'We whooped with joy at the sheer beauty of the scenery': A husband and wife tour Sri Lanka by motorbike

sri lanka tea plantations
Sri Lanka's tea plantations provided a scenic backdrop Credit: iStock
For Chris and Carolyn Caldicott, riding a Royal Enfield across Sri Lanka became a form of relationship therapy – as their two accounts reveal

The driver's verdict

It was one of those intensely clear mornings in Sri Lanka’s Hill Country, full of punched-up colour and long shadows, the silence broken only by birdsong, until the distant thump of Royal Enfield motorcycles began echoing around the Demodara valley, heralding the approach of the five riders who were joining us.

The single-cylinder roar of the bikes reached a crescendo as they swerved into sight, shattering the manicured colonial-era calm of Nine Skies Bungalow. I hoped I wasn’t going to live to regret having persuaded my wife to join these strangers and ride pillion with me on an Extreme Bike Tours “adrenalin-fuelled adventure on Sri Lanka’s roads less travelled”.

When we chose the teardrop isle as a destination for our 25th anniversary, she was thinking of a romantic train journey through Hill Country, luxurious nights in Teardrop Hotels’ sleek and chic boutique properties on tea plantations along the way, then cooking demos and a spot of R&R in their Galle and Kumu Beach hotels on the Indian Ocean. What’s not to like? I just fancied spicing it up a bit with a bespoke EBT experience, riding off the beaten track in warm sunshine, knees in the breeze, without a care in the world on the journey from the hills and the sea. A quarter-century of marriage had clearly taught us the art of compromise – and she agreed.

Nine Skies was the last stop of a train journey that had us entranced. It had been a compelling narrative of dramatic vistas between tea estates and pine forests, intimate scenes of everyday life in mountain villages and quaint hill stations punctuated with Teardrop’s contemporary cool version of nostalgia. From here to the coast it was into the unknown.

Tour leader Ben introduced us to the rest of the gang; a gentle maverick band of minstrels of the road, perfect company for the unhurried, non-macho style of motorcycle safari I was hoping for. We set off in convoy through the spectacular Ella Gap then wound our way up rural back roads through sunny tea estates, greeted with huge smiles and waves by everyone we passed, the guys high-fiving giggling children on the roadside. I felt rather smug as we sailed past hikers on their long trek up to Lipton’s Seat viewpoint in the misty mountains high above us, until the road got steeper, the bends sharper and I found the bike harder to control.

Chris and Carolyn got up close to Sri Lanka's wildlife on their tour
Chris and Carolyn got up close to Sri Lanka's wildlife on their tour Credit: Chris Caldicott

Even my svelte wife began to feel like a sack of potatoes weighing me down. Picking up on this, Ben suggested she jump on the back with him. Riding solo, I reached the summit with a sense of triumph. United again, we feasted on the views and snacked on chai and samosas. As a mist rose, swirling dramatically around the hilltops, we descended for a lavish high tea served on the lawn of Thomas Lipton’s former home and spent the night wrapped in old-world charm of Thotalagala Plantation House on what was originally his tea estate.

Our route from the cool mountains down to the heat of the plains was on empty roads through the elephant country wilderness and tea estates, with stops for tea in the spray of a mighty waterfall, to quench our thirst with king coconut water at village shacks, and to swim in the pools of a boulder-strewn river where a campfire lunch of cassava, fresh grated coconut and spicy sambal served on banana leaves never tasted so good.

The already perfect day went up another notch at Banyan Camp, where we slept under mosquito nets in rustic indoor-outdoor villas after a meal of succulent giant grilled lagoon prawns and organic curries, served on a raft floating around a tranquil lake under one of those canopies of star-filled skies that remind you why you travel.

To my great relief, Carolyn was loving the trip – and me. Sharing the challenge, we had bonded big time. On the next day’s long drive to the coast, we rode full-throttle and fearless, taking in our stride close encounters with random herds of buffalo and giant monitor lizards and even the heavy traffic around Galle. We arrived at EBT’s Beach Shack café HQ just in time for a sunset dip in the surf.

The Demodara Valley
The Demodara Valley Credit: iStock

From Galle we rode alone with ease along the coast road to the small but perfectly formed Kumu Beach hotel. Walking along wild idyllic beaches washed by crashing waves, we started to come down from our high and reflect on what a life-affirming experience it had all been.

