[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by vishnurp99

Hi All,
I am planning to drive from Trivandrum to Kannur. From Googlemaps, I have these 2 options.

Trivandrum->Kollam->Kochi->Thrissur->Calicut->Kannur (NH66)
Trivandrum->Kottyam->Angamali->thrissur->Calicut->Kannur (MC Road)

Please recommend on current road and usual traffic conditions. I plan to start at 6 AM from TVM.

Kottayam route makes sense for low traffic and good road. There are some work going on between Adoor and Chengannur which can be managed easily.

[venkyhere]

Originally Posted by pms

If I plan to drive down to Kollam directly from BLR, which route would be better and probably less tiring?

BLR - Salem - Palakkad - Thrissur - Ekm - Alapuzha - Kollam
BLR - Salem - Dindigul - Tirumangalam - Shenkottai - Tenmala - Punalur - Kollam

I will be travelling with my family and plan to start around 5:30AM in the morning.

I understand that Ekm - Kollam is 2 lane (barring till Cherthala) and would have heavy traffic mostly but no winding roads like the one via Tenmala. Similarly heavy traffic from Punalur to Kollam with narrow 2 lane.

GMaps shows more or less the same duration for both the routes.

Without doubt, option 2 via Tenmala. Simple reason - duration and distance spent in maddening Coimbatore - Thrissur - Ernakulam - Aleppey - KL traffic is lesser.

[arun_sharon]

I traveled from bangalore to tiruvalla via walayar. No checking at any place. Roads are in ok state. Few potholes on the way in kuthiran but manageable. Heavy traffic in ernakulam . vittilla overbridge is yet to be opened and it took close to 1 hour to cross the bypass. No one called from health dept after we reached. Any ways decided to stick to 14 day quarantine

[nevinfrancis]

Coming weekend I need to travel from Iritty to Makkiyad ( then, drop someone off there ) and further to Kochi from Makkiyad.

Any ideas, anyone? On which route to take from Makkiyad to Kochi. Am completely strange to these parts.

[binand]

Originally Posted by nevinfrancis

Any ideas, anyone?? about which route to take from Makkiyad to Kochi.

Makkiyad is near Tharuvana outside of Mananthavadi. So come down the Kuttyadi churam to Kuttyadi, Perambra, Ullyeri to reach Calicut bypass. Take the bypass to its far end at Ramanattukara. Proceed along NH 66 to Kottakkal, Valancheri, Kuttipuram. After the Bharathapuzha bridge at Kuttipuram leave the NH towards Kunnamkulam and onwards to Thrissur. At Thrissur join the NH544, pay toll at Paliyekkara and proceed towards Kochi via Chalakudy, Aluva.

It is all fairly straightforward and Google navigation works quite fine. All junctions are generally well-signposted though in some towns you might not notice these signs. Be alert.

[nevinfrancis]

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Was reading about the route to Kuttiady and many were mentioning about the bad stretches near Niravilpuzha - hope things are better now.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by binand

After the Bharathapuzha bridge at Kuttipuram leave the NH towards Kunnamkulam and onwards to Thrissur.
...
It is all fairly straightforward and Google navigation works quite fine.

Kunnamkulam town can be painful but can be bypassed, not sure if Google maps suggests this though. I remember taking this and it easily saved me 10-15 minutes at least.

Edit:the bypass is via Akkikavu if I remember correctly

[binand]

Originally Posted by nevinfrancis

Thanks for the detailed reply.

Was reading about the route to Kuttiady and many were mentioning about the bad stretches near Niravilpuzha - hope things are better now.

Short stretch of bad road used to be there. It was being repaired. Should be all fine now. Even otherwise, the "badness" of the road doesn't really warrant taking the alternatives, which is to go further away till Tharuvana, turn towards Kalpetta and reach Calicut bypass via NH 766. Unless it has become worse of late. This call you can take after you reach Makkiyad.

Originally Posted by NPV

Kunnamkulam town can be painful but can be bypassed, not sure if Google maps suggests this though.

It does, and that's the reason I didn't get into that much detail. It is well-signposted also (straight to Kunnamkulam/Guruvayur, left to Thrissur).

