[kala]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

For a change, tried the KRS road bye-pass to avoid Mysore. Some parts of this route have been recently relaid and some parts patched up, but still remains rough. There is virtually no road for around 500 meters just before Brindavan gardens turn off. Overall, not really satisfied. I will switch back to ORR during the next drive. Seems to be a better option any day.

Drove through Mysore ring road (between Columbia Asia and Hunsur road) on Saturday, and I felt the bad portions on this stretch have become worse since the last time I travelled (end July) . Some of the potholes are monsters and you need to be really careful to avoid them - Many of them are so bad that I think even vehicles with reasonable road clearance might scrape their bottom if you happen to fall into one.

Though I was travelling to Wayanad, I took the ORR because I had to meet someone near the Infosys campus off ring road. Since I had to get back to the Mysore-Calicut road from there decided to continue on ORR itself. Bad decision - the road after it passes the Hunsur road junction tilll it reaches NH212 is in shambles, with virtually no road in several places. Would suggest everyone to avoid this stretch if they care even a little bit about their vehicle.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by kala

Drove through Mysore ring road (between Columbia Asia and Hunsur road) on Saturday, and I felt the bad portions on this stretch have become worse since the last time I travelled (end July) . Some of the potholes are monsters and you need to be really careful to avoid them - Many of them are so bad that I think even vehicles with reasonable road clearance might scrape their bottom if you happen to fall into one.

Though I was travelling to Wayanad, I took the ORR because I had to meet someone near the Infosys campus off ring road. Since I had to get back to the Mysore-Calicut road from there decided to continue on ORR itself. Bad decision - the road after it passes the Hunsur road junction tilll it reaches NH212 is in shambles, with virtually no road in several places. Would suggest everyone to avoid this stretch if they care even a little bit about their vehicle.

Hows the condition till the Hunsur road exit from ORR..?
I hope the road condition you have mentioned is after the Hunsur Rd exit..!! Going to Kannur on this Friday after noon and returning on Monday.

[kala]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

Hows the condition till the Hunsur road exit from ORR..?
I hope the road condition you have mentioned is after the Hunsur Rd exit..!! Going to Kannur on this Friday after noon and returning on Monday.

After Hunsur road exit is absolutely horrible.

Even before that (i.e between SH17 and Hunsur Road) there are several stretches that have big potholes. So need to drive slowly and be on the lookout for these. The worst areas are the ones where the road does not have a divider (like the stretch under the railway overbridge) and portions where one half of the road is closed and all traffic moves on the other side - especially the transitions between the 4 lane to 2 lane sections.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by kala

Even before that (i.e between SH17 and Hunsur Road) there are several stretches that have big potholes. So need to drive slowly and be on the lookout for these. The worst areas are the ones where the road does not have a divider (like the stretch under the railway overbridge) and portions where one half of the road is closed and all traffic moves on the other side - especially the transitions between the 4 lane to 2 lane sections.

Thanks a lot. I will stick to my usual Srirangapatna - KRS road which is anyway 6-8 KMs shorter than the Mysore ORR.

[RajeshK]

Came to Payyanur yesterday. Started from Bangalore after 3pm and reached Payyanur at 12 midnight. There were lots of traffic in the entire Mysore road, I took more than 3.30 hours to sail through Mysore road.

The route is Srirangapatna - Elwala - Hunsur - Periyapatna - Siddapura - Virajpet - Iritty - Srikantapuram - thalipparamb - Payyanur.

Srirangapatna - Elwala - There are potholes immediately after the railway crossing, but after that condion improves. After the KRS turn, the road top layer doesn't exist for ~200mtrs, but it can be covered in any low GC cars with care. Over all, I always felt its better than the Mysore ORR, in terms of time, distance, and nature.

Elwala - Hunsur - Periyapatna - The road is good condition, but there are potholes started coming specially in the middle of the tracks.

Periyapatna - Siddapura - Virajpet - The big craters are filled with stones and soil, its no more a jeep track presently. Once enterd inside Coorg, don't get tempted by the road condition, there are some traps..!! After Siddapura, everything is fine.

Virajpet - Iritty - Just before (500mtrs) the Perumbadi checkpost and 2-3km after the checkpost are in very bad condition. Specially after the checkpost, you should be extremely careful in curves. There are very very big craters in the middle of the road. Even my Xylo kissed bottom in one of the them. They can swallow small cars entirely..!!! Your visibility will be tested with the dense mist coupled with rain now a days.

Iritty - Srikantapuram - Thalipparamb - Payyanur - Road is still in good condition even after the heavy monsoon except for the 1km off road track after Srikantapuram to Chengalayi.

Is there any good hotel other than Coorg Cafe in this route after Mysore road...?? Coorg cafe not improving and food quality is also came down. We are still going there only due to bathroom facility when there is family with me.

[JoseVijay]

How is the road condition from Virajpet to Kannur? Might travel this month or the next from Hyderabad to Kannur via.Bangalore and Mysore.

