[NPV]

Originally Posted by arjithin

There is a railway over bridge construction just before pollachi which could be a road blocker.

This should not be a problem.
If you take the Vadakkencherry-Kollengode-Meenakarai route, nearing Pollachi you will cross an old railway line (that is not functional), after this you turn right (left will go to Palakkad) and about 3-4 Km later you will see a diversion to left (cannot go straight where railway bridge is under construction).

Once you turn left, follow the road and it will join near the forest check post on the Palakkad road. Here, turn right and you will reach Pollachi bus stand. Go straight past 2 signals on the wide concreted road and you hit the Palladam road, turn left and you're on your way towards Avinashi. Keep straight at all junctions and you hit NH 47 below on the underpass. Go below and turn right onto service road and you're now heading towards Salem on the NH 47.

Instead of Annalakshmi (it is on right when coming towards Bangalore), you can try Ananda Bhavan. After you join NH 47 at Avinashi it is about 20-25Km from there on the left side itself.

[binand]

Originally Posted by NPV

If you take the Vadakkencherry-Kollengode-Meenakarai route, nearing Pollachi you will cross an old railway line (that is not functional), after this you turn right (left will go to Palakkad) and about 3-4 Km later you will see a diversion to left (cannot go straight where railway bridge is under construction).

This is the route you are talking of https://goo.gl/maps/1og3u - right? The non-functional railway line is the Pollachi-Palakkad metre gauge line which has been closed for conversion to broad gauge?

Originally Posted by arjithin

Can you start by 4 AM?

I suggest the omalur - tharamangalam road. Take left at the Idappadi road ( there is tata/Maruti service center on this junction) and take the first right leading to a small single lane road. This single lane road leads to Tharamangalam road after 7-8 km). This way I avoid getting into sankari town

If you go directly towards Salem town, You may get into morning rush hour traffic.

I can start only after 5 AM, one of the reasons being I'd prefer to do the stretch beyond Thrissur in daylight.

Is this the route you are talking of? https://goo.gl/maps/G7b00

I am hoping the day being a Sunday means Salem would be kind to travellers. I expect to reach there between 11 AM and 1 PM.

[venkyhere]

I am planning a bangalore - tirunelly temple trip. I have identified 4 routes. Need your help choosing which one -

(1) bangalore - mysore - hunsur - nagarhole - kutta - tholpetty - tirunelli
(2) bangalore - mysore - hunsur - gonikkoppa - kutta - tholpetty - tirunelli
(3) bangalore - mysore - handpost (near HD kote) - kattikulam (just before mananthavady) - tirunelli
(4) bangalore - mysore - gundlupet - bathery - kattikulam (just before mananthavady) - tirunelli

(1) and (3) are of roughly same distance , (2) is longer by 25-30 km, (4) is longer by 55-60 km.
Since I will be driving a sedan (rapid), MY ONLY PRIORITY IS KINDER ROAD SURFACE - where I am able to do 40-50 kmph with least amount of potholes.

Which is recommended ?
I am leaning towards (3) and I am able to find the following info about (3) in this thread, however, I have a question :

Originally Posted by B103

Last weekend, I went to Thirunelli in Wayanad via HD Kotte.

Route from Bangalore to Thirunelli:
Bangalore -> Mandya -> Mysore -> Kozhikode rd -> change to Mananthavady rd inside Mysore -> HD kote -> Kattikulam -> Thirunelli. It is around 290 km from Bellandur in Bangalore. Roads are in good condition throughout. I remember, 3 years back this road via HD kote was a struggle to cover (17 kms) as it was in very bad condition. It is all fine now.

Tip for people using Google maps: Close to HD kote, Google maps would try and route you straight into the forest but road is blocked by forest department with a boom barrier. Take left here and keep going for a couple of kms following the newly laid road and GPS would re-latch again.

For return trip:
Thirunelli -> HD kote -> Mysore -> Bannur -> Malavalli -> Kanakapura -> Bangalore. Here Mysore - Bannur - Malavalli road ( approx 40 kms ) is in average condition. You will see gutters and bumps every 4-5 minutes but it is manageable if you are patient. From Malavalli, you will get NH209 to Bangalore ( total distance approx 105 km to Electronic city) which is in good condition. I preferred this because I was returning to Bangalore on a long weekend and Mysore road would be very crowded usually on Sundays in the Bangalore direction.

Would like more clarification about the "diversion" which you mention in the fwd direction. I am assuming you are talking about traversing through a "village-passing" road just after handpost ? The SH 33 which is supposed to pass through forest is blocked and that we have to take a left here as shown in the picture below ?