The only unknown actually is the status of overbridge construction at Edappal.

[NutsNBolts]

Hello All, I'm planning following trip, would solicit your valuable inputs on road conditions and route suggestions:

Day 1: Kochi - Mysuru
Day 2: Mysuru - Hampi
Day 5: Hampi - Mysuru
Day 6: Mysuru - Sri Panchmukhi Ganesh Temple and back to Mysuru
Day 7: Mysuru - Palani (Palani Murugan Temple)
Day 8: Palani - Kochi

Any and all suggestions on: route to be taken, suggested stops enroute, road conditions, any restrictions due to COVID are most welcome. Looking forward to your valuable inputs.

[ike]

Originally Posted by binand

The only unknown actually is the status of overbridge construction at Edappal.

I had travelled to Calicut from Thrissur last week. Edappal is still a mess.

Originally Posted by NutsNBolts

Hello All, I'm planning following trip, would solicit your valuable inputs on road conditions and route suggestions:

Day 1: Kochi - Mysuru

What route are you taking to Mysore? I'm also planning to go to Mysore and thinking about Thrissur - Coimbatore - Kotagiri - Ooty - Hullathy - Gundalpet - Nanjangund - Mysore. I had heard earlier that Only local licence plates are allowed on the Ooty - Masinagudi road via hullathy and the others are asked to go via Gudalur, not sure though.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by binand

The only unknown actually is the status of overbridge construction at Edappal.

Originally Posted by ike

I had travelled to Calicut from Thrissur last week. Edappal is still a mess.

My brother in law who has traveled Calicut-Thrissur a few times in the last 2-3 weeks now takes the deviation post Kuttipuram bridge and goes via Chamravattom-Chavakkad and then connects to the kunnamkulam Thrissur road. Although not much time difference, helps avoid any unpredictability at Edappal. In his last trip he came via the regular route from Thrissur and was diverted before Edappal(not sure why), since he was not familiar , followed Google and maps happily took him through some narrow roads and ended up at Chamravattom and then Tirur.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

My brother in law who has traveled Calicut-Thrissur a few times in the last 2-3 weeks now takes the deviation post Kuttipuram bridge and goes via Chamravattom-Chavakkad and then connects to the kunnamkulam Thrissur road.

I think this one below could work out to be better than doubling back to Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road when going towards Kochi.

Originally Posted by binand

After much GMaps-ing, I zeroed in on Thriprayar-Puthukkad (https://goo.gl/maps/DHN7tuqjJR52).

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by binand

I think this one below could work out to be better than doubling back to Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road when going towards Kochi.

Makes sense towards Kochi, in this case the destination was a place called Mundur, few km before Sobha City. Checking the maps, I guess the route he took would be Chavakkad-Guruvayoor-Choondal to join the Kunnamkulam-Thrissur road.

[MSAneesh]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

My brother in law who has traveled Calicut-Thrissur a few times in the last 2-3 weeks now takes the deviation post Kuttipuram bridge and goes via Chamravattom-Chavakkad and then connects to the kunnamkulam Thrissur road.

Update from my drive this weekend. The road mentioned above, Kuttippuram - Ponnani - Chavakkd is ok. But as part of the NH 66 works, on the Kuttippuram Ponnani stretch, all those culverts which were slight climb up and down is now cut down to road level. So at each culvert there is a rough patch, which you have to slow down and take in 2nd. There are many of those, once in each Km. Beware of this on the otherwise straight and easy stretch.
Also, road resurfacing work was going on in Kuttippuram Valanchery stretch.

[Bibendum90949]

Friends, has anyone driven to Kerala and entered via Aryankaavu checkpost recently? Are there any covid specific checks at the border(aryankaavu) where one has to get down and submit your travel pass etc.?

I plan to take the Madurai-Tenkasi route since I'm starting in the morning (6 am) from Bangalore and heading to Kollam side. I want to avoid the Palakkad-Kollam stretch and the mad traffic of NH in Kerala during the day. Madurai-Tenkasi is my preferred route for early morning start and the Salem Coimbatore route is opted only if the journey is started by noon. Thanks in anticipation.