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by JoseVijay

How is the road condition from Virajpet to Kannur? Might travel this month or the next from Hyderabad to Kannur via.Bangalore and Mysore.

Overall very good...only the spoil spot are 2-3kms down after the first check, be careful if you driving in night hours. Fog will reduce your visibility too.
After Mattannur, Koodali to Mele Chovva roads are not great, there are potholes and I heard that its getting filled up soon (tar omlets..!!).

Thanks
Rajesh

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

Virajpet - Iritty - Just before (500mtrs) the Perumbadi checkpost and 2-3km after the checkpost are in very bad condition. Specially after the checkpost, you should be extremely careful in curves. There are very very big craters in the middle of the road. Even my Xylo kissed bottom in one of the them. They can swallow small cars entirely..!!! Your visibility will be tested with the dense mist coupled with rain now a days.

I had mentioned about those craters in a post last week! They are just humongous! At night, these could be deadly dangerous! I remember around 3 of them.
Yesterday my sister and brother in law had driven down same route. They met with thick fog and almost zero visibility in the ghats, that too at 2.30 in the afternoon! I am driving down today in a couple of hours, and am bit worried as I would hit the stretch at dusk!

Originally Posted by RajeshK

Is there any good hotel other than Coorg Cafe in this route after Mysore road...?? Coorg cafe not improving and food quality is also came down. We are still going there only due to bathroom facility when there is family with me.

True. last time I dropped in at Cafe coorg, I had to pick up a fight after waiting endlessly for the items I had ordered. Will see if there is any better hotel beyond this. There was one on the Mysore ORR, don't remember the name but.

Originally Posted by JoseVijay

How is the road condition from Virajpet to Kannur? Might travel this month or the next from Hyderabad to Kannur via.Bangalore and Mysore.

Please see Rajesh's post

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

I had mentioned about those craters in a post last week! They are just humongous! At night, these could be deadly dangerous! I remember around 3 of them.
Yesterday my sister and brother in law had driven down same route. They met with thick fog and almost zero visibility in the ghats, that too at 2.30 in the afternoon! I am driving down today in a couple of hours, and am bit worried as I would hit the stretch at dusk!

Sandeep, for the first 2-3 KMs, keep extreme right for all left turns and keep extreme (be cautious on the sides) left for all right turns. Thats the trick for now with fog till you reach the re-laid road.

[kala]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

True. last time I dropped in at Cafe coorg, I had to pick up a fight after waiting endlessly for the items I had ordered. Will see if there is any better hotel beyond this. There was one on the Mysore ORR, don't remember the name but.

The one on Mysore ORR that you're referring to is probably Hotel Kalyani. Pretty decent place with neat bathrooms. Very close to the turnoff towards Infosys.

[bdutta]

Of course, the Bangalore->Kannur & Bangalore -> Kalpetta threads answers part of it, but that doesn't cover all the points I plan to visit (and stop-over for the night). Hopefully, this will be acceptable.

The places where I'd like to stop for considerable time, either for sightseeing, or to stay for the night are marked in bold. The trip is planned with 2 nights at Kalpetta, 1 day in Kozhikode, 1 night in Thalaserry, and 1-2 nights in Kannur. The legs of journey accordingly are:

Leg-1) Bangalore -> Mysore -> Nanjangud -> Gundlupet -> Sultan Bathery -> Kalpetta [NH212 from Nanjangud to Kalpetta]

Leg-2) Kalpetta -> Kozhikode [NH212 from Kalpetta to Kozhikode]

Leg-3) Kozhikode -> Thalaserry -> Kannur[NH17 from Kozhikode to Kannur]

Leg-4) Kannur -> ??? -> Bangalore (Haven't decided, but preferably the route that takes least time, need not be scenic)

I plan to take my Logan on this trip, which shall be fully loaded (passengers 4x adults, 1x pre-teen, 1x toddler and luggage).

My questions/requests:

1. Is the route selected for leg-1/2/3 in decent, drivable condition, given the car I plan to drive ?
2. On the return trip, should I retrace the same path that I took for onward journey, or is there a way to reach Bangalore faster, without wrecking the car ?
3. Especially on the return journey, if the route passes through forest-area, with timing limitations, would like to know about those.
4. Anything else, that I should keep in mind ?

B Dutta

[bdutta]

Originally Posted by bdutta

Leg-4) Kannur -> ??? -> Bangalore (Haven't decided, but preferably the route that takes least time, need not be scenic)

Since my posts are moderated, and found some information through further research here, I cross the 30min edit window, and having to post a follow-up. Hopefully, it would be excused.

for Leg-4), I found this recommendation in the Kannur-Bangalore route thread (with my desire to stop at Kushalnagar, for a visit to the Bylacuppe Monastry):

Kannur -> Iritty -> Virajpet -> Ammathi -> Kushalnagar -> Mysore -> NICE Hwy -> Bangalore

and apparently it was in fairly bad condition, in the ghat sections. Is it really terrible (for fully-loaded Logan) and not advisable at all ? Or just that one needs to be careful, drive during the day, and it might take an hour extra ?

