849 miles (1,366 km) 30th October to 14th December 2025
This is the seventh stage of our journey. At the end of the sixth stage from home to Delhi, having fulfilled our ambition, we felt a strong sense of “why stop here”, so we decided to continue our ride towards the east. Soon after returning to the UK in 2022, we began investigating a ride from Mathura (end of ride six) to the Bay of Bengal. Having started our last ride in the holy city of Dwarka, the Western corner of India’s set of “Char Dham” (“Four Abodes”), it seemed appropriate to ride to the holy city of Puri, the Eastern corner of the “Char Dham” set (FYI… the other two “Dhams” are Badrinath in the North & Rameswaram in the South). Both Dwarka & Puri have famous Vishnu temples, to Krishna in Dwarka & to Jagannath in Puri.
The ride started in Bharatpur, a day’s cycle ride from Mathura. We chose this quiet rural place, as we planned to arrive just before Diwali & wanted to avoid the excessive noise of the all-night Diwali firecrackers (“pataakhe”). Our ride started in the familiar atmosphere of Rajasthan and took us to many UNESCO heritage sites. We rode briefly in Uttar Pradesh, then across Madhya Pradesh. But as we rode further East, into Chhattisgarh & Odisha, we completely left the tourist site-seeing world of the guide books, riding through jungle “tribal” areas, well off the “beaten track”. Very few hotel reviews or Booking.com listings, just vague hard-to-find entries on Google Maps, with dubious looking Photoshop edited images of bedroom & attached bathroom/toilets.
Our planned routing was put into disarray after watching the 1994 film, “Bandit Queen” (story of the famous bandit queen, Phoolan Devi, who was sent to prison in 1983, got free in 1994 & became an Indian MP) which is set in the sandstone ravines of Chambal, a region we were due to ride through, we became somewhat anxious about our safety. A Gujarati friend of Alysun assured us that the infamous bandits of the Chambal had long since been “tamed”, making the Chambal (near Gwalior) absolutely safe. But when he heard that we were riding across Chhattisgarh, alarm bells were sounded. Maybe we would need police escorts or just take a vehicle across the state. His opinion, backed up by him reaching out to people who knew Chhattisgarh was that there were serious “law & order” problems, including armed Maoist Naxalite guerilla militia. Do not ride at night, only stay in reputable hotels and more worrying, we might not be able to trust local authorities, including the police.
We ended up researching the “law & order” problems of Chhattisgarh & tribal areas of Odisha, identifying which districts were prone to Naxalite activity. Our route seemed safe. But just to be sure, we found several local cycling groups on Facebook, and emailed to ask them if we would be okay riding there. All replied with a very welcoming, everything will be lovely, fine & safe, and what’s more, “why not meet up & ride together”. So this ride into Eastern India was going to be an interesting adventure.
We took two of Alysun’s friends, Anna & Suzi, with us for the first 3 weeks of the ride, across the more tourist frequented (and therefore hotels available) areas of Madhya Pradesh.
Our original plan was to ride 1,054 miles (1,697km) on this ride, but we were troubled by tummy problems & the subsequent weakness (i.e. inability to ride long days), so sometimes we ended up using taxis, minibuses, public buses & even auto-rickshaws to carry us & our bicycles. This meant skipping some of our planed “A-to-B” days rides, thereby reducing our overall trip mileage….. maybe we are starting to get a bit older, as trans-India cycling pensioners.
There is a Flickr Album of Tim’s photos here…
Alysun’s diary of our ride….
