Lansdowne trip

Dilliwala

Just read your blog, puchoo.

So u discovered the Super-Highway section of NH 119, huh?
Fantastic, isn't it? It's the only stretch of highway in North India on which I've covered more than 60 km in an hour, apart from NH 1 between Panipat and Ambala. I regularly use NH 58 and it's become so bad that I'm seriously considering avoiding it altogether in future for drives in the direction of Haridwar/Rishikesh, and use the 119/74 combination via Najibabad instead. That's only 26 km extra - did it once 3 years ago and then it took 30 min extra too, but I seriously doubt that's still the case.

One info re food-joints on the way for your next trip, or for anyone else who's interested:
Monty's Millions at the Mirapur T-junction and Vyanjan Vatika (veg only) on the outskirts of Bijnor are both very good.

BTW, I didn't get this bit:
"Points to keep in Mind

1. Many people might suggest that after Ghaziabad one should drive to Muzaffarnagar and then to Meerut. While this route does exist , its longer by about 40 km and its not a very safe city to be driving around."

To get to Muzaffarnagar from Delhi, u have to go via Meerut (bypass) if u take the shortest and obvious route. So by going to Meerut from MZN all one is doing is a long backtrack!
I think u might be referring instead to the road coming from Muzaffarnagar to the Mirapur T-junction, where one wud turn left to get to the Ganga and Bijnor (u turned right coming from Mawana). That route is probably around 40 km longer, yes. But the road branches off from the MZN bypass, u don't have to enter the city.
I should point out that although the interiors of Muzaffarnagar district are one of the badlands of UP, the city is no more unsafe than Meerut or Bijnor . Certainly not by day, and not even at night, really. It's true though that people are advised not to stop on the highway late at night, espesh for someone wanting a lift, or any kind of assistance!

puchoo

I did want to put some info on "dhabas" etc as well, but simply forgot and never quite went back to editing it again.

What i mean about Muzaffarnagar was : once you cross Ghaziabad you have an option to go to Muzaffarnagar and then from there carry on to Meerut as well (from the city)... which is much longer obviously but it appears that there are some people who use this route for some reason.. Maybe i heard / got it wrong since this was the first time i drove that side...

But ya , the highway is awesome..!

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shashank.aggarwal

DW, you are commenting on north India..I guess you are yet to discover roads of Rajasthan...

60 Km in an hour are covered on a bike on certain stretches...forget about car..

I remember 4 years back, I was with my Chacha, going to Udaipur in his Honda City...there were stretches which were straighter than a runway ...and you simply put your foot on accelerator and forget about it...the road was so straight that in sunlight you could have seen several kilometers ahead...It was somewhere between Ajmer and Makrana, if I am not wrong..

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puchoo

4 years is a lifetime with respect to highway conditions in India...the delhi chandigarh stretch could be done in an exact 3 hours... and i mean door to door not boarder to boarder...one could average 80Kmph...try going on it now...4 hours min, border to border.

Dilliwala

Umm, if u check the map, u'll see that's not possible without going thru Meerut (bypass or city) so if Meerut is the way-point to go up the 119, there wud be no reason to go to MZN.
U CAN get to MZN on a roundabout route from Shamli without going to Meerut first, but that's via Loni, not Ghaziabad. And once u get to MZN, u wud not need to go back south towards Meerut, u just continue easterly to Mirapur.

shashank,
ok, right - when saying N. India I was thinking north of Delhi.
Altho I have been to Raj. a number of times, it's true I haven't driven south-, west- or east-wards from Del in recent years; plus u are talking of the GQ roads which anyway are expected to be different. Fact is, for driving trips Rajasthan and other plains areas just aren't interesting enough for me, no offence. Since one lifetime is not enough to see even all of N India, let alone the whole of the country, I'm restricting myself to HP/UA for now (of which I estimate I still have 80% to cover! ).
But I do want to go on an all-India driving trip at some future date (wistful/wishful thinking) a la ksb and friends!

And puchoo's right, 4 years is half a lifetime with regard to traffic conditions on highways.

shashank.aggarwal

Thats a Dream DW sir, I also nurture the same...one day...

The problem is finding the guts who share the same dream and are upto it !!

puchoo

I have the guts, but also a wife who refuses to let me do anything like this .... the last trip i managed was a road trip on my bike in Himachal

shashank.aggarwal

That's what I am afraid of....As of now I have the guts and don't have a wife..excellent recipe for the trip..however still cannot go for it...as need more people, drivers, money, knowledge etc etc etc...

puchoo

why do you need more drivers... just space out the trip in such a way that you can drive, i think i would regret it if i was not able to drive/ride on even one leg of the trip... money , ya thats another consideration..so is taking leave if you are working.....

shashank.aggarwal

more drivers as in more people who can drive...I believe there should be three people in the car (some SUV like DW's Bolero, or any other SUV for that matter)...and all three good drivers...

Even thougt you can space out the rip, however even if you need to travel at a stretch then three drivers are good for a very looong time ...!!

puchoo

i never said dont have people in the car... i just said dont give them the wheel!!

Dilliwala

Generally I feel the same , but agree with shashank - at least another driver makes a big diff, espesh in the hills. After a long day negotiating a million curves, each one of which cud potentially be one's last, I know how I feel sometimes. But very often I have co-passengers who don't drive, so I try to ensure I keep the days not too long.
Certainly for an all-India trip 3 is an ideal number, which is what ksb and friends are doing.

PS: I think shashank meant "guys" instead of "guts" in #21. Threw me for a few secs too, till I looked at the keyboard:
Q-W-E-R-T-Y

osheen_aries

well, book your hotel before leaving to lansdowne, there are few hotels, recently we visited lansdownee, it was bful but most of all, peaceful and very very clean hill station, all maintained by Garwal regiment. Staying in Oak Grove Inn hotel made our journey great, this hotel is run by a colonel- Mr. B. S. Rawat, well maintained, quite homely and most of all, talking n dining wid him was a great pleasure. he was a Charismatic persona.

mokshbajpai

I went there last week with my friends..we travelled by roadways bus till Kotdwar(which is obviously not advisable while travelling with family or parents)(fare-Rs125 pp,6 hrs)and then took a jeep for Lansdowne(fare-Rs40 pp,1.5 hrs)
We stayed in Retreat Anand,a nature resort,3 kms from the main town.The place was nice with good food and service but had few drawbacks:
- it is at a lesser height than Lansdowne
- Phone connectivity is very poor, though the staff was kind enough to let us use there phone(BSNL works better than other networks)
One day we spent at the resort relaxing, playing and hiking. Next day we explored Lansdowne town.In all, the trip was a blend of fun and leisure.

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rtandon

We too have visited the place, last month. Someone did tell us about the place, recalling it as an ex-army personnel managed place but we never got the name from that gentleman. Perhaps this is the place he was referring to. Anyway we had difficulty managing the stay but indeed the place is clean, owing mostly to the fact that its an cantt. town. Can you please post the location guide to this place and also the rent. TIA.

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