198) Rayakottai Fort Trek: (13/4/2024)

Place: Rayakottai Fort Trek

Distance: 100kms x 2 = 200kms

Directions: Bangalore > Hosur > Shoolagiri > Rayakottai > Denkankottai > Bangalore

Krew: Ramakrishna > Karthik (Sippy)

Bikes: Pulsar                                                                                                   

Previous Visit: Kabblu Hillock trek.

Budget: Rs 225/head

IN LESS THAN 50 WORDS:

Rayakottai is the southernmost outpost of Tippu Sultan. The 360-degree view that you get from this place is superb. One can few for kilometers afar standing atop this hillock. Hence the perfect outpost. This trip reminded me and cemented what breathing fresh air feels like!  

INTRO & PLAN:

It was hardly 3 days since the insane mind-bending trek to Kabblu. The travel bug had bit right. And the fact that none of my legs were paining made me restless. It was time for another trek. During the post-lunch walk, Rama and I decided to head out to TN – Rayakottai.

TIME: 13:00 (11/4/2024)

ASSEMBLE & LEAVE:

Woke up at 4 am, did some stretches got ready, and headed out at 5 am through the city. Reached Attibele by 5:45 and waited for Rama. Once Rama joined, we headed out of the city. Come to think of it, Rama lived at the halfway point between my place at Rayakottai. Haha!

TIME: 06:15

RIDE 1: (Bangalore – Hosur – Shoolagiri - Rayakottai)

So, this was neat and sweet left over 40km. My place to Attibele was about 40km and then the remainder was only 40-50km. We decided to take the highway until Shoolagiri and then decided to deviate towards Rayakottai. The first 20km or so went like a woof on the huge highway. Then the beautiful country roads began. The ride through which was wonderful and pretty good!! We pulled over a small house + tiffin center for some awesome breakfast.

TIME: 07:15

 

After breakfast, it was a 5-minute ride. Surprisingly memory was strong, and without much assistance, we directly reached the base of the hillock. Requested a shopkeeper to keep our helmets and take care of our bikes. With the mountain goat awake within us, it was time to climb!

TIME: 08:00

RAYAKOTTAI FORT TREK:

The trek up to the top took us only 45 minutes. It was a nice and peaceful trek to the top. Even though the trek is easy and short, the view it offers from the top is mind-blowing. So, it was indeed a trek much needed then.

The route is quite clear and a lot of steps. On the way to the top, you can find a lot of gateways and checkpoints meant for resisting an enemy attack. As you begin to reach the top, you can find a lot of granaries and other storage bunkers. Now inside most of it, bats reside peacefully.

TIME: 08:45

TOP:

It was Saturday, but nobody was at the top. We sipped water and relaxed on top enjoying the view. We spent about 30-45 mins at the top discussing many things. It had been a while since our epic Mari Betta trek. Damn, that was one epic climb! The blog will be published on that one soon. Had written it back then, but never published it. After a good rest at the top, we decided to head back down.

TIME: 09:30

 

DESCENSION:

The descension took about 30 mins. Now with the sunup and burning bright, it was a sapping climb down. On the way down we stopped at the temple in between and paid respects to the deity. Reaching back to the base, we thanked the shopkeeper for looking after our helmets and bikes and left Rayakottai.

TIME: 10:00

RIDE 2: (Rayakottai – Denkankottai – Attibele - Bangalore)

We decided to take the Denkankottai route to Hosur. Why? We had nothing better to do on a Saturday. So, exploration was something we were both open to. So, asking for directions and with all that road's memory getting kick-started again, we were finding ways in between small, beautiful towns until we hit the other main highway. The roads were fresh, bigger, and with almost zero traffic.  Cruised along at a decent pace to reach Attibele. Dropped Rama off thanked him for joining and headed back and reached home.

TIME: 12:00

CONCLUSION:

“This was such a stabilizing trip, reminding us of what fresh air feels like. The person I can trust and one of the best climbers around, a decent challenge to get things going. A good roadside breakfast, challenging climb, relaxation on top, sharing chocolates, safe ride back home – elements of a good trip!”

Until next time, Cia \m/

(Oh, by the way, no pain again after this trek, looks like we hit the road soon again!)