Riding to Neelkanth Mahadev

The route: from Ram Jhula on the Swarg Ashram side the road starts climbing immediately — no town traffic at all. Through Rajaji forest, over the ridge, and down into the Pankaja valley to the temple at 1,330 m.

Why: Neelkanth Mahadev is where Shiva is said to have drunk the poison from the churning of the ocean, which turned his throat blue. Beyond the mythology, the road itself is the draw — dense forest, tight hairpins, almost no traffic on a weekday morning, and genuine chance of spotting deer or elephant sign in Rajaji.

Which bike: any of ours. The Activa 125 does it fine in daylight and plenty of visitors ride it up. On a geared bike it's more fun — the hairpins reward a Guerrilla or Hunter.

Timing: half a day. Go early to beat both heat and pilgrim buses.

Practical notes:

• Ride it in daylight only. No lighting, blind corners, forest animals. This is not a road to be on after dark on a scooty.
• Fill up in Rishikesh — nothing on the route.
• Mondays and Shivratri bring heavy pilgrim traffic; the road gets busy with buses that own the middle of it.
• Monsoon brings landslides and leeches in equal measure.
• Combine with Shivpuri or the Ganga beach stretch on the way back for a full day.