[KL07]

Originally Posted by ZENnist

Guys, have anyone travelled from Bangalore to Cochin via Avinashi > Palladam > Pollachi > Valparai > Athirappilly > Chalakudy recently?

I am planning to take this route for onward journey during this holiday season (Dec 24). There will be 3 of us, myself, wife and our 3 year old daughter. We plan to leave by 5-5.30 AM.

These are the points i need some advice on:
1. I am concerned about the road conditions in the forest as i have a Zen which has one of the least GC.
2. My wifes concern is more about the wild animals in that route. Are there frequent encounters with elephants or other wild life? And what about the traffic?
3. Any decent eateries enroute since we have a toddler with us.

Any pointers will be helpful. I wanted to try a different and scenic route since i have time in hand this time. else most of the drives are confined to NH7/47.

I did Cochin-Valparai-Pollachi-Cochin a few months back.
The roads from Valparai- Athirapilly , the initial 30 kms or so, from Valparai side are in bad shape.But from then on its smooth all the way upto Cochin.Please do carry food from Pollachi as there arent any hotels or decent places to eat en route , the only one being a small shop close to Vazhachal (this is where the Valaparai-Chalakudi SETC stops)

About wildlife, I have taken this route three times in the last two years but havent been lucky to see any animals (other than cows) on this route. But during my last trip in August during the monsoons got to see a lot of elephant dung on the road

My advise would be to fill up at Pollachi ( both fuel and food) and prepare yourselves for a spiral ride .. there are 40 hairpin bends in this route... and it is scenic. Also, make sure you reach Athirapilly before 5pm.

Enjoy!

Hi,

I am doing Cochin-Bangalore next Friday. How is the road condition in the normal Ernakulam-Trichur-Palakkad-Coimbatore-Salem-Dharmapuri-Hosur-Bangalore route?

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by KL07

Hi,

I am doing Cochin-Bangalore next Friday. How is the road condition in the normal Ernakulam-Trichur-Palakkad-Coimbatore-Salem-Dharmapuri-Hosur-Bangalore route?

I suggest making a small change:

Ernakulam - Thrissur - Vadakkenchery - Nenmara - Kollengode - Pollachi - Palladam - Avinashi bypass - Salem - Hosur - Bangalore

I used to take the Pollachi - Palladam - Kangeyam - Perundurai - Salem route, but of late, I don't deviate from the NH-47 at all. Only the Coimbatore-Walayar stretch is rough/bad. Walayar - Vadakkenchery is better, but there are a few diversions owing to road widening

[ZENnist]

Originally Posted by ananth_iy

Also, on the Kerala side this seems to be stretch where young men come in cars, bring in their bottles and "enjoy" by the roadside. I would not advise this road if you are traveling with family.

Hmmm...that is a bit worrying, especially with christmas falling on the next day of our travel. Chalakudy and Kollam (?) are always in a competition as to who consumes more liquour

But dont they have to cross the check post, where they would check for bottles etc, or is it outside the forest area?

[KL07]

Originally Posted by silversteed

I suggest making a small change:

Ernakulam - Thrissur - Vadakkenchery - Nenmara - Kollengode - Pollachi - Palladam - Avinashi bypass - Salem - Hosur - Bangalore

I used to take the Pollachi - Palladam - Kangeyam - Perundurai - Salem route, but of late, I don't deviate from the NH-47 at all. Only the Coimbatore-Walayar stretch is rough/bad. Walayar - Vadakkenchery is better, but there are a few diversions owing to road widening

thank you silversteed is this route a little longer than our normal route and will it consume more time as I am proceeding all the way to Hyderabad.

[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by KL07

thank you silversteed is this route a little longer than our normal route and will it consume more time as I am proceeding all the way to Hyderabad.

I still think Mannuthy-Vadakkencheri is a time consuming affair due to road widening and messy traffic.I still regularly take Thrissur-Wadakancheri-Chelakara-Alathur-Kollengode-Pollachi-Palladam-Kangayam-Perundurai-NH7.Roads are excellent throughout.