- DAY 01… Arriving in Bharatpur
DAY ONE… We’ve arrived for the next exciting adventure. This time cycling from near Vrindavan where we left off our last ride, and heading out to the Bay of Bengal…. - DAY 02… Bharatpur… Diwali
DAY TWO… 9.51 miles (15.3 km) We are sitting on the balcony of our homestay, looking out over the town of Bharatpur. It is about 7pm. It is Diwali here,… - DAY 03… Bharatpur… Keoladeo National Park
DAY THREE… 14.29 miles (23.0 km) We are sitting in the Bharatpur bird sanctuary watching what Tim and I call the ‘jolly birds’ mainly because they are so fat and… - DAY 04… Bharatpur to Fatehpur Sikri
DAY FOUR… 16.65 miles (26.80 km) Our first ride today. We rise at 5.30am for a 6am set off. We have a packed breakfast of omelette and poha with us…. - DAY 05… Fatehpur Sikri to Dhaulpur
DAY FIVE… 39.15 miles (63.00 km) After miles of unmetalled roads, deeply rutted and a long stretch where we had to walk through deep sand, Tim finally informs me that… - DAY 06… Dhaulpur to Gwalior
DAY SIX… 46.68 miles (75.01 km) Up at the usual time of 5.30am for a 6.15am set off. We are still in the heart of the Chambal, but apart from… - DAY 07… Gwalior
DAY SEVEN Thank God Diwali seems to be over, but now, its “wedding season”, two large white horses, fully decorated and with obviously inexperienced riders amidst the traffic today, attest… - DAY 08… Gwalior to Dabra (pick-up truck lift to Datia)
DAY EIGHT… 36.23 miles (58.30 km) Woke to the deeply depressing news that Trump is probably set to win the USA elections. What a nightmare. Ride today was through lovely… - DAY 09.. Datia to Orchha
DAY NINE… 33.43 miles (53.80 km) 7.30am. Late set off due to sending Anna off to Orchha in the taxi, having made sure she will be safe. Roads were quiet… - DAY 10.. Orchha
DAY TEN Three of us now suffering with the affliction, unable to eat and explaining to our host that we don’t want to have a ₹1,000/- (£10.00) per head buffet… - DAY 11.. Orchha
DAY ELEVEN A day or two in bed with fever but now I’ve taken some antibiotics, hoping for a quick improvement. Sitting outside in the cool of the morning. The… - DAY 12.. Orchha
DAY TWELVE Managed to cycle in to view the huge palace at Orchha. Complete with secret passages, king’s and queen’s quarters and beautiful, colourful paintings on the walls. Overcome by… - DAY 13.. Orchha to Khajuraho (Mini-bus lift)
DAY THIRTEEN Left the little haven at Orchha, not on bicycles, but in a minibus with our bicycles tied onto the roof rack. We are all still feeling rather washed… - DAY 14.. Khajuraho
DAY FOURTEEN 6.00am… we make an early morning visit to the western group of Khajuraho temples, to avoid the coach loads of sightseeing crowds who fill the “ticketed” main site. … - DAY 15.. Khajuraho to Panna
DAY FIFTEEN… 27.73 miles (44.60 km) Our first ride for a while. Due to our weakness, we shortened it to only 28miles. Still not easy as the roads were often… - DAY 16.. Panna to Maihar
DAY SIXTEEN… 56.89 miles (91.60 km) Back on the road this morning for a 57mile ride. Beautifully cool, too cool ride through forest scrub. At one point definitely heard the… - DAY 17.. Maihar to Barhi
DAY SEVENTEEN… 28.09 miles (45.20 km) We weave our way magically out of town, like a strange dance, the red morning sun just rising from the horizon. As we left… - DAY 18.. Barhi to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
DAY EIGHTEEN… 29.91 miles (48.10 km) Tim’s famous words ‘don’t worry the tigers won’t come anywhere near the road’, have been definitively proved wrong. Today our ‘comfort break’ became a… - DAY 19.. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
DAY NINETEEN Up at 5.30am we are returning for more of the tiger “commodity”. Dressed in absolutely every garment we possess, including flight socks, for warmth, we have a quick… - DAY 20.. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
DAY TWENTY At last, a quiet day with just a few final arrangements… taxi for Anna and Suzy, and bike packing. For us, a few messages to cyclists in Chhattisgarh… - DAY 21.. Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve to Shahdol
DAY TWENTY ONE… 48.47 miles (78.0 km) A sad and fond goodbye to Suzy and Anna at 6am as they set off on another safari adventure, before taking an overnight… - DAY 22.. Shahdol to Amarkantak
DAY TWENTY TWO… 47.30 miles (76.1 km) Sitting in a spacious tent, bathroom attached, in Amarkantak, absolutely knackered and starving. It’s another one and a half hours before we can… - DAY 23.. Amarkantak
