Poorman's OOTY - Yercaud. Review on Yeracaud

Yercaud - popularly called as poor man's Ooty is a short drive from Bangalore ( apprx 240 kms ). Start early - five is ideal. Drive down straight through Hosur road , entire TN and then to Salem. You could halt at the Food World in Salem ( it is on the main road ) for some quick refreshments. The drive down from Bangalore is smooooth - the road is superb - except for a particular stretch after Hosur. You can easily drive at 100-120 km / hr. The road up the Yercuad is interesting - at every bend there is a sign '' Drive carefully - no drunken driving'' et al. If people are experienced in driving hilly roads , Yercuad would not be a problem. The last sign , just before the final hair pin bend reads as '' Don't tell us you have not been warned''. The guy surely has a great sense of humor. There are a few places to stay in Yercaud . I stayed in a reasonably priced hotel ( Rs 400 / per day / meals reasonable ) near the lake. After having a quick lunch we hired a local ambassador ( Rs 600 ) to visit the local places - some six seven places - Suicide point , Botanical garden , Lake etc etc. You can but some interesting variety of plants / succellents from the botanical garden - they are very cheap. There is a temple up on the hill - which is built into the cave - you need to crouch to see the idol. The pujari said that once people could walk through this cave to Tala Cauvery ( Coorg - Madikeri ) Do not ask me how ! It was raining profusely and after a hot cup of tea we stopped by a perfumery ( perfume production house ) Bought some perfumes , aloe vera for self and family. After a customary boat ride in the lake ( Rs 100 ) walked to the hotel. The hotel is actually in a tea estate , in the night we took a walk around - it was heavenly to say the least! We left around ten the next day for Bangalore. Yercaud offers a clean interesting break for Bangaloreans without the hustle bustle of Ooty. I feel that Yercaud suffers from a perception problem - it is tough to eradicate a wrong perception - but let's hope for the best.

Comments added - May'08

This time I drove from Chennai to Yercaud.

Route : Tambaram - Villipuram - Ulundurpetai - Chinna Salem - Salem - Yercuad - 361 kms

Start early - the roads get crowded post Ulunderpetai - it does get tiring a bit. Beware - too many potholes.

Lot of fuelling stations en route - so don't worry - but you would need to tank up - before you start climbing uphill.

This time I stayed in TTDC - bang opposite the lake [ I am always surprised that while the location is excellent the service and the quality of accomodation is on the contrary ]

Key rates :

TTDC cottages @ Rs 1000 per day - good location and ample space for kids to play.

Boating @ Rs 95 / 15 minutes

Car Hire @ Rs 400 / 4 hours ( covers all points ) I did find some changes in the various sigt seeing points - lot of developmental work seems to be going on.

Do see the insectevorous plant at the Botanical Garden !

I can also see a lot of hotels coming up in the lake area - seems the place is picking up.