[procrj]

Two Weeks after the amazing sun and sand meet at Kannur, Wanderlust kicks in and we decide to spend a weekend in Yercaud. After reading through various travelogues and inputs from Ampere and Suresh_gs, I decide to take the road less traveled.
Planned route:
Onward - Hosur > Krishnagiri > Karimangalam > Morappur > Harur > Kuppanur > Yercaud
Return - Yercaud > Salem > Krishnagiri > Bangalore

Day 1 – 1st March

The journey from Bangalore to Karimangalam was uneventful and even the bad sections between Hosur and Shoolagiri did not dampen the spirits. The skies were overcast and rain was predicted all along the route. Perfect weather for a drive. After the turn at Karimangalam, a narrow stretch of new tarmac slowly blossomed into a wide two lane interspersed with trees and fields.
Cool wind in the face, hardly any traffic and beautiful roads. We took our time getting to Morappur and I had this huge grin plastered on my face. A small video of the drive from Karimangalam to Morappur

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcK-mdCRNsQ

Morappur – Harur was another blissful ride with new roads (thanks to the upcoming elections) and old trees which brought back memories of the drive from Chamrajnagar – Kanakpura during the Kannur meet. Another short video of the drive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOHmNAqE8UU

Took the Harur bypass and it was a real test of suspension for the fully loaded WagonR. Wonder why there are so many speed breakers in a bypass?? This seems to be the pattern across most states. Once you are on SH18 to Salem, the traffic does increase but the road is good and nothing could dampen the spirits. The short drive through Kalyaran forest was mesmerizing and will let the pics do the talking.








The turn at Kuppanur is not very well marked out and hence needs a sharp eye. Look out for this check post and a couple of KMs down the road, you will find the right turn to Yercaud.


After this the road is pretty narrow and you can immediately feel the difference in the air. Its quiet all around and thanks to the cloud cover, the overall experience was both mesmerizing and eerie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTg958EHNYg

Clouds roll in and the visibility drops to just a few feet. This happened a couple of times and I began to wonder if driving up this road was good idea in the first place. And then I get lost. Pic A is the route I planned to take and Pic B is the route I ended up taking with the red spot marking the junction where I took the wrong turn and am still not sure how this happened as there was just a single road at that intersection!

The roads on route B are also very good but I ended up driving 11 KM extra and spending 5K on the car. Why 5K extra you ask? All thanks to a speeding biker driving downhill, losing control at a blind turn and slamming into the car

It was a right hand blind turn and I have my hands on the horn when I see this guy on a splendor speeding downhill. He spots me, brakes and the rear wheel locks. The bike slides from under him and rear wheel hits the front fender below the right head light and spins off towards my right. The rider slams into the right driver side panel and slides down the center of the road and comes to a halt. The car stall and I start it with my heart in my mouth. It catches and I manage to park on the shoulder. I try opening the door and it only manages to open half way. I slide out and stare at the sight in the middle of the road. The headlight assembly of the bike is hanging off the screws, the rear wheel is still spinning, broken sun glasses lying under the wheel and I see the helmet. It was a half helmet with the inner foam lining detached from the outer casing, which had shattered into many small fragments and I thank my stars that the rider had the sense to wear a helmet. The young chap slowly stands up and looks at his bike and then looks at me. I ask him to sit down and give him some water and ask him if he is OK. A bolero pulls up behind me and the elderly gentleman starts talking to the biker and admonishes him for driving rashly. I ask him to take of his shirt and check for any injuries. He stretches, says he is OK and I see no bruises or any telling signs on his torso. The driver of the bolero and another local guy pick up the bike and park it. I turn around to check my car and front panel is dented and bent out of shape!


I open the bonnet, check inside and see that nothing seems to be damaged. The front bumper has a few scratches and wheels seem fine. I drink some water and wait close to half an hour, all the while keeping an eye on the kid. I offer to drive him down to Salem and he says he can manage. The bike starts after a few kicks and I watch it wobble down the road. I stare at it from the end of the road to see that he is riding down the curves at a sedate speed and walk back to the car.

Well the rest of the ride to the resort is a blur and I remember reaching the resort and gaping up at the drive way. I had booked a delux room in Golden Nest resorts after reading about the same on another travelogue and now I know why they have golf carts to ferry people around!
Wonder how they managed to build the resort




The restaurant offers the best view of the valley below


The rest of the day was spent worrying about the car, checking for leakages and trying to enjoy the beauty around.

Day 2 – 2nd March
Woke up at 6 am and stepped out to check the car. The next 2 hours were magical and only increased my love for hill stations

Passing clouds



View from the room


A hint of sunrise


Peekaboo


The golden orb


A brighter better day??


Well..it looks like sunset


The clouds roll in again


Dementors anyone??