Palladam-Avinashi is good,but there is a railway overbridge under construction closer to Avinashi and the road was a mess last month and took quite a bit of time trying to figure out how to get back to the Palladam road-No signages.I dont know if things have changed now.Palladam-Perundurai is as good as any GQ and you shouldnt have any problems taking it.

http://goo.gl/maps/j2Ohr

[dphilip.iitk]

Originally Posted by ZENnist

Guys, have anyone travelled from Bangalore to Cochin via Avinashi > Palladam > Pollachi > Valparai > Athirappilly > Chalakudy recently?

I am planning to take this route for onward journey during this holiday season (Dec 24). There will be 3 of us, myself, wife and our 3 year old daughter. We plan to leave by 5-5.30 AM.

I did beginning of this route on Dec 5th 2013, and was turned back by the locals. I took the Avinashi-Mangalam route, and then when we reached a railway over bridge construction, it was tough for my Honda Jazz. Scraped bottom once. :(

But seeing the weird state of road, I asked people there and they informed me wrong that the road is not motorable, hence, I turned back to Avinashi and continued on the highway.

As per information from more experienced team-bhp people, there is a way through an underpass that can get you to the road to Managalam. However, the locals were not helpful to me. My lack of tamil expertise and a UP registration did not help either.

There is a post by ranjit or Ampere elsewhere in this thread about how to negotiate that stretch (somewhere in page 380s). I saw that only after completing the drive. Otherwise, I would not have asked locals.

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by KL07

thank you silversteed is this route a little longer than our normal route and will it consume more time as I am proceeding all the way to Hyderabad.

This route is about 20km longer than the NH-47 route. But the roads are good all along (except the place where there's an ROB under construction near Avinashi, as ranjitp1 mentioned), and moderate to sparse traffic will not affect your average speed, unlike the NH-47.

The Pollachi-Palladam-Kangeyam-Perundurai route adds about 30km, but the roads are excellent.

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

I still think Mannuthy-Vadakkencheri is a time consuming affair due to road widening and messy traffic.I still regularly take Thrissur-Wadakancheri-Chelakara-Alathur-Kollengode-Pollachi-Palladam-Kangayam-Perundurai-NH7.Roads are excellent throughout.

The last I heard, the Chelakkara route also sees almost the same kind of traffic during daytime, as the NH-47. So, I doubt if it would give any advantage in terms of travel time, but it certainly is leagues ahead considering the road surface.

[dphilip.iitk]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

Take the NH212 from Calicut via Thamarasserry-Vythiri-Batheri-Muthanga-Gundlupet-Nanjangud-Mysore-Bangalore.Roads are good.Budget for a 7hr drive.Wayside facilities are excellent.

The forest checkpost closes at 9pm at Muthanga,so time your drive accordingly.

Thank you ranjit. I am planning the route, and if there are any changes, I will ask again. There might be a situation, where I might have to start my return journey from Irutti instead of Calicut. Once the plans are firmed up, I will post the query here.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by ranjitp1

I still think Mannuthy-Vadakkencheri is a time consuming affair due to road widening and messy traffic.I still regularly take Thrissur-Wadakancheri-Chelakara-Alathur-Kollengode-Pollachi-Palladam-Kangayam-Perundurai-NH7.Roads are excellent throughout.

Ranjith, since Mannuthy-Vadakkancherry relaid, the traffic is not bad. At least, all vehicles will move without any stops/blocks even during peak hours. Moreover, its a 20-30 mins drive. Instead, negotiating via Trichur will be tiring for day drives due to traffic IMO.

Did Kochi - Munnar today. Road after Neryamangalam is rough here and there. Kallar -Pallivasal - Munnar is bumpy and BAD which will kill all happiness of the trip.

2nd Mile - Aanachal - Adimaly also bad, but shorter and better among two.

[dhanushmenon]

A long pending visit to parunthumpara is beckoning me.

Request route guidances rom kochi.

Two routes under consideration:
1) Kochi- Muvattupuzha- Thodupuzha- Muttom- Moolamattom- Wagamon- Elappara- Peerumedu- Parunthumpara
2) Kochi- Thalayolaparambu- Pala- Kanjirappally- Mundakkayam- Kuttikanam- Peerumedu- Parunthumpara.

