[denver85]

Drove Bangalore(AECS Layout)-Mysore-Hunsur-Periyapatna-Anechowkur-Gonikoppal-Virajpet(bypass through Perumbadi junction)-Iritti-Mattanur-Koodali-Mele Chovva-Talassery-Vadakara(Villiappally)(http://goo.gl/maps/Evsh6). Road/traffic conditions and timings are given below:

Bangalore(AECS Layout) to Maddur - Started from AECS Layout at 6.40 PM and stopped at Dominos in Hosur road(Garebhavipalya) at 7.05 for a quick brunch.Started from there at 7.25 and took the NICe to road to reach Mysore road. Traffic was normal in ORR, Hosur Road and NICE road. The traffic was a little heavy till Bidadi and after that it got reduced. Stopped at Maddur Tiffany's for dinner at 9 PM. Excellent roads.

Maddur to Mysore - Started from Tiffany's at 9.25 PM. Reached the Columbia Asia junction at 10.15 PM. Took the Ring road to reach Hunsur road. Reached Hunsur road by 10.25 PM. There were some bad sections in the Ring road which are patched up now. May be due to the Dasara celebrations.

Mysore to Periyapatana - Excellent roads. Traffic was more than normal after 10.30 PM standards. Reached Periyapatana at 11.20 PM.

Periyapatna to Anechowkur Check post - Roads are really bad and bumpy in this route. It is full of small potholes which ensured a really bad ride. There were some bad patches also but not really bad. Spotted 3 elephants standing beside the road as we approaches the Check post. Reached there by 11.50 PM.

Anechowkur Check post to Gonikoppal - Roads are of mixed variety. Some excellent sections and some bad sections. Reached Gonikoppal at 12.05 AM.

Gonikoppal to Perumbadi check post - The roads were really bad than expected. There are some really bad patches and this section was the most irritating part. Road improved slightly as we approached Virajpet. The Virajpet bypass connecting Gonikoppal road to Perumbadi was excellent. Reached Perumbadi at 12.45 AM.

Perumbadi check post to Iritty - There was fog cover at some parts of the the ghat section which varied from thick to normal. The roads are bad for the first 3-4 kms with some really bad potholed patches. Be careful on this section, some of the potholes are really big, the edge of the road is also too deep and reduced visibility due to fog makes the drive a little difficult. After this bad section roads are good till the border. The roads from KA check post to Kerala border has some bad sections. After entering Kerala roads are excellent. Reached Iritty at 1.40 AM.

Iritty to Mele Chovva - My friend was with me. His home was in Vesala (5km from Kudukkimetta junction on Matannur-Kannur road). Dropped him at his home at 2.15 AM. Reached Mele Chovva at 2.35 AM. Some bad sections as we approach Chovva, rest of the road was excellent.

Mele Chovva to Vadakara (Villiappalli) - Roads are excellent currently. I was really happy to see excellent NH17 and traffic was relatively less(as compared to NH17 standards). Crossed Talassery around 2.55 AM. Reached my home (around 5 kms east from Vadakara) at 3.15 AM.

After this trip I will advise you guys to avoid the Gonikoppal route. It seems the recent rains played the spoilsport on the road conditions. I hope it's better to stick to Hunsur-Kushalnagar-Siddapura-Ammathi-Virajpet bypass.

The gps track is available here:https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B25K...it?usp=sharing
Hope it helps

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by denver85

Gonikoppal to Perumbadi check post - The roads were really bad than expected. There are some really bad patches and this section was the most irritating part. Road improved slightly as we approached Virajpet. The Virajpet bypass connecting Gonikoppal road to Perumbadi was excellent. Reached Perumbadi at 12.45 AM.

Road is really bad after Gonikoppal town. Still I like to come this way as it is shorter and time saving

Originally Posted by denver85

Perumbadi check post to Iritty - There was fog cover at some parts of the the ghat section which varied from thick to normal. The roads are bad for the first 3-4 kms with some really bad potholed patches. Be careful on this section, some of the potholes are really big, the edge of the road is also too deep and reduced visibility due to fog makes the drive a little difficult. After this bad section roads are good till the border. The roads from KA check post to Kerala border has some bad sections.

I passed the section yesterday around 08:30pm and found that the big potholes are some what filled up with stones and mud. It was much bigger last week. Down the ghat some where in the middle there is one more big pothole, you need to be careful here.

[JLN]

I just got back to Bangalore from a Kerala trip. Drove from Iritty to Madikeri (took the 35+ km longer route to avoid bad roads) and then to Bangalore through Hunsur, Mysore Ring Road and SH17. The road from Iritty all the way to the Kerala border is pretty good. As reported, the 100-200 m on both sides of the border are pothole ridden, but manageable. The KA side is good for most of the route till Virajpet - with some really short bad sections that you encounter once in a while. Virajpet to Madikeri is quite good and of course Madikeri to Bangalore as reported is pretty good.