Had planned to take Salem route back to Bangalore and I must say that the roads are a lot wider than the Kuppanur – Yercaud stretch. The car was fine and did not give me any problems on the way back. Stopped at A2B Thoppur for lunch at 3 PM and was surprised to see the number of vehicles parked outside. The rest of the ride to Bangalore was a monotonous drive on the four lane and reached home safely and breathed a huge sigh of relief

[mobike008]

Note from Mod : Thread moved from Assembly Line to Travelogue Section. Thanks for sharing

[pulsar56]

Yercaud has a special place in my heart, having spent a lot of summers there. It's the perfect location for relaxing and taking a break from city life. Thank you for sharing the travelogue.

Good to know that the biker did not suffer any major injuries.

Your onward route is seldom used by people traveling to Yercaud though it offers a more pleasant drive!

[DragonHawk]

Nice travelogue procrj!!!

Sorry to hear about the damage caused by the biker, indeed its an unfortunate incident.
But nevertheless you are lucky no major damage occurred to your car and to that moron. Next week I am planning for a weekend trip and your pics are tempting enough to consider Yercaud. Would you mind if you can share your experience about the hospitality of the hotel. Anyways thanks for beautiful pics, drive safe
-Cheers,
Abhi

[procrj]

Originally Posted by DragonHawk

Would you mind if you can share your experience about the hospitality of the hotel

DragonHawk - you can find my review Here. Would suggest that you consider Grand Palace if you planning for a 3+ night stay as the property and the amenities are very good. If you are thinking of going with Golden Nest, then book through Goibibo as they always have a 20% or 25% discount coupon you can use

[ampere]

Sorry to hear about the dent. Yes the drive via Harur is awesome. I also plan to do a more leisure drive to Yercaud where I get to spend some time around the Kalarayan forests. Its an absolute pleasure to drive on these roads.

[Voyager-1]

Sorry to hear about the damage to your car. Thanks for finding the nice alternate route to Yercaud. Good to know that it still misty and nice during March.

On another note, did you use any dashcam to shoot the videos?

[procrj]

Originally Posted by ampere

Sorry to hear about the dent. Yes the drive via Harur is awesome. I also plan to do a more leisure drive to Yercaud where I get to spend some time around the Kalarayan forests. Its an absolute pleasure to drive on these roads.

Ampere - are there any forest huts or any kind of accommodation near/in the forest. Would love to spend more time exploring the place and just taking in the sights

Originally Posted by Voyager-1

On another note, did you use any dashcam to shoot the videos?

The mist & cloud cover was due to rains expected in surrounding areas (think it rained in Bangalore that weekend). The videos and a whole bunch of pics was shot using my mobile and Dailyroads Voyager android app. The app is easy to use and all you need is a decent mobile cam and a car holder

[ampere]

Originally Posted by procrj

Ampere - are there any forest huts or any kind of accommodation near/in the forest. Would love to spend more time exploring the place and just taking in the sights

I doubt. But what I was thinking was spend time around that region and then stay in Salem for the night. I am not sure if there would be any log huts around that region. Or another options is, if one starts by say 3AM, you can spend enough time, see sunruse and come back by late-noon or evening.

[mpksuhas]

Sorry to hear about the dent. A real mood killer when on a trip.
Regarding the drive, could you please let us know what was the time taken for both onward and return journey. Was thinking of doing this as a one day trip from Bangalore.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by mpksuhas

Regarding the drive, could you please let us know what was the time taken for both onward and return journey. Was thinking of doing this as a one day trip from Bangalore.

The onward journey through the alternate route took longer thanks to the mishap. But if I was to estimate the time, it should not take more than 5 hours to get to Yercaud through Morappur - Harur (assuming that you leave bangalore early and cross Hosur without any hitches)
The return journey through Salem was relatively faster. Left Yercaud at 12.30 PM and reached Silk board at 6 PM with a 40 minute break at A2B Thoppur and a 15 min break at CCD Shoolagiri

[suresh_gs]

Originally Posted by procrj

Two Weeks after the amazing sun and sand meet at Kannur, Wanderlust kicks in and we decide to spend a weekend in Yercaud. After reading through various travelogues and inputs from Ampere and Suresh_gs, I decide to take the road less traveled.
Planned route:
Onward - Hosur > Krishnagiri > Karimangalam > Morappur > Harur > Kuppanur > Yercaud
Return - Yercaud > Salem > Krishnagiri > Bangalore

Day 1 – 1st March

The journey from Bangalore to Karimangalam was uneventful and even the bad sections between Hosur and Shoolagiri did not dampen the spirits. The skies were overcast and rain was predicted all along the route. Perfect weather for a drive. After the turn at Karimangalam, a narrow stretch of new tarmac slowly blossomed into a wide two lane interspersed with trees and fields.

May be the next time, you should try the Hosur-Rayakottai-Vellichandai-Karimangalam route. Trust me the stretch from Vellichandai to Karimangalam was a treat to drive when i went to my father's native village in October 2013.
The only drawback would be the narrow roads in karimangalam and a bit of traffic . But the positive sign would be avoiding the waiting time and toll fare at Krishnagiri