[TSEA]

I need help in identifying route to Kannur from Bangalore. 3 weeks back I had done Kannur-Bangalore using the following route:

1. Kannur - Mattannur: This route had average roads.
2. Mattannur - Iritty: The roads were average to slightly bad at points.
3. Iritty - Hunsur: After Iritty, the roads started worsening. Avergae speeds dropped down to 25km/hr. The Ghat Section had below average roads. I think I lost my way and took a wrong route somewhere after entering Karnataka as we entered a forest area and the roads became even worse (narrow and full of pot holes). However, once we touched SH88, the route was excellent.
4. From Hunsur to Bangalore: The route was good.

Thereby I need your suggestions for the following:

1. Since I have to again travel to Kannur and back (Bangalore), please suggest me the right and detailed route (Specially the route between Hunsur-Iritty).

2. A budget/affordable accomadation for a family stay in or around kannur town. I have some work there for around 8 days.

Thanks,

[RajeshK]

Originally Posted by TSEA

I need help in identifying route to Kannur from Bangalore. 3 weeks back I had done Kannur-Bangalore using the following route:

1. Since I have to again travel to Kannur and back (Bangalore), please suggest me the right and detailed route (Specially the route between Hunsur-Iritty).

Please follow the thread -> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...needed-38.html
for more details about reaching Kannur.

Originally Posted by TSEA

2. A budget/affordable accomadation for a family stay in or around kannur town. I have some work there for around 8 days.

Thanks,

There are many hotels around the railway station / Plaza Jn. If you need any specific information, please PM me.

Thanks
Rajesh

[kala]

Originally Posted by sajidclt

I normally take NH-212. However, the current condition of the road seems bad especially the stretch between Bathery and Meenangadi and the Vythiri-Adivaaram Ghat section.

I travelled from Bangalore to Kalpetta and back over the weekend and the road condition between Bathery and Meenangadi isn't all that bad. I felt that the stretch between Meenangady and Kalpetta is the one which has more potholes (And some portions between Bathery and the forest checkpost at the border as well).

But as someone else said, overall the route is quite drivable - albeit with a little bit of extra caution because you never know where the next pothole is going to appear.

During this trip I also experimented on an alternate route between Bangalore and Gundlupet via Kanakapura-Malavalli-Kollegal-Chamarajanagar. Roads are mostly excellent, but navigating the 3 major towns (Kanakapura, Kollegal and Chamarajanagar) takes a while (no bypasses), the roads are quite narrow near many villages and there's the odd unexpected pothole here and there.

From my home which is close to Kanakapura road, the distance was more by about 3-4 kms (202 kms instead of 198 kms through SH-17), but I found this drive to be way better than going through SH-17, mainly because of the low traffic. Very scenic too as the road goes through the fertile Cauvery basin and the landscape is very green. Absolutely stress-free to drive except for the brief periods when you pass through the towns and villages. Highly recommended.

Time taken for the 190 kms between Gundlupet and NICE road-Kanakapura Road junction was exactly 3 hours on my return journey yesterday evening/night. (Couldn't time the forward journey on Saturday morning because I stopped at a couple of places on the way - might have been slightly faster since it was a daytime drive)

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by kala

During this trip I also experimented on an alternate route between Bangalore and Gundlupet via Kanakapura-Malavalli-Kollegal-Chamarajanagar.

This is very useful information indeed - I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. I have been on NH209 till Chamrajnagar and then moved on to Sathy - am particularly interested in the Chamrajnagar - Gundlupet stretch. How is it?

[kala]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

This is very useful information indeed - I have been looking forward to this for quite some time. I have been on NH209 till Chamrajnagar and then moved on to Sathy - am particularly interested in the Chamrajnagar - Gundlupet stretch. How is it?

It's a pretty decent single lane road. About 1 km of road near Gundlupet is rough (looks like it is being relaid), and there are occasional rough patches here and there especially in the proximity of villages. Very sparse traffic, so you can easily average about 60kmph over this 35 kms stretch.