Also for the part between Calicut/Kozhikode and Kannur, I could piece together some information from threads that are 4-5 years old, that the NH17 is very narrow, confusing, heavily congested road, unlike most NH's, and passes through multiple cities, thus making a 80 km drive seem like a 200km one. Is that (still) true ? Or worse ?

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by bdutta

Leg-1) Bangalore -> Mysore -> Nanjangud -> Gundlupet -> Sultan Bathery -> Kalpetta [NH212 from Nanjangud to Kalpetta]

This route is in very good condition, and drivable. If you are traveling during the day time, you can also opt for Bangalore>Kanakpura>Malavalli>Kollegal>Chamarajana gara>Gundelpet>Bathery>Kalpetta. The route is more scenic than the route you mentioned, and is much faster with less humps and minimum traffic. However, please be informed that there are little eateries and places to take a brake. Also, the roads are deserted.

Leg-2) Kalpetta -> Kozhikode [NH212 from Kalpetta to Kozhikode]

The road is in good condition

Leg-3) Kozhikode -> Thalaserry -> Kannur[NH17 from Kozhikode to Kannur]

The road is in Good condition.

Leg-4) Kannur -> ??? -> Bangalore (Haven't decided, but preferably the route that takes least time, need not be scenic)

No sure about the condition now.

Originally Posted by bdutta

Also for the part between Calicut/Kozhikode and Kannur, I could piece together some information from threads that are 4-5 years old, that the NH17 is very narrow, confusing, heavily congested road, unlike most NH's, and passes through multiple cities, thus making a 80 km drive seem like a 200km one. Is that (still) true ? Or worse ?

The road is narrow, from Mahe till you cross Thalaserry. It is manageable, rest all are OK.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by bdutta

Leg-1) Bangalore -> Mysore -> Nanjangud -> Gundlupet -> Sultan Bathery -> Kalpetta [NH212 from Nanjangud to Kalpetta]

Leg-2) Kalpetta -> Kozhikode [NH212 from Kalpetta to Kozhikode]


My questions/requests:

1. Is the route selected for leg-1/2/3 in decent, drivable condition, given the car I plan to drive ?

B Dutta

The route mentioned in Leg 1 and 2 is in very good condition. There are a couple of small sections within a couple of towns in the Kalpetta Kozhkode stretch which has some pot holes. Nothing to worry about. You will enjoy the drive.

Keep in mind that the road within the Bandipur forest has humps every few hundred meters and there are 3 cuts in the road just after you enter the forest where I suppose humps were supposed to be built but has not been done. So keep a watch for these.

[denver85]

Originally Posted by bdutta

Leg-1) Bangalore -> Mysore -> Nanjangud -> Gundlupet -> Sultan Bathery -> Kalpetta [NH212 from Nanjangud to Kalpetta]

Excellent roads all the way. Look out for the speed breakers in Bangalore-Mysore and Mysore-Gundlupet stretches. Watch out for the speed breakers/road cuts in the Bandipur forest section. Other than that everything is good on this route. Night restriction at Bandipur from 9 PM to 6 AM.

Leg-2) Kalpetta -> Kozhikode [NH212 from Kalpetta to Kozhikode]

Roads are almost good. some occasional potholes as you approach Tamarassery. Expect heavy traffic if you are doing in the daytime.

Leg-3) Kozhikode -> Thalaserry -> Kannur[NH17 from Kozhikode to Kannur]

Roads are good. Heavy traffic all the time(Other than early mornings 1 AM to 6 AM). Be careful on the river bridges/railway over bridges on the way, as there are some bad patches.

Leg-4) Kannur -> ??? -> Bangalore (Haven't decided, but preferably the route that takes least time, need not be scenic)

I hope the fastest will be Kannur-Mattanur-Iritty-Virajpet-ammathi Siddapura-Periyapatna-Hunsur-Mysore-Bangalore route(Gmap: http://goo.gl/maps/Vm3DD). The roads are almost good. Some bad sections between siddapura and Periyapatna. There are no night restrictions in this route. But it will not be good to take the Siddapura-Periyapatna road in the night time as it has some bad patches and a forest section. If you are planning to take this route in the night better to stick to Siddapura-Abyathamangala-Dubare Elephant camp-Kushalnagar-Periyapatna route which will be slightly longer.

Also for the part between Calicut/Kozhikode and Kannur, I could piece together some information from threads that are 4-5 years old, that the NH17 is very narrow, confusing, heavily congested road, unlike most NH's, and passes through multiple cities, thus making a 80 km drive seem like a 200km one. Is that (still) true ? Or worse ?

The 80 % of the roads are wide . The narrow sections are between Mahe and Talassery only. Not to worry much about these, you will be easily able to cover distance in maximum 2-2.5 hours. My advice will be drive this route either early morning or noon time (Start around 12 noon from Calicut so that you can reach Kannur by 2.30 PM). Avoid the office hours in the morning and evening. (My native is one of the Cities in between Kannur and Kozhikode, so I will be able to provide more information if required).
Let me know if you need any further details.