Jacs had mentioned a few months back to keep away from Erattupetta - wagamon road. Any updates please.

The vehicle is XUV. I wouldnt prefer narrow roads hence. I am still in the process of getting used to the size of the vehicle

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Reached Pandalam yesterday at 5:45PM. Total Distance: 1342Kms. Fuel Spent: Approx 3,000/-

Route taken: Hyderabad > Bangalore > Salem > Madurai > Tirunelveli > Tenkasi > Punalur > Kottarakkara > Pandalam.

It was a dream ride till Tirunelveli on the AH43. Apart from a few stretches being a little bumpy or rough, nothing really to complain about at all!

Left Hyderabad at 7:55AM on Friday Morning. Before that, reached Hebbal at 3:40PM. Electronic City Flyover was a blessing. After Bangalore it got dark(thanks to NO bangalore bypass and heavy traffic in ring road), so had to slow down to like 60odd Kmph and took a long chai break at krishnagiri. After dark, the Ghat section with heavy vehicles charging behind you like there is no tomorrow was a little scary. Reached Salem at 8:55PM. If I had left by 6AM, would have reached Salem by 5PM.

Stopped over at Park Plaza in Salem. Left at 7:45AM. The roads after Salem to Madurai was mostly just a dead arrow straight wet dream

Mistake made was entering Tirunelveli town. Should have taken the right before the town to cross it. A stretch of about 10-15Kms from Tirunelveli is a nightmare, shops on either sides, barely 5m wide road with both sides dug up. crazy heavy vehicles blocking the roads etc.. etc..

About 15Kms after Tirunelveli, roads were in much better shape. From the 'S Valavu' uptil Punalur, broken slow twisty roads with some big occational potholes. This was the slowest stretch of all the trip. 20-40Kmph. I'm trying to forget that I did a dead crawl in Tirunelveli town. Punalur to Kottarakkara was very decent roads except for couple of stretches. After Kottarakkara, MC road as usual filled with idiots who are trying to prove a point.

Over all, 0% Back pain which I am very very surprised about but 100% A.S.S Pain
The duke is a very comfortable tourer if you can do something about the seats. The upright position completely eliminates back trouble. Have a left shoulder traps pain but that is not due to this bike, any bike I sit on, I have a left shoulder traps paining after half an hour, something to do with the anatomy of my left side, I will try raising the handlebar to see if it helps.

The biggest thing concerning me was the cyclone Madi. It was smack dab in the exact route I was taking. I'm sure most of you didn't hear anything about it. That's because it had thankfully died down due to the whole week it spent in the sea. I had been following it for a whole week to track it's progress, satellite pictures, weather bulletins and the IMD's 4Hourly report on it. And I was elated to find it dying down although I wish the people of Tamil Nadu got their fair share of rains. They are running at a deficit now.

Didn't take too many pics coz I was running on a tight schedule. A couple of them are below



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[silversteed]

Drove to Palakkad and back over the weekend.
Onward: Bangalore-Kanakpura-Chamarajnagar-Sathy-Annur-Neelambur-Madukkarai-Walayar-Palakkad.
Since we left at 3:30am, most of the roads were deserted, and maintained a steady pace all along. Roads are 2-laned but good surface. Reached Nijaguna Residency, Chamarajnagar at 5:55am. The restaurant opens only at 6:30, so we took a nap inside the car itself, for about half an hour. It took them quite some time to get us some breakfast - two dosa and two coffees. At 200 rupees, it's a bit pricey for the quality, but there's no other option for food and restrooms on this route.

We were back on the road at 7:30am. The Sathyamangalam ghat section was a treat for our eyes. This time it was all foggy and the valleys mountain side was covered with clouds. Lots of monkeys and a couple of wild boars were spotted. Visibility was less than 10 metres from the 24th hairpin until the 10th or so. Annur till Neelambur was good, except for those speedbreakers on flyovers. Neelambur-Madukkarai bypass road is uneven though there aren't any potholes. Madukkarai-Walayar is very rough. No work being done anywhere.

