[ampere]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Has anybody taken the Bangalore-Kanakapura-Chamrajnagar-Sathy-CBE route recently? Any updates on the condition of the road would be great. I am planning to drive down from BLR to Thrissur through this route on Friday. I am confused between going via Kanakapura or Mysore - but going via Sathy is more or less sure (just for that relaxed drive).

Check Bangalore-CBE thread. NH209 is good on the whole. If you are not taking 4-lane, it HAS to be Kanakapura road.

[nfsfreak]

Originally Posted by jacs

Check Lakeshore Inn, Hotel Ambadi etc as you should get very decent stay for 1-1.5K. Try advance booking if its on a weekend.

Also most of the lodges in 600-800 per room in Kumily are decent for bachelor accommodation as updated by a friend who lives in Kumily.

Thanks for the info Jacs. I've stayed in Ambadi before and its a nice choice.
But I actually wanted to check if there is any place we can halt between Pamba and Thekkadi/Kumily.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Has anybody taken the Bangalore-Kanakapura-Chamrajnagar-Sathy-CBE route recently?

I'd posted an update here

I drove about 20km less, door-to-door, compared to the Salem-Avinashi route, but took me an hour longer too, thanks to the traffic.

[jacs]

Originally Posted by nfsfreak

Thanks for the info Jacs. I've stayed in Ambadi before and its a nice choice.
But I actually wanted to check if there is any place we can halt between Pamba and Thekkadi/Kumily.

Then Mundakkayam is a choice. Room rents would be lesser too.

Also there are couple of hotels on the way between Vandiperiyar and Kuttikkanam. Not sure of the rates though being focused on tourists.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by ampere

Check Bangalore-CBE thread. NH209 is good on the whole. If you are not taking 4-lane, it HAS to be Kanakapura road.

Thanks for the header Ampere. Got to know that there is a good hotel in Sathy - surely helps in planning my breaks.

Originally Posted by silversteed

Started from Bangalore at 12 o'clock, and got home at 9 o'clock. About an hour wasted inside Bangalore city limits, and also for filling up. Then, a half-an-hour break at a small hotel in Chamarajanagar - for tea and a phone call. Another half an hour lost for a break at Karumathampetty. Probably, I would've taken about 6 hours for driving. Total distance travelled is only about 400km as against the 430km via Salem. Is this route worth the reduced distance? Probably not. Is this route good for driving? Hell yes, if we start very early in the morning

Originally Posted by silversteed

I'd posted an update here

I drove about 20km less, door-to-door, compared to the Salem-Avinashi route, but took me an hour longer too, thanks to the traffic.

Thanks Silversteed. I plan to leave home quite early - say around 5AM or so. I guess the Kanakapura-Kollegal-Sathy route might be okay then. The trip would be either tomorrow morning or sunday morning.

[nfsfreak]

Originally Posted by jacs

Then Mundakkayam is a choice. Room rents would be lesser too.

Also there are couple of hotels on the way between Vandiperiyar and Kuttikkanam. Not sure of the rates though being focused on tourists.

Thats cool info.
Plan to leave Bangalore by 2 PM, So I would plan my night halt in
Thekkady. While returing from Pamba (would leave by 8 PM tentatively), I would check Mundakkayam for night halt.

Thanks Jacs.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Thanks Silversteed. I plan to leave home quite early - say around 5AM or so. I guess the Kanakapura-Kollegal-Sathy route might be okay then. The trip would be either tomorrow morning or sunday morning.

Nothing to worry if you start at 5am. Eateries are very limited and I don't remember anything even in Satyamangalam. Better stick on to Nagarjuna.

Since you would be passing through Kovai by noon, Annur - Karumathampatty should be easy. You may plan for lunch after Coimbatore.

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Since you would be passing through Kovai by noon, Annur - Karumathampatty should be easy. You may plan for lunch after Coimbatore.

I'd be entering Coimbatore town for some other purpose - so lunch from there, and then proceed home. I did my schooling in Coimbatore, and I'd love to see my school once again

[foby.sebastian]

What will be the best route to Ooty from Thrissur, If i start by tomorrow 1PM from Thrissur town ?

