[vista_qjd]

Need a quick suggestion - am planning to drive to kannur... Need a route suggestion which would be good roads all through. Will be travelling with an elderly person and am trying to aviod the bad roads even if would take longer to reach. Last time I had taken S. Bathery - Mananthavady road. But from Mananthavady onwards, there was lots of potholes.
Any route that you guys can suggest which would be smooth all through? Am looking at avoiding the bad roads. If this is not possible then i may have to consider the train as the other option.

[RajeshK]

Hi vista_qjd, There are many option to drive down to Kannur, but all of the routes has here or there bad stretches. S.Bathery - Kalpetta - Thamarassery - Quilandy - Vadagara - Thalassery - Kannur will be of less bad stretches, but its too lengthy..

So if you want to avoid bad roads, I suggest you to take the Yesvanthpura - Kannur train. There are 2 trains, one via Palghat (Weekly 3 times) and another is via Mangalore (Daily). The via Mangalore will take more time, but less distance..!!!

Thanks
Rajesh

[nairrk]

Last time (on 26th January 2010), I took the following route when coming from mysore-

After sultan Battery, I took the route via meenangadi - panamaram-mananthavady-
Palchuram ghat (koittyur ghat?) -kottiyur -irrity-sreekantapuram-Taliparamba-Payyanur.
from meenangadi (after taking the right turn from the NH), some part of the road is very bad -may be about couple of kms,thereafter the roads are good and wide.

Palchuram road is repaired and very nice to drive now (last time it was in bad condition).

You cannot get a 100pct good road in kerala. somewhere on the way one may have to face bad roads or potholes ?

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by vista_qjd

Need a quick suggestion - am planning to drive to kannur... Need a route suggestion which would be good roads all through. Will be travelling with an elderly person and am trying to aviod the bad roads even if would take longer to reach. Last time I had taken S. Bathery - Mananthavady road. But from Mananthavady onwards, there was lots of potholes.
Any route that you guys can suggest which would be smooth all through? Am looking at avoiding the bad roads. If this is not possible then i may have to consider the train as the other option.

Some options are via
1) Madikeri->Sullya->Kasargod->Kannur
2) Sultan Bathery->Kozhikode->Kannur
3) Nilambur->Manjeri->Kozhikode->Kannur
4) Salem->Coimbatore->Palakkad->Perithalmanna->Kozhikode->Kannur

Options 1-3 have good ghat sections with curvy, twisty roads. Road conditions are not that great. You would find pot holes.

Option 4 is really long and circuitous. Road condition is good here. Similar route is taken by the Yeswantpur-Kannur train.

Not adding the Kutta option here, for obvious reasons.

Originally Posted by RajeshK

So if you want to avoid bad roads, I suggest you to take the Yesvanthpura - Kannur train. There are 2 trains, one via Palghat (Weekly 3 times) and another is via Mangalore (Daily). The via Mangalore will take more time, but less distance..!!!

, train looks the best option. An overnight journey would be ideal.

[vista_qjd]

Thank you guys for the quick responses. Train seems like the best option - but the thought of no car for moving around in kannur is not going down well :-).
I guess i will have to adjust somehow if otherwise.
One more quick Q - any info\thoughts on the mysore - madiker - Bhagmandala - Khanhangad route?

[nairrk]

Originally Posted by vista_qjd

Thank you guys for the quick responses. Train seems like the best option - but the thought of no car for moving around in kannur is not going down well :-).
I guess i will have to adjust somehow if otherwise.
One more quick Q - any info\thoughts on the mysore - madiker - Bhagmandala - Khanhangad route?

+
Last time, when I checked with some one regarding the Madikeri route, I was told that road condition in the madikeri stretch is bad hence I didnt try this route. May be, someone else can adivse with latest information, if any on this route?

[jnpai]

[Pl contact MR Pradeep G Pai , my cousin in Bangalore who frquents this route and will guide you. Call Pradeep @09448364711.

The route via Virajpet is now closed. Will open anly in April.

Regards
Jagdish

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by vista_qjd

One more quick Q - any info\thoughts on the mysore - madiker - Bhagmandala - Khanhangad route?

See the update -> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post1704394

From Bangalore to Kannur in this route, the distance will be around 440~460kms

Thanks
Rajesh

[vista_qjd]

Thanks everyone for the response. Decided to drive than take the train. One more quick question - of all the roads that you have taken to kannur, which would be the most comfortable one (ie less potholes and smoother ride)?

[sarinkumar]

Originally Posted by jnpai

[Pl contact MR Pradeep G Pai , my cousin in Bangalore who frquents this route and will guide you. Call Pradeep @09448364711.

The route via Virajpet is now closed. Will open anly in April.