To me given the really bad road conditions in the shorter route, the longer ride may be well worth it.

I must mention that the road from Iritty to Virajpet is absolutely stunning (from a nature/scenic perspective).

[RajeshK]

Drove from Payyanur to Bangalore yesterday. Took Payyanur - Sreekantapuram - Iritty - Makkutta - Perumbadi Checkpost - Gonikkoppa - Anechowkur - Hunsur - Elwala - Sreerangapatna - Bangalore.

Payyanur - Sreekantapuram -> The bad stretch between Chengalayi and Parippayi is almost repaired and only ~300mtrs are pending.

Iritty - Makkutta - Perumbadi Checkpost -> There are potholes after the Koottupuzha bridge towards Makkutta, you need to be careful if driving in nights. The big potholes close to the checkposts are filled up with mud and stones, no need to worry now.

Perumbadi - Gonikkoppa -> Road is very nice till the Virajpet turn off, but after this its deteriorating very fast. Its very sad that the localites has no issues with the bad roads..!!

Anechowkur - Hunsur -> Road is completely leveled now. You can drive any cars but in slow speed only. Looks like they will be putting atleast one layer of tarring soon.

[igniteddriver]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

Anechowkur - Hunsur -> Road is completely leveled now. You can drive any cars but in slow speed only. Looks like they will be putting atleast one layer of tarring soon.

I came back on Sunday. Called up BHPian Nalin Kumar who took the Srekandapuram road couple of hours before me and got the update that it is mostly repaired. I took this route thanks to his suggestion.
I took the Anechowkoor-> Periyapatna Road. All the potholes have been filled up in this stretch too.

Yes, the road from the Virajpet turn off to Gonikoppal is becoming a real turn off. It has become much worse. The real tragedy Bangalore Kannur route is that when one stretch gets repaired, another is damaged almost completely. On time repair of the roads in this route is a distant dream. :(

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by igniteddriver

The real tragedy Bangalore Kannur route is that when one stretch gets repaired, another is damaged almost completely. On time repair of the roads in this route is a distant dream. :(

You said it right....!!! completely agree with you.

[Vancho]

Has anybody taken the Madikeri - Baghamandala - Panathur - Payyanur route recently? Wanted to know the current condition of the road as I am planning a trip early next month.

[Mighty_Lothar]

Route Update

Driven to Kerala last week and below are the routes, which I have taken, and the current road condition.

Electronic City->Nice Road->Mysore->Hunsur->Periyapatna->Siddapura->Ammathi->Virajpet-Iritti.

Bangalore->Periyapatna – Excellent roads with occasional speed breakers (known roads )

Periyapatna->Siddapura – First 7 to 8KM are bad but slightly better now than it was before 2 months. I think this should be manageable for any car.

Siddapura->Virajpet – Roads are OK.

Virajpet->Iritti – The Maakkoottam Churam (Ghat Section) is Brocken in the first 3 KM.Started at 6:15AM and reached Iritti by 11:00AM (30 min break time).
__________________________________________________ _________

While return, I have opted Iritti-> Makkottam Ghat Check post (Perumpadi)->Gonikkuppal-> Anechowkur Check post ->Periyapatna->Hunsur->Mysore->Bangalore.

Iritti->Makkottam Ghat Check post (Perumpadi)->Gonikkuppal – This time, I took the straight road after finishing the Makkoottam Ghat section. The first few Kilometers are excellent and then the roads are REALLY bad!. There are huge potholes and you need to be very careful. It is a better idea to maintain a speed of 30 to 40KM/h.

Gonikkuppal -> Anechowkur Check post – Again bad roads with a mixture of very few decent stretches.Anechowkur Check post ->Periyapatna – Not much broken but still you have to drive very slow through this stretch and you will feel like you are taking too much time to reach Periypatna.

So to summarize, I would still prefer The roads through KushalNagar or Siddapura than this route. This Gonikkuppal ->Anechowkur Check post route is time consuming. So if you really care about your car, don’t opt this. I was told by one of my friend that this stretch is now better. That’s the reason I opted for this route while return but the definition of “road condition” is varying from people to people .

Started at 6:00AM and reached Bangalore by 11:45AM (30 minutes break time).

LOTHAR

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by Mighty_Lothar

[/b]While return, I have opted Iritti-> Makkottam Ghat Check post (Perumpadi)->Gonikkuppal-> Anechowkur Check post ->Periyapatna->Hunsur->Mysore->Bangalore.

Iritti->Makkottam Ghat Check post (Perumpadi)->Gonikkuppal – This time, I took the straight road after finishing the Makkoottam Ghat section. The first few Kilometers are excellent and then the roads are REALLY bad!. There are huge potholes and you need to be very careful. It is a better idea to maintain a speed of 30 to 40KM/h.

Gonikkuppal -> Anechowkur Check post – Again bad roads with a mixture of very few decent stretches.Anechowkur Check post ->Periyapatna – Not much broken but still you have to drive very slow through this stretch and you will feel like you are taking too much time to reach Periypatna.

