With yesterday bringing my third visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sigiriya (Lion Rock), it is also brought to a conclusion my long-held wish to take Rennie and the children, too.  One of the world’s best-preserved examples of ancient town planning and with the summit construction an incredible feat of engineering, it is best visited when the ticket office opens at 07:30am in order to complete the ascent in the sun’s shadow; it is then merely hot and sweaty work rather than being done in direct sunlight and fierce heat.  Well-worth arising before 6am for!

As it turned out, there was another benefit of being sharp to start the day; beating the huge queues that can routinely happen – and which are all but guaranteed to happen on a Saturday during local holiday season. With only one way up that is often not only constrained to steep narrow walkways suspended on the rock-face but also shared in places with those making their descent, it quickly becomes log-jammed.

What chances though of queuing to descend (the steps were blocked with those now ascending en masse), and bumping in to a Sri Lanka colleague and his family making the climb!

With plenty of time spent at the summit, it took us four hours to make the combined ascent and descent. We were back at the hotel for the early afternoon and with it some shade and gadget time.

Steve