Most Likely the Ferry would not run in heavy rain & thunderstorms.But needs to be checked with booking office onsite.

In morning you may walk, though I find the road near RamJhula is somewhat dangerous for walking - if you move one side to be safe from a passing vehicle you may suddenly negotiate a deep gorge type drop in the road flank which is too dangerous !.And as there are no pedestarian walks flanking the road my advise is to avoid walking and take some local transport like Auto as the auto wallah is familiar too with the town.

I think at 5am.

Please contact Aalok +91 98707 37188 I am sure he can assist. Tell him David Naidoo referred him.

Not so sure you can visit Badrinath, Kedarnath etc. in the winter months. I was speaking to a sadhu from the Mata Murti temple in Badrinath and he mentioned that the best times to visit is is May, June, and July. I do know they close the roads in and out in Winter. Not sure about October. Haridwar is quite close to Rishikesh and would recommend that you stay and spend more of your time in Rishikesh than Haridwar. Also, I was speaking to the rafting company I used and they also mentioned that during some of the months the Ganga is too high and unsafe to raft. You may wish to also look into this. You truly do not want to visit Rishikesh without rafting. Again, not exactly sure of the months that the Ganga becomes unsafe and they do not allow rafting but I think that is more during the summer months when the glacier melt is impacting it so October - November should be fine. I cannot help you with your travel plans with respect to trains. Never used them. We flew into Dehra Dun airport and took a cab (about 30-45 min.) to Rishikesh. Then used a scooter or hiked to get around Rishikesh/Haridwar. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

EllBee Ganga View is a brilliant hotel!