Exhausting rail hike to Periya Naga Villu from Puttalam

Year and Month	October 2017
Number of Days	5(Thilina, Ishan, Chamara, Sampath & my self)
Crew	One
Accommodation	N/A
Transport	Car & a Demo batta
Activities	Rail hike (23Km’s), Photography
Weather	Mostly dry
Route	Chilaw -> Puttalama -> Noor Nagar(3.9Km) -> Karadipuval(8.8Km) -> Periyanaga villu(10.7Km) -> Wanathawilluwa -> Puttalama -> Returned back to Chilaw along A3
Tips, Notes and Special remark	Take 3L’s of water and Jeewani Do not carry Plastic items (Minimize), Make sure you bring back everything you took. Don’t disturb wild life Beware of Elephants Walking on rail tracks is a punishable act Shoes are recommended Beware of grease Not recommended for people with vision and hearing impairment. Try and walk always on the side walk Get information about the train schedule from the stations Talk with locals and station masters do not ignore them Off your phone if possible During the rail hike keep your eyes and ears fully open
Related Resources	External link : Puttalam Line
Author	Ashan
Comments	Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread Exhausting rail hike to Periya Naga Villu from Puttalam

I had already walked from Naththandiya to Puttalam along the railways and I wanted to extend the hike northwards till the last passenger station which was Periyanaga villu. Though there were passenger trains to Periyanaga villu those were not functioning anymore and the reason was the war which we had before 2009. Currently the last passenger train station is Noor Nagar. This track was heavily damaged due to non usage but it was fully restored by Holcim cement company because they needed to transport goods from Aruwakkaru quarry site to their factory at Kalladiya(Puttalama).

It was going to be one tough hike since the dry nature in this region and the track was not walker friendly at all. After having breakfast at Puttalama we started hiking along the railway track towards Noor Nagar. Actually there wasn’t much to see other than houses build beside the track.

Starting point

Crossing A10

After Noor Nagar we came across a lovely cement bridge where we rested a bit and we were lucky to capture the Red train which went towards Aruwakkaru. From here onwards until the next bridge it was a very shady area covered by Kumbuk trees. Next bridge was over Mi oya which originates from Nawagaththegama and feeds Thabbowa. At this point one could appreciate 3 bridges along the line. At the end we reached Karadipuval where the stationmaster was amazed to see us. We again came across the train which was returning back from the quarry and heading towards Puttalam.

Suicidal

nothing much to see

just like the railway

different culture

side roads

felt sorry for the guys with flip flops

daily hike

in search of basic needs

Cement bridge

Reptiles

daily needs

view from the bridge

.	not cultivated in years

.	here she comes

and there she goes

Kumbuk stretch

.	dried waterways

3 Bridges

Maintained by HOLCIM

Mi oya

.	under the bridge we seeked for shelter

Raigamayai Gampalayai

Kumbuk well

3rd bridge of the 3 bridges

new life waiting for monsoons

Wondering who we were

reaching mid way point Karadipuval station

the beauty

minus me

After refreshing our selves we begun the 2nd half of the hike and though the initial part had a concreted line the rest was in very bad shape. Walking along this stretch which was about 5Km’s was a nightmare. Periyanaga villu was a ghost station which was now totally abandoned. We ended our hike at this point as planned and walked towards the main road where we got a ride to Puttalam behind a “Demo batta”. At Puttalam we had some refreshments and departed back towards Chilaw.