need of TLC) and you will come across stone roads built during the period where Britain colonised the Country when it was known by its former name Ceylon.

If however you are approaching from Bandarawella and Nayabedda Estate, the viewpoint at St Catherine’s Seat in the Nayabedda Estate provides a great view of Bandarawella , Diyitalawa and the Uva Valley.

No promise that you will get a clear view, however it is still worth the trip

As with lots of places in Sri Lanka there is no guarantee that once you arrive at the destination that you will get the view you were hoping to upload on your Instagram feed. 

The weather in the Hill Country is changeable and on our visits to Lipton Seat we have experienced stunning views of the tea country and also the viewpoint covered in a thick mist giving no view at all. 

Despite our disappointment it was still well worth the trip and we still managed to take some really memorable photos in the mist.

I’m sure that Sir Thomas didn’t get a clear view each and everytime he went to survey his empire!

Where is Lipton Seat Located?

Lipton Seat is a high viewpoint in the hills of Poonagala and is located at the top of the small town with the same name. 

It is located around 15 kilometres from Haputale Town. 

There are busses that go from Haputale to Dambetenne Tea Factory and you can either hike or get a tuk tuk to take you the on the remainder of the journey which is around 6-7 km.

What’s the best way to get to Lipton Seat?

Well, it depends on how fit you are and whether you are up for a hike.

The drive is a bit of a challenge to get to Lipton Seat and gets trickier as more tourists visit the site putting pressure on the small road. If you are not up for the hike we would recommend hiring a Tuk Tuk to get you there as they are able to cope with the road conditions and are small enough to pass other traffic on the narrow roads and lanes. 

If you look at a few reviews of Lipton Seat you will read that most people recommend to walk there after experiencing the journey by vehicle!

Can I get a nice cup of Sri Lankan Tea when I am at Lipton Seat?

There has been a small shop built at Lipton Seat in more recent years and you can get a limited amount of refreshments and snacks including a cup of tea, some roti, dhal etc.

What’s the temperature like?

Due to the elevation and potential change in weather it can get a little chilly (for Sri Lanka) at times. I’ve seen on some reviews that early in the morning some people have experienced temperatures of 8 degrees Celsius, so I would recommend that you take something to wrap yourself up with just in case.

When is the best time to go to Lipton Seat?

Well, it depends on whether you want to get up early or not. 

I have only been there during the day however most reviews that I have read recommend that it is worth getting there for sunrise for the spectacular views. 

As a rule, in Sri Lanka, I would recommend to get to most of the tourist sites early as for lots of reasons.

You can avoid the crowd

The light is normally great for photographs early in the morning (and as the light goes down – according to most photographic manuals I have read).

You can avoid the really hot part of the day – and perhaps the pain of sunburn!

You have the rest of the day to relax and catch up on that sleep that you missed early in the morning.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka and visit the local places of interest.

In addition to Lipton Seat and Dambetenna Tea Factory there are lots of places to visit within a stones throw from Glenmyu Estate such as Horton Plains National Parl, Addisham Bungalow, Bambarakanda Waterfall and Diyaliuma Waterfall. 

GlenMyu Estate has three luxurious bedrooms with stunning views of the Southern Sri Lankan Hills for guests. It also has a natural spring fed waterfall and five acres of land to explore. To find out more about a stay in the Hill Country at GlenMyu Estate please visit our website using the button below.

Dambatenne Tea Factory

To find out more about Dambatenne Tea Factory please click on the flowing link https://www.historyofceylontea.com/tea-estates/estates-registry/dambatenne–4836.html

Udawalawe Tank (reservoir)

To find out more about Udawalawe Tank please click on the following link https://www.udawalawenationalpark.com

Handapanagala Lake

To find out more about Handapanagal Lake please click on the following link https://www.sundayobserver.lk/2021/07/04/feature/waters-handapanagala.

The Wedihitikanda Mountains

To find out more about the Wedihiti Kanda Mountains. please click on the following link https://infolanka.lk/en_US/wedihiti-kanda/.

Chandrika Lake

To find out more about Chandrika Lake please click on the following link https://www.lankapradeepa.com/2021/04/chandrika-wewa.html.

Lemastota Waterfall

To find out more about Lemastota Waterfall click here https://amazinglanka.com/wp/en/lemastota-oya-ella-falls/

St Catherine's Seat.

To find out more about St Catherine’s Seat please click here https://amazinglanka.com/wp/en/st-catherines-seat/

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GlenMyu Estate
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