Bangalore – Coimbatore - Bangalore. The road less traveled.

[romits]

1. Bangalore to Coimbatore
Route:Bangalore-Hosur-Palacode-Thoppur-Mettur-Bhavani-Coimbatore
Recommendation: Thoppur-Mettur-Bhavani sector is pretty good.
Distance ~320 km
Start: 22nd Dec 1:30 PM Duration: 7.5 hours

Tired with the heavy traffic and construction going on in the NH47 route to Coimbatore via Salem, we decided to take feeder routes and avoid as much of the NH as we could.

Bangalore-Hosur was still NH47. Immediately after the first bridge in Hosur, turned right (there is an IOC petrol bunk at the turning) and took the road through Rayakottai and Palacode. The road used to be good a few months back, but now there are a few rough patches. This route bypassed Krishnagiri and we got back to the NH just after Dharmapuri.

Around 20 kms later, at Thoppur, turned right towards Mettur. There is road work going on and this 20 km on NH47 took us more than an hour!

Road to Mettur was very good. At Mettur turned left towards Bhavani/Erode to avoid going onto the small ghat section that is there. Mettur-Bhavani road was also pretty neat. Again rejoined NH47 at Bhavani and continued straight onto Coimbatore. This was around 90 km and the traffic until Avinashi was pretty heavy with the 4 laning work going on.

2. Coimbatore to Bangalore

Route: Coimbatore – Sathyamangalam – Kollegal – Malavalli – Kanakapura - Bangalore
Recommendation: Not for the faint hearted. At your own risk.
Distance ~320 km
Start: 27th Dec 1:30 PM Duration: 8 hours

Not happy with the onward journey, decided to take a different route back. This was the Coimbatore-Sathyamangalam-Chamarajanagar-Malavalli-Kanakapura-Bangalore. Coimbatore Sathy road was fabulous and so was climb up the ghats. At the top of the ghats (Dhimbam, I think) someone suggested going via Kollegal instead of Chamrajanagar.

There’s a turning 4km from there towards Kollegal, and we just took it for kicks. The road was amazing. Narrow, winding and the dense bushes almost falling onto you. It was a great decision. Until, of course we came to the state border. The police guy stationed demanded a Rs.10 ‘border charge’ and when asked about the roads ahead just said – ‘kachada’ (garbage). And that one word completely describes what roads we faced next. The road was riddled with potholes and it was quite a job to stay in 4th gear and avoid the potholes.

However, the scenic beauty was so good that these potholes somehow seemed trivial. So until Lokanahalli we went along, with all the cattle, goat and sheep that came our way. Not surprisingly, we hardly saw any vehicles on this route. It was our first-hand experience of traveling through rural Karanataka. After Lokanahalli roads got better but were stacked with hay for kilometers. My car carried a good part of this hay to Bangalore. There was also a place where we had to cross a stream on this State Highway!

Kollegal-Malavalli was pretty decent compared to what we had been through and we sped on and joined NH209 at Malavalli. Then came the Malavalli-Kanakapura stretch, which is the worst road I’ve ever seen. My friend however disagrees. He says there was no road and we were all just driving over mounds of earth through layers of dust. Fact is, no matter what the scenic beauty we had seen earlier, nothing is worth driving the Malavalli-Kanakapura sector. I still can’t believe that it’s a NH. Every nut, bolt and bone ached for a road!

Finally, near the Muthathi turning, the road got better and the last 50 odd kilometers to Bangalore were done in a dazed silence in about an hour’s time.

To sum it up, it was a very picturesque drive, but the roads were just not worth it. It is the road less traveled and we just found out why.

[PatchyBoy]

Thank God. I was in Malavalli yesterday and contemplated taking the Malavalli - Kanakpura road, but decided against it.

[akroy]

Nice update, I last did Malavalli - Kanakapura was way back in Sept2004 during bike trip Shivasamudram, Talakkad and never ever thought of taking that route ever since.
It is always Maddur - Malavalli after that.

Abhi

[csentil]

finally we have a report on the Kollegal route. :-) Its actually the shortest route between Cbe - Bangalore. However looks like the road is as bad as ever.

Btw does this route also take you close to Shivanasamudra?

[IronWolf]

The NH Road is not that bad. Did it in about 6.5 hours on a Scorpio.

Any pics of this alternative route taken?

[pjay_in]

Good report. Would have loved to see some pics of the Sathyamangalam route.

Originally Posted by romits

Bangalore-Hosur was still NH47.
........
Around 20 kms later, at Thoppur, turned right towards Mettur. There is road work going on and this 20 km on NH47 took us more than an hour!

Between Bangalore and Salem it is not NH47, but NH7 (Varanasi - Kanyakumari via Madurai). NH47 starts from Salem and goes to Kanyakumari via Kerala.

[sbala]

There is one more route to go to Coimbatore from Mettur. In-between Mettur and Bhavani, there is a place called Ammapettai. You have to take a right which leads to Sathyamangalam. This is a newly laid road + very less traffic. From Sathyamanagalam, you can drive to Coimbatore in the regular route.

This route will help in avoiding the heavy traffice between Perundurai and Avinashi. I dont think you can save much time by going thru Ammapettai-Sathy-CBE, but you dont have to struggle with the heavy traffic on NH47

[romits]

Thanks Guys. Have uploaded the pics here:
Picasa Web Albums - Romit - Coimbatore Ba...

[benbsb29]

Originally Posted by IronWolf

The NH Road is not that bad. Did it in about 6.5 hours on a Scorpio.

Bigger wheels do help. My car sufferred two flying wheelcaps, and also two bent rims along the so-called NH.

[snaronikar]

Just did Bangalore-Shivanasamudram-Talkad trip this sunday. The road from ganganchukki to talkad is horrible. Took around 1 1/2 hours to complete 21 kms stretch and from Talkad upto Malavalli horrible. Expect a travelogue by this weekend...

[pjay_in]

Checked your album, Romit. The route looks very scenic and inviting. The road to Sathy is awesome - if only the onward roads weren't that bad!

I liked your bearded Santro pic too.

[Jeep]

The best route from Bangalore to Coimbatore at the moment is Bangalore-Hosur-Krishnagiri-Dharmapuri-Thoppur-Mettur-Bhavani-Coimbatore.

[HappyWheels]

nice photos mate.

from the looks of it, the road is tempting, but your warning on the 'moulds' breaks it all.

do you have any photos of the bad stretch of road?

the worst that I had come across was between Idukki and Verajpet, the ghat section. there was absolutely no road, absolutely Zero! 20km in 2 hrs! Mountain rocks all the way!!!

[deepakhon]

How's the Bangalore-Mysore-Chamarajnagar-Sathyamangalam-Coimbatore route? I will be travelling to Munnar from Bangalore on 20th of Jan. I am considering this route. Is this doable in a Palio?

[csentil]

Originally Posted by deepakhon

How's the Bangalore-Mysore-Chamarajnagar-Sathyamangalam-Coimbatore route? I will be travelling to Munnar from Bangalore on 20th of Jan. I am considering this route. Is this doable in a Palio?

Very much.

Please read this thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ip-update.html (Bangalore to Coimbatore round trip - Update)

Its in Coimbatore - Bangalore direction, however.


Bhavani - Avinashi - Coimbatore is being 4 laned. Expect bad traffic and bad road conditions.

Best route is Mettur - Ammapettai -Anthiyur - Athani - Sathy - Coimbatore. Actually a little bit before Sathy, there's a road which bypasses Sathy at takes you directly to the Sathy - coimbatore road. However its not very easy to spot. Probably save you 15 - 30 minutes max.