[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

How safe is it to do a solo evening/night drive to Iritty? Lets say I start at 4pm from JP Nagar, take the NICE road and join Mysore road.

I have done this multiple times and never faced any issue so far. I tried to reach Iritty before 10pm to avoid the incoming Bus traffic in the ghat section.

[sanjaykk]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

I have done this multiple times and never faced any issue so far. I tried to reach Iritty before 10pm to avoid the incoming Bus traffic in the ghat section.

Thanks Rajesh!
To reach Iritty before 10pm, I guess you'd start around 4pm and will pass through Hunsur > Gonikkoppa > Virajpet stretch between 8ish and 9ish PM. How busy is that stretch during that time?

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

Thanks Rajesh!
To reach Iritty before 10pm, I guess you'd start around 4pm and will pass through Hunsur > Gonikkoppa > Virajpet stretch between 8ish and 9ish PM. How busy is that stretch during that time?

You will hit traffic only till Hunsur, after that its almost empty. Once you leave Mysore road at Srirangapatna estimate 2hrs for reaching Perumbadi in a normal drive.

[sanjaykk]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

You will hit traffic only till Hunsur, after that its almost empty. Once you leave Mysore road at Srirangapatna estimate 2hrs for reaching Perumbadi in a normal drive.

Thanks Rajesh. Spot on!
Between Hunsur turn-off and Perumbadi there is very less traffic.

My return journey on Sunday was horrible. Started at 3:30pm from Iritty. After a break for dinner at Channapatna, started for Bangalore at 8:30pm. Reached Bangalore at 12:30am!!
It was almost bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way!

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

My return journey on Sunday was horrible. Started at 3:30pm from Iritty. After a break for dinner at Channapatna, started for Bangalore at 8:30pm. Reached Bangalore at 12:30am!!
It was almost bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way!

Mysore Bangalore NH 275 is best avoided on Sunday evenings.
One good option is to go towards NH 75 at Channarayapatttana from Hunsur via KR nagar-Holenarasipura. 40 odd kms more, but time taken would be lesser and is stress free. traffic is usually less on NH 75 even on weekends.
If your home in Bangalore is on the north/East/West, this option works even better.

Gmaps link: https://goo.gl/r2Y5V3

Another option is to come to Mysore, then deviate to Pandavapura from Srirangapatana and join NH 75 via Melkote

https://goo.gl/xAPvA5


Third option is to go via Bannur-Malavalli-Kanakapura
https://goo.gl/gZo2yI

No good eateries on this route but.

[sanjaykk]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Mysore Bangalore NH 275 is best avoided on Sunday evenings.

True!

Originally Posted by sandsun7

One good option is to go towards NH 75 at Channarayapatttana from Hunsur via KR nagar-Holenarasipura. 40 odd kms more, but time taken would be lesser and is stress free. traffic is usually less on NH 75 even on weekends.
If your home in Bangalore is on the north/East/West, this option works even better.

Gmaps link: https://goo.gl/r2Y5V3

I have tried the KR Nagar > Holenarasipura route during day time. Wasn't too sure of taking that route during night.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by sanjaykk

Thanks Rajesh. Spot on!
Between Hunsur turn-off and Perumbadi there is very less traffic.

My return journey on Sunday was horrible. Started at 3:30pm from Iritty. After a break for dinner at Channapatna, started for Bangalore at 8:30pm. Reached Bangalore at 12:30am!!
It was almost bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way!

This happens on all Sundays. Best is either start early or start little more late. If you hit Mysore Road by 10pm, there are chances that traffic is less. Still, at places you can see huge traffic without any reason. I practiced to drive out side the road the moment I see a traffic blockade specially after Ramanagara.

Or else do as Sandeep suggesting,

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Mysore Bangalore NH 275 is best avoided on Sunday evenings.
One good option is to go towards NH 75 at Channarayapatttana from Hunsur via KR nagar-Holenarasipura. 40 odd kms more, but time taken would be lesser and is stress free. traffic is usually less on NH 75 even on weekends.
If your home in Bangalore is on the north/East/West, this option works even better.

Gmaps link: https://goo.gl/r2Y5V3

Another option is to come to Mysore, then deviate to Pandavapura from Srirangapatana and join NH 75 via Melkote

https://goo.gl/xAPvA5


Third option is to go via Bannur-Malavalli-Kanakapura
https://goo.gl/gZo2yI

No good eateries on this route but.

[Latheesh]

Drove from Bangalore to Kannur and took Srirangapatna-Yelwal route instead of Mysore ring road. Road condition is good except few bad patches. Started from ECity @ 5.40 AM and reached Kannur @ 1PM.

[Latheesh]

Returned from Kannur on last Sunday and took Yelwala-Srirangapatna route. It is bad at few places due to rain and road work is under progress. It is better to stick with Ring road for some more time.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by Latheesh

Returned from Kannur on last Sunday and took Yelwala-Srirangapatna route. It is bad at few places due to rain and road work is under progress. It is better to stick with Ring road for some more time.

Road work still not over...??

[airbus]

We will be driving from Bengaluru to Kannur during mid August. Please suggest route and road condition. We had been to Virajpet last month and aware of road condition till Virajpet.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by airbus

We will be driving from Bengaluru to Kannur during mid August. Please suggest route and road condition. We had been to Virajpet last month and aware of road condition till Virajpet.

Virajpet (bypass at Bitangala) - Perumpadi- Makkutta ghats- Koottupuzha- Iritty - Mattannur- Kannur.
This is the straightforward route. Which part of Kannur are you heading to?

[airbus]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Virajpet (bypass at Bitangala) - Perumpadi- Makkutta ghats- Koottupuzha- Iritty - Mattannur- Kannur.
This is the straightforward route. Which part of Kannur are you heading to?

Thanks sandsun7.

Our destination is Thottada. Already booked a beach resort

How is the ghat section? I have a TUV300, hope it will be manageable.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by airbus

Thanks sandsun7.

Our destination is Thottada. Already booked a beach resort

How is the ghat section? I have a TUV300, hope it will be manageable.

Ghat section is superb as far as road surface is concerned. Very curvy all the way, just one hairpin bend. Don't know whether the recent rains have done any damage. Even then it won't be bad.
If you have not driven very often on Kerala roads before, the Iritty-Kannur stretch will frustrate you! Expect heavy traffic and not so wide roads.
For Thottada, you don't have to go to Kannur town centre - take left at Mele Chovva junction and get on to NH66, cross the railway gate at Thazhechovva and within a couple of KMs, you will be in Thottada.

[airbus]

Is it advisable to avoid Mysore road on this Saturday morning considering that it is a long weekend? We will be driving to Kannur, so if we need to avoid Mysore road, I need to plan for an alternate route. Please suggest.