[ntomer]

Ghaziabad – Meerut – Bijnore – Kotdwar – Dugadda – Lansdowne – Dugadda - Kotdwar - Bijnore - Meerut - Ghaziabad

Last month had been very busy for me; 3 of my projects were nearing completion and it made life hell for me. I was regularly reaching home at early morning; I would have hardly talked to my daughter for 1 hour in March. I needed and deserved a break.

I had planned to drive to Lansdowne earlier but due to non-availability of accommodation it never materialized. This time luckily I got acco so decided to leave on 31st March morning to Lansdowne for a week-end trip. Wifey said that next Friday being Good Friday we'll get 3 days; but I was too fed-up to postpone.

So we left for Lansdowne on Saturday morning from our home in Ghaziabad, in my 2005 model Getz GLS at 6:30 AM.

The road we took from Ghaziabad is NH-58; even at that time the traffic in Ghaziabad was bad, it took us about 30 minutes to cross Ghaziabad. The road from Ghaziabad to Meerut is 4-lane; but is in bad condition and traffic is horrible. One can see all kind of vehicles ranging from bullock-carts, tractors, combines to jugaads on this road.

We reached Meerut in one hour; 12 KMs before Meerut at Partapur by-pass, one has to take a right turn from NH-58 to go inside Meerut. After driving 12 KMs in Meerut, we reached Begam Pul crossing, took a right-turn from there to take the Bijnore road. The road from Meerut onwards although single-lane is in excellent condition with very little traffic. I was able to drive at 100-120 kmph for long stretches.

One word of caution - there are very dhabas on this road, so preferably have your breakfast before Meerut. We found a decent one after Mavana, just before the turn to Hastinapur.



We reached Najibabad by 10:00 AM. I tell you people here have suicidal tendencies, the just jump on the road without giving a damn to the oncoming traffic. The road here from Jalalabad to Najibabd is in terrible condition (abt 4 KMs), traffic is BAD and you find 3 railway crossings in 4 KMs. Luckily all 3 were open.

From here we took a left turn to Kotdwar; the road further narrows down but is in excellent condition. Here is a pic of the road with my car (Inspiration for this pic was taken from Rudra Sir's Manali travelogue).



We reached Lansdowne at 12:00 PM; checked in our hotel - the Fairydale Resorts. It's a raj-era bungalow with lotsa old-world charm.



After feshening-up, we drove to town and had lunch there; then drove up to St. Mary's church and Tiffin Top. The church is very well-maintained and looks fab.



The view of Lansdowne from Tiffin Top -



Lansdowne is home of Garhwal Rifles and is maintained by the cantonment board. This means cleanliness, orderliness and efficient administration. All construction has to be approved by cantt board; that's the reason the town has only 3 hotels and is not a typical tourist hill-station. A nice place for those who enjoy solitude. Perfect for long walks alone or with your companion.

The place has many raj-era bungalows; all occupied by army people and administrators. The most beautiful of these bungalows -



The resort has beautiful lawns, overlooking pine forests. Sitting in these lawns, I re-fuelled myself ;-)



We left Lansdowne at 11:00 AM next morning. The breakfast at Hotel Mayur was out-of-this-world. Reached Meerut at 2:00 PM. The traffic was horrible and it took us 1 hour to cross Meerut. After that 1 hour drive to Ghaziabad. And I was home re-freshened and re-charged.

Distances -

Ghaziabad - Meerut (60 KMs)
Meerut - Bijnore (80 KMs)
Bijnore - Najibabad (30 KMs)
Najibabad - Kotdwar (26 KMs)
Kotdwar - Dugadda (15 KMs)
Dugadda - Lansdowne (26 KMs)

[Dragonov]

Nice writeup ntomer. Lansdowne is really a mesmerizing place. I hope to go there sometime soon again. Hope you got the oppurtunity to see the Garhwal Rifles Regimental Mess ? Although, its not open to the public but if you know someone over there you should have a look at it, its really nice with the regimental history and has an awesome view !

[mobike008]

Thats a very nice and concise write-up about your trip. Glad that you shared it with us. Apart from the drive and stay, looks like you enjoyed some fine scotch too

[JASMEET MATTOO]

Hey Guys, I had also visited Lansdowne in 2010 and it is a fact that it is a heaven for people who seek solitude. It keeps you away from the city noise and pollution. I stayed in Kasang regency and it was a nice resort. We were two families and we all had a great time there. It is one of the few unexplored and non - commercialised tourist places.

[mayankk]

I'm planning on going there this Friday. How to avoid the kanwarias and restrictions thereof?
Someone suggested take the hapur route.
Is that fair?

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I'm planning on going there this Friday. How to avoid the kanwarias and restrictions thereof?
Someone suggested take the hapur route.
Is that fair?

You will find kanwarias everywhere. If exiting NCR, leave early - that's your best bet. Better to cross over Meerut /Hapur before 10 AM.

[JASMEET MATTOO]

Originally Posted by mayankk

I'm planning on going there this Friday. How to avoid the kanwarias and restrictions thereof?
Someone suggested take the hapur route.
Is that fair?

The more popular route to go to Lansdowne is through Meerut bypass. Not sure if the Hapur route would be free of Kanwariyas though.

[mayankk]

I read that it finishes on the 25th, till then the Delhi haridwar highway is closed.

Also, I'd have thought, since its a journey on foot, kanwarias would be more for coming via the direct routes, IE, 58.
No?