The trip to Lansdowne

I used to keep calling it "Landsdown". Only on reading up about it on the faithful wikipedia did I realise that its been named after a British chap called Lansdowne.

The other bit that I did not realise was that this is an extremely under-rated hill station. I for one had never heard of the place until I got to Delhi.

Situated in the state of Uttarakhand, Lansdowne is the closest hill station to Delhi, all of 290kms away. 

Originally a cantonment - its now home to the Garhwali Rifles - the place itself is neatly maintained thanks to the army presence.
However, other than the Army camp, there is nothing around or at least nothing touristy in nature. Which is, I suppose, the reason for its lack of popularity.

There are no quaint cafes or restaurants where one can laze around in the afternoons, there is no "Mall Road" of note (usually the pride of most hill stations).

However what it does have is some supreme peace and quiet. There are quite a few resorts that have sprung up around Lansdown and we stayed at one such place, in Jaiharikhal (6kms away from Lansdowne), called 'Bright Sunny Pines'.
Good place to stay, with good food, nice rooms and a great view of the valley. However we felt that it was a little over-priced.

There aren't many places to stay in Lansdowne, so its advised to book in advance rather than have to make do with sub-par accommodation that some of the lodges have to offer.

The best place to stay however is supposed to be Fairydale resorts and there was another home-stay that I checked up on before getting there called Prem Sadan and the gentleman who owns the place - Rajiv Anand - was very well spoken and helpful. 

I enjoyed the trip to lansdowne for the drive. It was our first long drive out of Delhi and it was well worth it!

The route we took was Delhi-> Meerut-> Bijnore->Kotdwar->Lansdowne. 

Do stop at 'Jai Shikanji' restaurant, some 26 kms before Bijnore, for some delicious Shikanji (its like Lime soda with some masala in it). A great thirst quencher.

Kotdwar to Lansdowne is about 44 kms of hilly road(or ghat section), and is easily the best part of the drive.

The road has a steep climb and goes through a hillside lined with some beautiful blue pine and oak trees.

We accompanied a friend who was with his gang of Enfield bikers, who were doing the trip to Lansdowne. However we soon left them behind and drove on. 

Lansdowne does have a sunset point, a 'tip in top' view point and a smallish lake. But again the best part is that there isn't much to do.

One can also reach Lansdowne by taking a train to Kothdwar and then hiring a taxi to the top, but I would recommend going in your own vehicle. This will let you explore the area around Lansdowne. 

You can park your vehicle and do short treks through the lovely hillside.

However if you're driving by yourself then it is recommended to plan your drive such that you reach the place before it gets too dark. The hill road is fairly narrow, with hairpin bends and driving in the dark is quite a hairy experience.

The awesome part is that you may get to sight a leopard if you are lucky! A couple of our friends who were co-incidentally at the place, came down to meet us and spotted a large leopard by the road :D

Lansdowne is the kind of a hill-station, where you take along a couple of good books, some music and some good wine. Stick around doing nothing but reading and enjoying the views of the valley. Its a beautiful place, as yet untouched and untarnished. 

Go.