Regards
Jagdish

That is cool. Where did you get this information that the Virajpet road will be opened in April? I hope this is true and they do it as per the plan.
Regards,
Sarin

[nairrk]

Originally Posted by sarinkumar

That is cool. Where did you get this information that the Virajpet road will be opened in April? I hope this is true and they do it as per the plan.
Regards,
Sarin

+
The news was published in a local newspaper (Mathrubumi) few days back. Lets wait and see if this is going to happen or not?

[anoop]

Last week traveled to tellicherry from banaglore. The route I took was mysore, sultan batherry, mananthavadi, boys town, pal churam, kottiyur, nedumpoyil, kuthuparamba and tellicherry. The road condition is really good. Was able to reach tellicherry in 7 hours including a 45 minutes stop for break fast in sulthan batherry. started at 4:30 AM and recahed by 11:30 AM

[civicsense]

Last weekend I drove with two of my friends from Bangalore to Kannur.

We took the following route:

Bangalore - Mysore - took the Mananthavadi Road passing through Hampapura, (this is also the route to HD Kote) - Bavali - Kattikulam - Mananthavadi - Koothuparamba - Kannur

This route is probably shorter than the rest of the current options. It came to around 400km. The roads were pretty good except for an exciting detour through forest trails near the Kabini reservoir (probably around 8-10km). The main road (SH-33) is closed and one has to take a left turn into the Nagarahole forest. It was fun, though I was wary of my Corsa bottoming out on the uneven dirt track strewn with stones. Luckily it didnt, in fact it did a very good job over the rocky terrain.

On the return leg, I had to start from Thalasseri (Tellicherry). We started late, (around 4PM) and decided to the the Bandipur Route, as the Bavali forest is closed to traffic after 7PM, whereas Bandipur closes only at 9PM. So it was:

Thalasseri - Koothuparamba - Pariya - Manathavadi - Koyileri - Panamaram - Nadavayal - Beenachi - Sultan Bathery - Gundulpet - Mysore - Bangalore

The roads are tractable until Sultan Bathery and very good after that (NH-212). This route will be around 25-30 km longer. The mananthavadi - Sultan Bathery route was very scenic and worth the extra time we spent driving through that route.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by civicsense

Last weekend I drove with two of my friends from Bangalore to Kannur.

We took the following route:
============
The roads are tractable until Sultan Bathery and very good after that (NH-212). This route will be around 25-30 km longer. The mananthavadi - Sultan Bathery route was very scenic and worth the extra time we spent driving through that route.

I hope it was not a touch and go with the Bandipur gates closing at night.

[sbraj]

Well, it looks like Kannur is one of the most well connected Kerala town from Bangalore. There are lots of options, some of which I have listed below.

From road condition (surface) point of view, which options are good?

I will be driving a Getz (day time, with family). I am keen on avoiding bottoming my car. Kannur town is the destination.

I would prefer two options - one for onward journey and a different one for return. Just don't want to return on the same route.


1) BLR-Mysore-Madikeri-Bhagamandala-Panathur-Kanhangad-Kannur

2) BLR-Mysore-Hampapura-Bavali-Kattikulam-Mananthavadi-Periya-Nedumpoyil-Koothuparamba-Kannur
3) BLR-Mysore-HD Kote-Nagarhole-Mananthavadi-Periya-Nedumpoyil-Koothuparamba-Kannur

4) BLR-Mysore-Hunsur-Tithimatti-Gonikoppa-Kutta-Kattikulam-Mananthavadi-Periya-Boys Town-Kottiyoor-Peravoor-Iritty-Mattanur-Kannur
5) BLR-Mysore-Hunsur-Nagarhole-Kutta-Tholpatty-Kattikulam-Manandvadi-Nedumpoyil-Koothuparamba-Kannur

6) BLR-Mysore-Gundlupet-Sultan Bathery-Mananthavadi-Periya-Boys Town-Kottiyoor-Peravoor-Iritty-Mattanur-Kannur
7) BLR-Mysore-Gundlupet-Sultan Bathery-Beenachi-Nadavayal-Panamaram-Koyileri-Mananthavadi-Koothuparamba-Kannur
8) BLR-Mysore-Gundlupet-Sultan Bathery-Meenangadi-Panamaram-Mananthavadi-Palchuram ghat-Kottiyur-Irrity-Sreekantapuram-Taliparamba-Kannur


I think most of the options have approx 400 KM +/- 30 KM. Hence the distance variation do not matter much for me.

Are 2 & 3 really different route? Or same route with different towns on the route mentioned in those options? I have same doubt with 4 & 5 also.

At a high level, it looks like there are different routes to reach Mananthavadi from Bangalore. Similarly, different routes from Mananthavadi to Kannur. Mananthavadi looks like the fulcrum.