[B103]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

I am planning a bangalore - tirunelly temple trip. I have identified 4 routes. Need your help choosing which one -

(1) bangalore - mysore - hunsur - nagarhole - kutta - tholpetty - tirunelli
(2) bangalore - mysore - hunsur - gonikkoppa - kutta - tholpetty - tirunelli
(3) bangalore - mysore - handpost (near HD kote) - kattikulam (just before mananthavady) - tirunelli
(4) bangalore - mysore - gundlupet - bathery - kattikulam (just before mananthavady) - tirunelli

(1) and (3) are of roughly same distance , (2) is longer by 25-30 km, (4) is longer by 55-60 km.
Since I will be driving a sedan (rapid), MY ONLY PRIORITY IS KINDER ROAD SURFACE - where I am able to do 40-50 kmph with least amount of potholes.

Which is recommended ?
I am leaning towards (3) and I am able to find the following info about (3) in this thread, however, I have a question :



Would like more clarification about the "diversion" which you mention in the fwd direction. I am assuming you are talking about traversing through a "village-passing" road just after handpost ? The SH 33 which is supposed to pass through forest is blocked and that we have to take a left here as shown in the picture below ?

I recommend route 3. Roads are good throughout now. First time, when I went, roads in HD kote were really bad.

Google maps will try to drive you straight and road will be blocked by forest dept. I saw other drivers using Google maps getting confused there. Take left which is only option available there. Map did not know the route but came back after some time.

If you are taking HD kote route, be careful about switching to the right road inside Mysore. See Google maps for that. I remember accidentally continuing towards Kalpetta.

I've Honda city which is also a low slung car. Watch out for humps in the newly laid road inside forest. They are negotiable in sedans.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by B103

I recommend route 3. Roads are good throughout now. First time, when I went, roads in HD kote were really bad.

Google maps will try to drive you straight and road will be blocked by forest dept. I saw other drivers using Google maps getting confused there. Take left which is only option available there. Map did not know the route but came back after some time.

If you are taking HD kote route, be careful about switching to the right road inside Mysore. See Google maps for that. I remember accidentally continuing towards Kalpetta.

I've Honda city which is also a low slung car. Watch out for humps in the newly laid road inside forest. They are negotiable in sedans.

thanks for the quick response ! I will indeed follow your exact route.
one last Q : any time restrictions on this route ? I am planning to leave b'lore in the afternoon and reach destination by evening/night

[NPV]

Originally Posted by binand

This is the route you are talking of https://goo.gl/maps/1og3u - right? The non-functional railway line is the Pollachi-Palakkad metre gauge line which has been closed for conversion to broad gauge?

Yes, this is the route. And yes, the now defunct metre gauge railway line.
Note that the road you take after the left turn (before the construction zone), has a right angled turn at one place. This is almost a blind turn, don't go straight here, it leads to a place called Ambalapuram or something like that. Here you have to turn right and within 2 Km it will lead to the forest checkpost junction where you turn right again. (You can see that right angled turn on the map also, zoom in a little more).

[B103]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

thanks for the quick response ! I will indeed follow your exact route.
one last Q : any time restrictions on this route ? I am planning to leave b'lore in the afternoon and reach destination by evening/night

Unfortunately, I do not know the answer to whether night journey through the forest is allowed or not. I presume not.

I started from Bangalore in the morning. Return, I started from Tirunelli on a Sunday afternoon and so drove back via Malavalli - Kanakpura road instead of Mysore.

If you have the luxury, it is better to start in the morning. Apart from avoiding night drive through forest, you can avoid the tiring Bangalore-Mysore drive also.

Even if allowed, I personally do not recommend night drive through the forest. Apart from animals straying into road the area had the history of atleast one stray incident with Maoist attack 2-3 months back.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

thanks for the quick response ! I will indeed follow your exact route.
one last Q : any time restrictions on this route ? I am planning to leave b'lore in the afternoon and reach destination by evening/night

Yes this route has night restrictions. If I am not mistaken this goes through nagarhole forest where the restriction is from 6pm to 6am. The route via gundlepet bathery it's closed from 9pm to 6am. From your options, route 4 via gonikoppal kutta does not have a night restriction and is the route taken by private buses at night, but have not seen any report of regular drivers taking this.
If you have to leave in the afternoon, better to leave latest by 2pm and take the gundlepet bathery route.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

Would like more clarification about the "diversion" which you mention in the fwd direction. I am assuming you are talking about traversing through a "village-passing" road just after handpost ? The SH 33 which is supposed to pass through forest is blocked and that we have to take a left here as shown in the picture below ?

You may want to check the Blgr - CLT thread. There is a very detailed post by binand about this route 1-2 month back.

[B103]

I drove Vaikom to Bangalore today. The road from Edapally to Alwaye is not in the best of conditions to drive because of ongoing Metro work. Roads are smooth after that.

I drove Pazhayanoor - Alathur - Kollengode - Pollachi - Palladam - Mangalam - Avinashi. The road till Kollengode was average with occasional gutters. Roads are small as well. The other road via Vadakkencherry - Nemmara - Kollengode -- Pollachi could be better than the one I drive. There was some festival ongoing at Kollengode temple. So the road in front of the temple had an elephant and some bikes parked causing a small traffic jam.