DAY TWENTY THREE So… “no Law and order problems in Chhattisgarh” we are told. The jungley road we had been warned off by a local cyclist, is fine too, not… - DAY 24.. Amarkantak to Kota
DAY TWENTY FOUR… 49.52 miles (79.7 km) A bad start! 6am chai comes at 6.30am delaying us horribly. Then, after only 100 meters the entire navigational equipment drops off Tim’s… - DAY 25.. Kota (pick-up truck lift to Bilaspur)
DAY TWENTY FIVE A bad start and a very bad end to yesterday. Our meal was a bowl of kedgeree which we shared. It seemed rather meagre. My plate had… - DAY 26.. Bilaspur (day of recovery at the Marriot)
DAY TWENTY FIVE More cyclists from Chhattisgarh Cycling Club show up in the morning at the Marriott to meet us. They come armed with a bouquet of flowers for me… - DAY 27.. Bilaspur to Shivrinarayan
DAY TWENTY SEVEN… 41.63 miles (67.0 km) A difficult night, feeling very nauseous. Woke 5.30am and set off on a cycle ride, mercifully flat, with even a little downhill, however,… - DAY 28.. Shivrinarayan (taxi lift to Debrigargh)
DAY TWENTY EIGHT The effects of poisoning still continue. Night sweats, weakness, nausea. We’ve decided to change our schedule and head for a rural jungle retreat, deep in Odisha’s heart…. - DAY 29.. Debrigargh Wildlife Sanctuary
DAY TWENTY NINE Woken 6.15am by a boy bringing chai. Why? We were having a lie in. The meals routine in this place means there is little time to get… - DAY 30.. Debrigargh Wildlife Sanctuary
DAY THIRTY Up at 5.45am and bed tea at 6.15am. This time we are off for a walking safari. Set off intrepidly, guide carrying a sturdy metal pole, just in… - DAY 31.. Debrigargh to Binka
DAY THIRTY ONE… 42.35 miles (68.2 km) We’ve made it (43 miles) to Binka, a dusty town with one hotel (adequate, not super clean) but with a busy restaurant thankfully…. - DAY 32.. Binka to Boudh
DAY THIRTY TWO… 48.22 miles (77.6 km) True to form, our morning ride was in rain. In an attempt to cut down on weight I had discarded my rain coat… - DAY 33.. Boudh to Charichhak
DAY THIRTY THREE.. 21.61 miles (34.8 km) A short and easy ride to a hotel just 37km away. We’ve decided against a herculean journey up the ghats (hills) to Phulbani,… - DAY 34.. Charichhak to Daspalla
DAY THIRTY FOUR.. 42.50 miles (68.4 km) Today’s ride was through a tiger reserve and then an elephant sanctuary. No animals in sight apart from cows, all fenced up together… - DAY 35.. Daspalla to Chilika Lake
DAY THIRTY FIVE.. 57.29 miles (92.2 km) Long ride (nearly 60 miles) today. The bounce has gone out of my bottom. Even though the roads were smooth, the whole thing… - DAY 36.. Chilika Lake
DAY THIRTY SIX Tim tells me that there is a research station here to study the Anopheles (malaria) mosquito. Although its brackish water, apparently the mosquitoes don’t mind. Obviously, plenty… - DAY 37.. Chilika Lake to Puri
DAY THIRTY SEVEN.. 41.51 miles (66.8 km) Last night women were decorating the threshold of their homes using the notorious cowpats to smear an even surface and then a white… - DAY 38.. Puri
DAY THIRTY EIGHT Jagannath Temple. This is what Puri is famous for. But it’s Hindus only inside. We have to stand outside, not even able to go to the viewing… - DAY 39.. Puri to Konark
DAY THIRTY NINE.. 22.82 miles (36.7 km) We left our very nice boutique style hotel at Puri, 7am to cycle the shortish distance to Konark. The cook obliged by providing… - DAY 40.. Konark
DAY FORTY This morning Tim is reluctant to go for his breakfast at 8am, as last night we waited 45 minutes for dinner whilst proving a sumptuous feast for the… - DAY 41.. Konark to Bhubaneswar
DAY FORTY ONE.. 47.12 miles (75.8 km) Slept through the wedding. Tim said lots of fireworks and loud bombing sounds, not to mention the music. What to do with your… - DAY 42.. Bhubaneswar
DAY FORTY TWO Our stay in Bhubaneswar was in a home stay with a family, on the edge of the city jungle. We were shown the jungle from a balcony… - DAY 43.. Bhubaneswar
DAY FORTY THREE Today, we visited a 1st Century (BCE) Jain “monastery” or rather a large set of caves. Alysun duly tested the meditation chambers & stone pillowed beds, all… - DAY 44.. Bhubaneswar to Delhi (24hr train ride home)
DAY FORTY FOUR I am writing this sitting in our First Class train cabin, with our packed up bicycles, on our way back to Delhi, ready to fly back to…