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Thanks Silversteed. I plan to leave home quite early - say around 5AM or so. I guess the Kanakapura-Kollegal-Sathy route might be okay then. The trip would be either tomorrow morning or sunday morning.

Just a comment. For one of my Calicut trips I left around 5 and took Kanakpura route. What I found is that at this time, there are a large number of trucks and mini lorries headed towards Bangalore. So between Bangalore and Kanakpura, driving was quite uncomfortable due to the steady stream of such lorries on high beam. Post Kanakpura roads were deserted.

Its more of a discomfort. I had assumed Kanakpura Road would be totally deserted at 5am and was kind of surprised.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by foby.sebastian

What will be the best route to Ooty from Thrissur, If i start by tomorrow 1PM from Thrissur town ?

I would put it to ~7 hours. (250km) Thanks to ghats and traffic. I hope the Palakkad-Walayar-CBE stretch is easy. This about 30-40km more than the option of going via CBE city. Trichur-Shoranur-Ottapalam-Pallakad-CBE By-pass-Karumathampatti-Annur-Mettupalayam-Ooty.

The option via Nilambur/Gudalur is about 210km (as I see in Google) but I am sure it would take more time thanks to twisty roads.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by binaiks

Thanks Silversteed. I plan to leave home quite early - say around 5AM or so. I guess the Kanakapura-Kollegal-Sathy route might be okay then. The trip would be either tomorrow morning or sunday morning.

I guess so too, but I don't know about the truck traffic that could slow you down on 2-lane roads.

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Nothing to worry if you start at 5am. Eateries are very limited and I don't remember anything even in Satyamangalam. Better stick on to Nagarjuna.

That's a caveat - not a single decent hotel (or rest-rooms) on the entire route except Nagarjuna (or was it Nijaguna?). This route can be a bit taxing for womenfolk on that count

[binaiks]

Originally Posted by silversteed

That's a caveat - not a single decent hotel (or rest-rooms) on the entire route except Nagarjuna (or was it Nijaguna?). This route can be a bit taxing for womenfolk on that count

On the Bangalore-Coimbatore thread, they talk about a hotel called "Ramavilas" at Sathy - quite a lot of people referred to that hotel. It seems its at Sathy, opposite the police station. I was thinking of taking a risk and heading there without stopping elsewhere enroute. Anyways, its a solo drive.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by binaiks

On the Bangalore-Coimbatore thread, they talk about a hotel called "Ramavilas" at Sathy - quite a lot of people referred to that hotel. It seems its at Sathy, opposite the police station. I was thinking of taking a risk and heading there without stopping elsewhere enroute. Anyways, its a solo drive.

Maybe we didn't notice it! Do update your experience on this route.

***

Anyone has updates on Attibele-Rayakkottai-Dharmapuri-Mettur-Bhavani route? I'm wondering if I can avoid the known bottlenecks such as the checkpost at Zuzuwadi, the diversion mess at Hosur and the peak evening traffic at Salem. Or the NH-7/NH-47 throughout would be faster? Planning to leave Koramangala at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow, and want to be in Palakkad as early as possible.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Anyone has updates on Attibele-Rayakkottai-Dharmapuri-Mettur-Bhavani route? I'm wondering if I can avoid the known bottlenecks such as the checkpost at Zuzuwadi, the diversion mess at Hosur and the peak evening traffic at Salem. Or the NH-7/NH-47 throughout would be faster? Planning to leave Koramangala at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon tomorrow, and want to be in Palakkad as early as possible.

Hosur - Rayakottai - Palacode - Dharmapuri in excellent condition as on last Friday.

Attibelle - TVS - Rayakottai route also should be fine compared to Hosur mess.

I took Mettur route some 6 months back and its much slower than NH due to towns and local traffic.

I think Salem route would be the fastest one even at peak hours. You may consider Omallur route to save two tolls and few kms, but running time would be more or less same.