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There are many potholes on the road till Walayar. About a few hundred metres past the border, it's a slushy crater with some patches of tar visible. Then, the road is somewhat narrow at most places, thanks to the construction. And wherever there are diversions, it's like sitting inside a blender- everything inside us will shake. L&T bypass road is ok, but it's high time they mended the surface. Beyond Neelambur, the road is smooth, but there are frequent diversions.

It'll be very tough driving on this stretch if it rains or if it gets dark.

I'll be driving from Bangalore to Kochi in the next couple of days. Any suggestions on which route to take? And the best time of day to leave Bangalore? I don;t mind driving through the night (and taking a nap if necessary) if I can beat traffic.

google maps offers 3 options in route. via Krishnagiri, via Chamaraj Nagar and via Mysore. Would you recommend any one over the other?

Thanks

on Sunday, while coming back from Thrissur, i took the following route:

Thrissur > Wadakanchery > Chelekara > Pazhayanur > Kollengode > Pollachi > Palladam > Kangeyam > Perindurai > Salem bypass > Dharmapuri > Krishnagiri > Hosur > Bangalore

SH, but roads are good; except for one or two very short potholed section before Pollachi.

maybe you could take the same route backwards and head on to Kochi via Mannuthy bypass :)

In my opinion option 3 does not make much sense. You can select between Option 1 or 2 based on time and your starting point in Bangalore. If you are able to start early (4AM) you can take Hosur - Krishnagiri- Salem - Coimbatore route. With a sedate drive you will be in KL before 9 AM.

Option 2 as you may be aware is a two lane road all way through, traffic is thin and hence will help you in maintaining the speed consistently. However it may be better not to opt for this route if driving in night / rain. You can follow the route till Annur, take right and join NH 47 near to Suzlon SEZ. This way you can avoid going through Coimbatore town.

Bangalore-Hosur-Salem-Perundurai-Kangayam-Palladam-Pollachi-Nenmara-Alathur-Chelakkara-Wadakkanchery-Mannuthy-Kochi

Google Maps link:
http://goo.gl/maps/yxHhm

I left Bangalore at about 3pm and passed Pollachi by 9 o'clock at night. Since my destination was Palakkad, I took a different route after Pollachi. Since the route I mentioned above does not pass the Kuthiran stretch, you can have a comfortable drive all along. And you would have no problem with the traffic also, provided you enter Kerala roads after say 10 o'clock. The only place where you could be a bit slow is Salem, owing to the evening traffic.

Since you said you are good to drive in the night, I find this route and timing to be the best option.

4am departure from Bangalore would mean a 9-10am arrival in Palakkad. The Avinashi-CBE stretch is not that great. Plus, after day-break, you can find the traffic density going up.

few pictures on the aforementioned route. hope it helps :)

Wow! Thanks guys for the quick and detailed responses including map links and photographs!!

I notice there is a more direct route from Pollachi to Thrissur (via NH47) any particular reason you don't recommend that route? map

There is a portion on that route known as the infamous Kuthiran-Mannuthi stretch, filled with craters that covers the entire width of the road. You cannot escape. Also traffic jams are common because trucks break down frequently due to these craters!! Better avoided.

You add 40 kms in the earlier suggested route via Wadakkanchery, but is worth it. Road is two-laned, but at least pothole-free for the entire stretch. I've made a small change to the point where you have to re-join NH47 (point J). Please take note https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=B...=10&dg=feature

The answer is in your question ! You take these roads to avoid NH47 itself ! :)

Thanks, you guys rock!!

I am also planning for a Bangalore-Cochin trip ( via Palakkad). Planning to start from Bangalore at 3.30am (early morning) If I am reading all your posts right, I should just take the regular NH47 route till Palakkad and be careful between Avinashi and Palakkad, right? I hope this stretch is nothing as compared to the Palakkad-Thrissur route via Kuthiran.

I am planning to do Palakkad-Thrissur via Ottapalam, Shoranur

My ride is a Honda City and top most preference is road surface. Dont mind traveling a few extra kms.

How does the Pazhayannur-Kollengode stretch work? Google Maps thinks you went Pazhayannur-Thrippalur-Kunissery-Kollengode - is that it? Which of the pics you posted shows this route?

This route seems to avoid both the Kuthiran and Walayar trouble spots, I might try it when I go to Perumbavur later in the year. Thanks!

Did Kollam-Bangalore yesterday.

Ernakulam-Alappuzha: Few potholes here and there
Alappuzha-Ambalapuzha: Many potholes
Ambalappuzha-Kollam: OK, rough surface at many places
Trichur-Kuthiran-Palakkad: Can't call them potholes, to be avoided
Palakkad-Avinashi: Mix bag
Dharmapuri-Palacode-Rayakottai-Hosur: Good
Hosur-Bangalore: Good from Attibelle toll

For Bangalore-Palakkad (your first destination) I'd suggest you take the regular route upto Perundurai (NH7 from Bangalore to Salem and NH47 from Salem). From Perundurai take Kangeyam-Palladam-Pollachi-Gopalapuram-Chandranagar (Palakkad). Excellent roads on this stretch, there was just a 2-3 Km stretch that was being relaid between Pollachi-Gopalapuram when I traveled few months ago. By taking this route you can avoid the Walayar stretch that has craters per latest reports.

For Palakkad-Thrissur, the Ottapalam-Shoranur route should be good compared to NH47 via Alathur-Kuthiran-Mannuthy (better avoided).

Yes, this should be the route. You will pass via Kavasseri and reach NH47 at Alathur where you need to cross over to other side (diagonally) to continue towards Kunissery and Kollengode.

Yep, that's the route. After Wadakanchery, take right towards Chelakara and follow the path you mentioned. The first three pictures depict this route. It was dark and raining when I was passing through, so didn't get shots of the whole route.