Chris Caldicott

The pillion passenger’s verdict

I can’t quite recall when it first started – somewhere between my husband’s slim-fit shirts making their way to the charity shop, and his repeated promises to join a gym. Whatever the genesis, as Chris’s 60th birthday approached, he began to express more vehemently what had been vague musings about owning a motorbike. Fortunately, after a tour of Morocco in the saddle of a retro-style Royal Enfield, the biker image I feared – midlife crisis, tasselled leather jacket – failed to materialise. This reinvention was more about Biggles-style goggles and stylish Belstaff apparel.

The next step was acquiring an Enfield of his own and having yearnings for exotic adventures in far-flung places. Realising this new love was here to stay, I found myself agreeing to go with him on an Extreme Bike Tour of Sri Lanka. Friends said: “Brilliant.” Family warned: “Be careful.”

Our compromise was to stay in cosy boutique hotels along the route. The promise of a piping hot shower, soft sheets and delicious dinners at the end of the day blurred any disquieting thoughts I might have had. Or so I thought.

Thotolagala Hotel Infinity Pool
The view from the Thotolagala Hotel's infinity pool Credit: Chris Caldicott

Waking up early on the day, I was full of apprehension. I tried – but failed – to conceal this with a nonchalant air when the team from Extreme arrived. Compared to these seasoned veterans of bike tours to the likes of Mongolia, Madagascar and Bhutan, I was a lightweight with barely any experience on the back of a bike. I was also the only woman. However, all the guys were charming and gracious, if a little incongruous sipping tea in their dusty leathers on the veranda. Still, there was no going back now.

What to wear? My inner rebel wanted to ride pillion in a sari and flip-flops, Sri Lankan style – but “safety first” Ben intervened, and luckily I did have a suitcase heaving with expensive body armour. As I re-emerged with more than a slight resemblance to Darth Vader, my companions kindly did not smirk and I knew in that moment that we were all going to get along just fine.

Chris wisely opted to familiarise himself with the bike before we rode together, so I hopped on the back with Ben until the bumpy track joined the main road – something I did several times whenever the going got tough. The guys drove with Zen-like confidence, maximising the pleasure of the ride and buffering us safely between them. The support team followed in the Land Rover, always at hand signalling buses and trucks to move over and let our biker gang pass. Any initial terror was replaced with a feeling of ease.

There was only one hair-raising moment of my own making. Stopping at a Hindu temple, where a Maha Shivaratri celebration was in full swing, I underestimated the reduced hearing and visibility caused by a helmet and walked straight out in front of a tuk tuk, forcing it to screech to a halt – hooray for body armour! Only my credibility was a little bruised, though from then on the guys would joke and grab me by the scruff of the neck every time I crossed a road.

On the bike, we were as one. Together we leaned confidently into bends, and whooped with joy at the sheer beauty of the scenery whizzing by. We commiserated about sore bums, bad hair days and the sweat-inducing heat, and shared the glory as admiring crowds gathered at road stops. There was no place for bickering – we were Team Caldicott, encouraging each other ever onward. Who needs marriage guidance when you can share a motorbike adventure?

I missed our gang when we parted for the first night at the gates of gorgeous Thotalagala. I never thought I’d say this, but in that moment my preferred choice of luxury over camaraderie didn’t seem quite right as the boys rode off to find a local place.

It was much more fun when we shared the experience at the brilliantly anarchic Banyan Camp. After a hot day in the saddle, we tore off our clothes, dived into the lake and shared stories of derring-do around the fire. Chris fully indulged his inner mockney biker over too many Lion beers.

The next morning, with a lot of ground to cover, we were psyched up and ready to leave early. It was a long day, filled with wonder and immeasurable highs, and at no point did I entertain the option of time out in the support vehicle (apparently, passengers often do and there can be quite a party atmosphere in the Landy on mixed group tours).

By sunset, we were simply dying to get off the bike. Exhausted, exuberant and full of praise for each other, we received a heroes’ welcome back at EBT’s base. Within minutes we were speechless, overwhelmed by the journey we had just shared. Would I do it again? We are already mulling over a similar tour next year.

Carolyn Caldicott

How to do it

Wix Squared (020 3808 6383; wixsquared.com) can tailor-make an eight-night tour of Sri Lanka from £3,600 per person, based on two sharing. The holiday includes one night’s B&B at each of Wallawwa Colombo, Fort Bazaar Galle and Kumu Beach Balapitiya, plus all-inclusive stays at Camellia Hills Dickoya, Goatfell Nuwara Eliya, Nine Skies Ella, Thotalagala Haputale, and Banyan Camp Udawalawe.

Also included are three train journeys between Wallawwa and Nine Skies, a four-night trip with Extreme Bike Tours between Nine Skies and Kumu Beach, curated food experiences in Galle and Colombo, a private chauffeur as guide, and return economy flights from the UK.

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