Just before entering Pollachi, the roads are being dug up at 3 spots (big work) to make an underpass. Mine is Honda City but the car could pass by the small unpaved service lane on the side.

Once you enter TN from Kerala side, the roads are a pleasure to drive till Avinashi (except the work before Pollachi). Awesome roads indeed. I had driven the Pollachi - Palladam - Kanayam - Perundurai route earlier. This one via Pollachi - Mangalam - Avinashi is a better option than that. Thanks to all the gurus who regularly share their experience in this forum.

Started at 5 and reached Bangalore at 3:30 via normal route of Salem - Hosur. Had lunch in Mc Donalds at Shoolagiri (which is after Krishnagiri). Toll booths were slightly long after Dharmapuri today but it was manageable. It may be worse tomorrow.

[joecherian]

Originally Posted by B103

Started at 5 and reached Bangalore at 3:30 via normal route of Salem - Hosur. Had lunch in Mc Donalds at Shoolagiri (which is after Krishnagiri). Toll booths were slightly long after Dharmapuri today but it was manageable. It may be worse tomorrow.

I guess you missed my car by an hour. I started from edappally at 5 for my return trip to Chennai. Took trichur pollachi mangalam avinashi Salem ulundurpet chengalpet Thiruporur omr. Roads are great all through out. For the construction in pollachi, there is a marked deviation which also is good road. At kalamassery the onward traffic was routed through some interior roads which joins NH after alwaye. With 2breaks for breakfast and lunch, reached Chennai at 330 pm. Total distance was 680 kms.

[kala]

Originally Posted by binand

2. What is the best route to pass through Pollachi town coming from Kollengode side and proceeding towards Palladam?

I came that way this morning. The best route is to take a left at Uthukuli (The straight road is blocked with barricades anyway due to the Railway overbridge construction ahead), reach the Palghat-Pollachi road, turn right there and proceed straight - you'll eventuall reach the Palladam road.

http://goo.gl/maps/uvEQu

Originally Posted by binand

I can start only after 5 AM, one of the reasons being I'd prefer to do the stretch beyond Thrissur in daylight.

Makes a lot of sense. I started from Ernakulam at 5:20 AM today and it was bright enough when I reached Mannuthi. But even then the Mannuthi-Vadakkecherry stretch was a torture with lots of oncoming traffic making overtaking near impossible - hence having to crawl behind a convoy of some 30-40 vehicles led by some slow moving truck. Not having oncoming headlights is certainly a help in that scenario.

[joecherian]

Is the pollachi palladam route supposed to have foggy conditions?. Today morning, when I did this section, there was moderate to heavy fog in this section.

[svaid]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

Yes, but slightly modified to avoid Taliparamba town: http://goo.gl/maps/1PtsA

Originally Posted by ampere

Yes thats the correct route as I mentioned in the other thread. Its much better compared to Hassan/Sakleshpur.

Thanks folks for the route suggestion. I am back from the Nileshwar trip and route experience spanned out exactly as you described. While going from Bangalore, I started at 5:30 AM and was at Nileshwar at 3:30 PM. In the reverse direction, I started late at 9 AM and reached home around 8 PM. Except for Hunsur<->Gonikoppal 5KM stretch, rest of the road is in good condition. I was particularly impressed with the Gonikoppal<->Iritty ghat stretch which looks to have been recently laid and is in a top notch condition. Even the Karnataka state highway is in great condition. Kerala traffic was on expected lines. Witnessed one accident near Nileshwar on my return journey where a truck looked to have hit an activa from behind. That activa had overtaken me a couple of minutes back.
Thanks again for suggesting this route.

[longhorn]

I did the return journey from Perumbavoor to Chennai on the 31st. Started from home at 3:15 AM. Took the Mannuthy - Palakkad - Coimbatore (L&T Road) - Avinashi - Salem - Ulundurpet - Tambaram route. Just one word for the Vadakkenchery - Madukkarai stretch - AVOID. I wasn't very sure of the turn off at Vadakkenchery and more importantly how to latch onto the Palladam road at Pollachi which is why I took the Palakkad route. The road is doable in daylight but best avoided before daybreak. The problem after daybreak though is that you get stuck behind lot of heavy commercial vehicles. Road conditions improved drastically after entering L&T Road. There was a lot of fog between L&T Road exit and till the start of the four lane toll road after Avinashi. Stopped for breakfast a little before Salem. Salem - Ulundurpet was pure bliss to drive. Reached Chennai by 2:30 PM. Time includes stoppages for breakfast and lunch totalling 80 minutes and other miscellaneous short fuel/bio breaks of 5-10 minutes. Total distance covered was 660 kms.