Winter Charmadi run in the Swift: coffee up top, M mode all the way down

Now that the rains are easing, the drive I keep sketching on a napkin is Bengaluru out past Hassan to Chikmagalur for coffee, then down Charmadi into Mangaluru, and back up Shiradi the next morning so you get the ghats in both flavours.

November to February is the window. No permits, no passes, just a full tank and a 5 am start, because Charmadi's hairpins behind a convoy of lorries will test anyone's patience.

One real caution though. NewsKarnataka reported this month that the anti-skid markings near Charmadi town have worn off completely, with a couple of wet-evening crashes on that stretch.

So tyres get checked before anything else. Tread, sidewalls, the spare, pressures set cold. On the descent I keep my AMT in M and hold second, letting the engine do the slowing instead of cooking the front pads.

Tempted to flip it and go up Charmadi instead. Talk me into it.