Walayar onwards the road is patchy but not as bad as the preceding stretch. Constructions galore. There was a long traffic jam at Chandranagar junction because of a crane trying to move some girders for the flyover. The last 10km or so took us about 45min. Reached home at 11:30

Saw 3 accidents on the Chamarajnagar-Dhimbam stretch. One was of NHC that rear ended a truck, another one, a Scorpio that crashed head on to a truck, and the last one, a Ritz that went off the road and into the slush at a right hander.

Return: Palakkad-Walayar-Cbe-Salem-Hosur-Bangalore. Dense fog between Salem and Shoolagiri. Visibility was down to maybe 10 metres or so. Left at 3am and was back in Bangalore by 9:30am. Took a coffee break at Salem for about 20min, and then a breakfast and fuel break at Shoolagiri at 7:45 for about 40min.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by silversteed

Since we left at 3:30am, most of the roads were deserted, and maintained a steady pace all along. Roads are 2-laned but good surface. Reached Nijaguna Residency, Chamarajnagar at 5:55am. The restaurant opens only at 6:30, so we took a nap inside the car itself, for about half an hour. It took them quite some time to get us some breakfast - two dosa and two coffees. At 200 rupees, it's a bit pricey for the quality, but there's no other option for food and restrooms on this route.

Agree with you on Nijaguna - prices are on higher side for the food but then the place is neat and clean restrooms as well, so kind of evens out I guess considering it's almost a mid-way break point.

Wondering if this could have been an alternative for you - Hotel Ramavilas at Sathy, maybe you can try it next time and share your review .

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3064643

[Cyrus_the_virus]

Team-BHP strongly discourages unsafe driving practices that put yourself and other road users at risk. Please do NOT post about illegally high speeds on public roads.

Thank you and understood. It was never my intention to make it sound that way. What I forgot to mention in the last post, I will mention here to ensure everyone reading the post understands the conditions I did it under and also since the post is not editable.

1.> I did this trip fully geared up, head to toe. Jacket with KNOX Shoulder and Elbow Armour & Sastek CE Level2 back protector. 2 Pairs of Gloves(SPG & Aplinestars). LS2 Supra Helmet along with Buff. KNOX CrossMax knee & shin protector & Boots. I take Safety seriously and don't care about what I look like to others with all this gear on because no matter how safe your ride, there are others that are out there to kill.

2.> I have always refrained from publicly posting speeds done on public roads but my bad that I inadvertently copy pasted part of the write up sent privately. Having said that, for those who already read the numbers, please be aware that those speeds were on empty stretches with sparse of zero traffic with slowing down at every intersection/curve and absolutely no zigzagging whatsoever. Headlights on even during day and honking enough to make sure folks in TamilNadu are aware that I'm coming and not just jump across the divider without looking as usual. The high bushes on the NH are both a blessing and curse. Blessing as it stops the blinding lights of oncoming traffic and curse because you can't see the ridiculous folks who just crosses them as they please without looking left or right.

3.> I am new here but I'll repeat what I have said in other forums with regards to biking. Take your ride seriously and understand that it is filled with dangers. Take all necessary precaution, gear up fully, slow down on intersections/traffic areas, take adequate breaks and enjoy your ride and please don't show off to other road users, that is not what you are doing the trip for.

[rajivr1612]

Hi guys, last friday i.e. 13th I did a trip from Chennai to Thiruvalla on my Liva GD. Route was Ramachandra Hospital-Chengelpet-Ulundurpet-Salem-Coimbatore-Palakkad-Mannuthy-Edapally-Alleppy-Changanasery-Thiruvalla.
Total distance covered ~750kms.
Started from Chennai at 5.00am and reached home at 11.00pm. I was the only driver and my parents, wife and 2yr old son was with me.
Road conditions in TN are very good. But it was raining heavily that day so I had to cut down on pace. The route from Coimbatore-Palakkad-Mannuthy was the most frustrating with narrow roads and huge trailers. Otherwise it was fun to drive. Overall mileage +20kmpl.
I have parked my car at home in Thiruvalla and will bring it back on 25th.
While coming back I am planning the Theni-Cumbum route. Any idea how the road conditions are right now?