Taylor’s Hill is as the name suggest’s high on a hill. A former tea planter’s home and now a boutique hotel; a spot to revive a traveller and to soak up Sri Lankan tea country. First thing to do when exploring is to visit the Loolecondera Tea Estate and you will get to learn about the Ceylon Tea industry and other plants growing on the hillsides which rear up from Kandy. We we’re lucky enough to see citronella, black pepper trees and cinnamon bushes. Our guide also pointed out local birds and in particular eagles soaring.

The roads around the area are narrow and steep so wandering about on foot is often the best way to see how the locals live. Rich red soil and tall trees with buttress roots secure their place on the hills and are the back gardens to lots of small colourful houses. Children shout hello, old men wave and ladies giggle in doorways but they all have one thing in common, they are pleased to see you and want to know where you hail from.

Tuk tuks clamber up and down the hills and toot a warning so you are aware of them careering round the sharp bends. Brightly coloured Hindu shrines poke out of the hillsides and if you are lucky you will see tea being picked.

The nearest town is Deltota and two main streets cut through the hills and like the more rural areas close by all the locals are welcoming and many ask for their photo to be taken…a photographer’s dream.