[sajidclt]

Originally Posted by kala

I travelled from Bangalore to Kalpetta and back over the weekend and the road condition between Bathery and Meenangadi isn't all that bad. I felt that the stretch between Meenangady and Kalpetta is the one which has more potholes (And some portions between Bathery and the forest checkpost at the border as well).

I got back after my travel to Kozhikode. The potholes were mainly around Meenangadi. Maybe thats why I recollected it as Bathery - Meenangadi stretch. The last time there were in fact lot of banana plants planted on the road !!

As for the rest of the route, there are some potholes before reaching Chundale also. The Ghat section is in bad condition. Only the three hairpins which have been interlocked are in good condition. Other than the hairpins, some of the other curves are also in bad condition. Extra caution recommended during this stretch. Some parts are also bad in the Adivaram - Thamarassery section. Overall it took me around 4 hours from Gundlupet to Kozhikode.

Originally Posted by kala

During this trip I also experimented on an alternate route between Bangalore and Gundlupet via Kanakapura-Malavalli-Kollegal-Chamarajanagar. Roads are mostly excellent, but navigating the 3 major towns (Kanakapura, Kollegal and Chamarajanagar) takes a while (no bypasses), the roads are quite narrow near many villages and there's the odd unexpected pothole here and there.

I was thinking about taking this route on my return next weekend to avoid Mysore and the extra rush on Bangalore - Mysore road due to Dussera.

Could you please give me details regarding how to enter the Gundlupet - Chamarajanagar road. Google Maps shows a right immediately after the left to enter Gundlupet from NH 212. However, I do not recollect seeing any sign boards to that effect. Also, any recommended eating joints along this route?

[ampere]

There are no eating joints on that route.
Neither any clean toilet facilities.

[kala]

Originally Posted by sajidclt

I was thinking about taking this route on my return next weekend to avoid Mysore and the extra rush on Bangalore - Mysore road due to Dussera.

Could you please give me details regarding how to enter the Gundlupet - Chamarajanagar road. Google Maps shows a right immediately after the left to enter Gundlupet from NH 212. However, I do not recollect seeing any sign boards to that effect. Also, any recommended eating joints along this route?

May not be a bad idea - Mysore and its vicinities would be very crowded during the Dasara weekend, and traffic on the Mysore-Bangalore highway would probably be worse than usual.

Yes - what Google Maps shows is the right road. The right turn is almost immediately after you turn left at the Gundlupet junction (May be about 50 metres ahead). There are no signboards there, and the road is currently being rebuilt - so only half the road is paved.

The route through Chamarajanagar town that is shown by Google Maps is currently blocked - you'll find some barricades blocking the straight road at the point where you enter the town and will be forced to take a left turn there (where a sign indicates that it's the road to Mysore). Make sure you ask locals for directions to Kollegala at the next junction - you won't find any road-signs that show you the way. (Note that you need to say "KoLLe-ga-Laa" and not "Kollegal" or else the response may be a blank look as I found out )

As for restaurants / toilet facilities, your best bet would be Kollegal. I noticed couple of decent looking places near the Kollegal bus stand (looked quite OK from outside - not sure how good or bad the interiors would be). Don't remember seeing any neat looking eateries at either Chamarajanagar or Kanakapura (And you don't touch Malavalli town anyway - NH 209 turns right towards Bangalore about 1 km before you reach the town).

[jacs]

Originally Posted by kala

Yes - what Google Maps shows is the right road. The right turn is almost immediately after you turn left at the Gundlupet junction (May be about 50 metres ahead). There are no signboards there, and the road is currently being rebuilt - so only half the road is paved.

The route through Chamarajanagar town that is shown by Google Maps is currently blocked - you'll find some barricades blocking the straight road at the point where you enter the town and will be forced to take a left turn there (where a sign indicates that it's the road to Mysore). Make sure you ask locals for directions to Kollegala at the next junction - you won't find any road-signs that show you the way. (Note that you need to say "KoLLe-ga-Laa" and not "Kollegal" or else the response may be a blank look as I found out )

As for restaurants / toilet facilities, your best bet would be Kollegal. I noticed couple of decent looking places near the Kollegal bus stand (looked quite OK from outside - not sure how good or bad the interiors would be). Don't remember seeing any neat looking eateries at either Chamarajanagar or Kanakapura (And you don't touch Malavalli town anyway - NH 209 turns right towards Bangalore about 1 km before you reach the town).

