Combining our interest in cycling, We decided to show off our Scotland of India to my friend’s colleague from Scotland.
My schoolmate/buddy Deepak’s colleague from Scotland (also an avid cyclist) was in Bangalore for a week and so Deepak decided to combine our common interest in cycling and to show him around our Scotland of India. What better way to do cycling this time of year and ride through the green landscapes of Coorg, eh? Deepak planned out the entire trip, purchased a BnB bike carrier, rented a Trek bike for our Scot friend and even hired an Innova with driver.
Day 01 : Bengaluru to Gonikoppal
Fri, 10 Aug 2012
We were to start from Bangalore by friday evening. My friend purchased the bike carrier the same day and had it fitted onto the cab. We then loaded the bikes onto the vehicle and started from Bangalore by 6:30pm. Close to Maddur, we stopped by Kamat hotel for a vegetarian dinner and continued on, till we reached Gonikoppal by midnight. Located the hotel to halt for the night and we crashed asap to get up early the following morning.Day 02 : Gonikoppal
Sat, 11 Aug 2012
In the morning, the friend residing at Gonikoppal who arranged our stay, joined us for a good breakfast and then we drove over to his house. He got out his bike as well and the four of us started to ride to Irpu falls. On his recommendation, we took a longer route to the falls thereby covering more ground and getting to see more of the place. We rode from Gonikoppal, Ponnampet, Kanoor, Kothur, Kotta to Irpu, with lush green fields all along and good roads. By little past midday, we reached the base of Irupu falls, locked our bikes by the temple gate-sides and took pictures along the way upto the falls. We were all in awe by the view of the waterfalls. We rested there for a while, had a few snacks for lunch. Our Coorg host and Scot friend got into the waterfalls, enjoyed the cold waters. Shortly after, we got back to the were we had parked our bikes and continued to ride on.
On our return, we rode past Srimangala, Hudikeri, Ponnampet and back to Gonikoppal. All along the ride, there was light drizzle on and off, cloudy skies, fresh clear air, greenery around…seemed perfect. Every time we stopped to wear our rain-jackets and it would stop raining. This happened several times and it seemed like the rain gods were toying with us. Finally we decided to just put those jackets into our bags and continue to ride and enjoy the drizzle. By about 6pm, we reached Gonikoppal and back to our friend’s house where our host made black tea. Enjoyed the piping hot tea while it rained heavily. Later, under the cover of umbrellas, we loaded our bikes onto the carrier and started back to the hotel. The Coorgi friend later joined us for dinner and after, we got back to our rooms and crashed for the night.
Day 3 : Gonikoppal to Bengaluru
Sun, 12 Aug 2012
We were up and ready by 6am so as to start early. Stopped by the restaurant at Kushalnagar for breakfast and then continued on for Bylakuppe. We got to the Monastery, spent about an hour or so seeing the place, taking pictures and then started back for Bangalore. On the way, stopped at a KFC joint past Maddur for lunch. Few people there looked at our bikes hanging from the back of our vehicle. Even few local kids on their cycles stopped and looked curiously at the setup and the bikes. Soon we started from there and reached Bangalore by 2pm.
Trip information and expenses
| Description | Expenses per person |
|---|---|
|
Weather: Pleasant, cloudy, drizzling rain. Terrain: Tarred roads, small ups n’ downs. Difficulty level: Easy – Moderate Total distance: 76km |
Cab hire: 3,500/- Hotel stay: 1,500/- Food/Drinks: 1,400/- |
