Awakened by the beach vibes, it was time to explore this beautiful district of Kerala, Kannur. What else? Reached Kannur early morning through an overnight bus from Bangalore. Ocean green homestay was the one I chose to stay and must say & it was one of the best decisions as Adikadalayi beach was just 150mts away right in front of the stay all that I wanted! I walked along this beach shore all three days during my stay and meditated too.  

After a sumptuous breakfast from the wonderful host, I hit St.Angelo fort .Scorching heat was beaten by the greenery within the fort campus. The fort provided naval supplies for the Portuguese conquest of Goa and the Portuguese battles against the Mamluk. As the local Portuguese settlement at Kannur had no sources of revenue, the fort's expenses were met with funding from Goa, the seat of Portuguese rule in India.

On 15 February 1663, the Dutch captured the fort from the Portuguese. They modernised the fort and built the bastions Hollandia, Zeelandia and Frieslandia that are the major features of the present structure. The original Portuguese fort was pulled down later. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The Dutch sold the fort to king Ali Raja of Arakkal in 1772. In 1790 the British seized it and used it as their chief military station in Malabar until 1947.

The fort is in the Cannanore Cantonment area. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. St Angelo's fort is a most important historical monument and a popular tourist attraction. Six Tourism Policeman are posted here for protection duty.

In 2015, thousands of cannonballs weighing several kilos were discovered from the Fort premises. The Archaeological Survey of India, which led the excavation, believes these were buried as part of military preparedness. Explored the entire fort and also rested a while.

Arakkal museum was always in my mind thus headed towards the museum. The Arakkal Museum is located in Ayikkara, next to the Kannur City. It is located 2-3 kilometres from Kannur town. The Arakkal Museum is a museum dedicated to the Arakkal family, the only Muslim royal family in Kerala, India. The museum is actually a section of the Arakkalkettu (Arakkal Royal Palace). The durbar hall section of the palace has been converted into a museum by the Government of Kerala. It was opened in July 2005 after a Rs. 9,000,000 renovations.

Although renovated by the government, the Arakkalkettu is still owned by the Arakkal Royal Trust and does not fall under the control of the country's archaeology department, the Archaeological Survey of India. The government had taken a keen interest in preserving the heritage of the Arakkal Family, which had played a prominent role in the history of Malabar. A nominal entry fee is charged by the Arakkal Royal Trust from visitors to the museum.

It was a great experience to know about the royal family’s history, culture and their vintage belongings in the museum. I was tired & done for the day.

Day 2 was exciting as I was about to visit Muzhappilangad Beach ,a drive-in beach in kannur in Kannur district of Kerala, on the Malabar Coast of India. It stretches across 4 kilometers in length. In 2016, it was featured among the six "best beaches for driving" in an article published by BBC Autos. The Muzhapilangad beach is located parallel to National Highway 66 (formerly National Highway 17) between Kannur and Thalassery. There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves leading to the beach. To get to this road, if you are driving from Thalassery towards Kannur, take the left turn just before the railway over bridge (the first railway crossing) which you will encounter after crossing the Moidu bridge. For those travelling from Kannur towards Thalassery, the entrance to this road will be available on the right side from Edakkad town. The beach is about 3.8 km long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur on the north. Local laws allow beachgoers to drive for a full 3.4 km directly on the sands of the beach. The beach is bordered by black rocks, which also protect it from the strong currents of the ocean. These rocks provide habitat for Blue mussel, a delicious seafood. Beach attracts bird-watchers from far off places as hundreds of birds flock here during various seasons.

Reached there after an hour drive through a local bus which I took from the main Kannur bus stand. Had to walk half a mile to reach the beach but the walk was worth it. Had nothing much to do in the beach but yes, I did enjoy sipping fruit juice & snacking while I kept gazing at the 4 wheelers drive along the beach side. It was a great experience to witness the drive-in beach.

Had to keep day 3 a bit relaxing as I was to leave Kannur the same night thus decided to have a look at the most famous beach in Kannur, Payyambalam beach. It was half an auto ride to the spot but couldn’t enjoy much due to the heat! Hardly spent an hour and headed back. 

Had to pamper myself with a full body ayurvedic spa in the evening. Time to say bye to the beautiful district Kannur which still holds rich history and tradition of Kerala with beautiful beaches along !