So to summarize, I would still prefer The roads through KushalNagar or Siddapura than this route. This Gonikkuppal ->Anechowkur Check post route is time consuming. So if you really care about your car, don’t opt this. I was told by one of my friend that this stretch is now better. That’s the reason I opted for this route while return but the definition of “road condition” is varying from people to people .

I would say that taking Anechowkur - Periyapatna was a bad decision. You could have actually come direct to Hunsur in the normal route. The road is much better now and no potholes. It is completely leveled and the last 8-10kms are tarred. This will save the time considerably.

As of now, the bad stretch is between Perumpadi checkpost and Gonikoppal after you join the Virajpet road.

At Gonikoppal, hotel Cousine Papera is a better option than the Coorg Cafe at Hunsur. This is after the Gonikoppal town, on left side towards Hunsur. There is a supermarket " More" in the ground floor, so less chance for missing this.

[Mighty_Lothar]

Originally Posted by RajeshK

I would say that taking Anechowkur - Periyapatna was a bad decision. You could have actually come direct to Hunsur in the normal route. The road is much better now and no potholes. It is completely leveled and the last 8-10kms are tarred. This will save the time considerably.

As of now, the bad stretch is between Perumpadi checkpost and Gonikoppal after you join the Virajpet road.

At Gonikoppal, hotel Cousine Papera is a better option than the Coorg Cafe at Hunsur. This is after the Gonikoppal town, on left side towards Hunsur. There is a supermarket " More" in the ground floor, so less chance for missing this.

Thanks for this update Rajesh

[sbr1304]

Hello friends,
This is my second drive to Kannur and last time , i go lost and managed to reach with your guided routes.
this time i am more worried as my infant son will be travelling with us.
3 adults + infant
So i am all the more worried about road conditions etc.
I will be travelling during the day and avoiding any form of night travel.

by looking at the above threads , ithink i have 2 options

Option 1 : Bangalore-Mysore-Hunsur-Periyapatna-Anechowkur-Gonikoppal-Virajpet(bypass through Perumbadi junction)-Iritti-Mattanur

Option 2 : Electronic City->Nice Road->Mysore->Hunsur->Periyapatna->Siddapura->Ammathi->Virajpet-Iritti.

Looks like Option 2 is better.
Any advice would be helpful.
I will be travelling next weeekend.

Thanks in advance

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by sbr1304

Option 1 : Bangalore-Mysore-Hunsur-Periyapatna-Anechowkur-Gonikoppal-Virajpet(bypass through Perumbadi junction)-Iritti-Mattanur

Option 2 : Electronic City->Nice Road->Mysore->Hunsur->Periyapatna->Siddapura->Ammathi->Virajpet-Iritti.

If you want 90% trouble free (read good roads) drive, choose option 2.
If you want 95% trouble free drive but ready to travel an additional 25 km or so, take the road via Kushalnagar to reach Siddapura from Periyapatna.
(percentages just to give an idea, no scientific calculation involved)

In my opinion, Hunsur-Periyapatna-Siddapura should be alright for you. Just need to slow down a bit between Periyapatna and Maldare where the road is just a little potholed.

[masin4]

Originally Posted by sbr1304

Hello friends,
Option 1 : Bangalore-Mysore-Hunsur-Periyapatna-Anechowkur-Gonikoppal-Virajpet(bypass through Perumbadi junction)-Iritti-Mattanur

Option 2 : Electronic City->Nice Road->Mysore->Hunsur->Periyapatna->Siddapura->Ammathi->Virajpet-Iritti.

Looks like Option 2 is better.
Any advice would be helpful.
I will be travelling next weeekend.

Thanks in advance

Traveled yesterday i.e 8th November.some tips if you are in a sedan be very careful roads are non existent in the Siddapura->Ammanthi-> Virajper stretch KSRTC buses are flying over the broken roads causing havoc with dust took me back at least 10 years seeing the poor quality/rather absence of any road at least for a good 35kms that will take you 2+Hours to cross due to rains making the situation bad.

I am exploring alternate routes maybe the sultan Batheri one for a day time return.Since evening drive on that route is extremely dangerous one.In my opinion avoid these routes if driving with infant, look at alternate ones from Sulthan Bathery side if you get route condition information

[sbr1304]

Thx masin for the latest info.
Can anyone help me with a better route.
I think via sultan battery means, should I go all the way to Calicut and back to Kannur
My final destination is kannur.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by masin4

roads are non existent in the Siddapura->Ammanthi-> Virajper stretch KSRTC buses are flying over the broken roads causing havoc with dust took

Are you sure you are taking about Siddapura-Ammathi-Virajpet stretch? Last when I travelled in September, it was extremely good. I did this stretch after dusk and still could maintain an average of 70-80 easily. In fact it was relaid just around June this year. And as far as I remember, there are very few KSRTC buses on that route.. Most of the buses that run on that stretch are private buses.