I couldnt find this road on my Bandipur trip. Good to know this route since the roads are getting better.

[ampere]

Before the Y fork for Ooty/Waynad, you would be able to spot a left road.
Though not a great road. I have not driven, I could that was an "out-station" road and hence the though it has to be the Chamrajanagar road.

[sv1976]

Originally Posted by kala

May not be a bad idea - Mysore and its vicinities would be very crowded during the Dasara weekend, and traffic on the Mysore-Bangalore highway would probably be worse than usual.

Yes - what Google Maps shows is the right road. The right turn is almost immediately after you turn left at the Gundlupet junction (May be about 50 metres ahead). There are no signboards there, and the road is currently being rebuilt - so only half the road is paved.

The route through Chamarajanagar town that is shown by Google Maps is currently blocked - you'll find some barricades blocking the straight road at the point where you enter the town and will be forced to take a left turn there (where a sign indicates that it's the road to Mysore). Make sure you ask locals for directions to Kollegala at the next junction - you won't find any road-signs that show you the way. (Note that you need to say "KoLLe-ga-Laa" and not "Kollegal" or else the response may be a blank look as I found out )

As for restaurants / toilet facilities, your best bet would be Kollegal. I noticed couple of decent looking places near the Kollegal bus stand (looked quite OK from outside - not sure how good or bad the interiors would be). Don't remember seeing any neat looking eateries at either Chamarajanagar or Kanakapura (And you don't touch Malavalli town anyway - NH 209 turns right towards Bangalore about 1 km before you reach the town).

Is this route safe for late evening/night drive? I'm doing BLR-CLT this weekend and return will be mostly on Sunday evening (leaving CLT by 4pm to reach by midnight) I want to avoid Mysore if possible. And, would you recommend this route for people in B'lore East (Indiranagar/Old Madras Road side)

[ampere]

I would say not recommended. Its pretty desolate and if you need any help, you may not find any.
The standard route is better. During day time, it may be worth a try.

[kala]

Originally Posted by sv1976

Is this route safe for late evening/night drive? I'm doing BLR-CLT this weekend and return will be mostly on Sunday evening (leaving CLT by 4pm to reach by midnight) I want to avoid Mysore if possible. And, would you recommend this route for people in B'lore East (Indiranagar/Old Madras Road side)

Originally Posted by ampere

I would say not recommended. Its pretty desolate and if you need any help, you may not find any.
The standard route is better. During day time, it may be worth a try.

While I'd agree that the "standard" route is more populated / crowded in terms of traffic density, this route is in no way desolate. Plenty of villages on the way, and I never felt unsafe (I mean getting the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere) while driving from Gundlupet to Bangalore during the evening hours (6 PM to 9 PM) with family. The population density is very similar to what you'd find on the Gundlupet-Nanjangud stretch.

You have 3 fairly big towns on the way which are spaced out pretty evenly (approx 35 to 45 kms between each), so in case of a breakdown the nearest workshop could be as far as 20 to 25 kms away in the worst case. (Of course there's the risk that you may not find any workshop open at late hours, but I'd guess you'll face exactly the same risk on the Gundlupet-Nanjangud stretch as well).

And as for the difficulty level in getting to the Eastern part of Bangalore, I think the time taken would be fairly similar whether you're coming on SH-17 or on NH-209. From either road there's no easy bypass to escape from the city traffic, so the time of the day at which you travel would have a considerable bearing on the time taken.

[ampere]

While I agree to what you mention, my only concern was that since traffic would be low, it would be difficult to get help late in the evening, in case if its required.

[jeeva]

Agree with Ampere, and adding to it, Kollegal isn't the nicest of the places to be in.