[airguitar]

@ampere, haven't taken the route in a while - Hoskote-Chikkatirupathi : barring a few stretches between Hoskote and Channasandra Cross/T.Shettihalli, the road has been bad for a long time : I'll look to ring an update in within a week or so.

[ampere]

Will look forward to that update @Ag. Meanwhile last week I was at Chikka Tirupati via Sarjapur. NH207 is just fantastic in that stretch.

@Aditya, I checked the distance one needs to do extra:

I obtained the following:

ORR/NICE Verus Doddaballapur option gives you 20km extra.


- ORR

- NH207

Difference is 20km (64 versus 85)

Through the city versus NH207:
Through the city : ~60

So I think its around 25 km you save for sure. That also explains the 1 hour savings. Else it would have been much higher. If the rest SH (Nelamangala-Doddaballpur) was smooth you would have done even better.

[adityarao]

Originally Posted by ampere

So the stretch from Doddaballpur to the railway crossing was rough or even worse? How was the traffic on this stretch. I expected odd lorries on this stretch and not much of traffic.
Irrespective of the distance, 1 hour is good time to save.

The road till the railway crossing was horrible. No roads at all to be frank ! I saw very few trucks actually, not many as I expected it to be used by many to bypass Bangalore. The traffic peaked only near Nelamangala that too pretty thin.

Unfortunately the Mysore Road was pretty heavy and significantly slowed us.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by adityarao

The road till the railway crossing was horrible. No roads at all to be frank ! I saw very few trucks actually, not many as I expected it to be used by many to bypass Bangalore. The traffic peaked only near Nelamangala that too pretty thin.

Unfortunately the Mysore Road was pretty heavy and significantly slowed us.

That is real bad. Thanks for that update. I thought it was rough, but decent.
Need to get some updates from @Lukeskywalker. He is expert on that stretch. He mentioned once that he used to travel on that stretch many times.

[adityarao]

Originally Posted by ampere

That is real bad. Thanks for that update. I thought it was rough, but decent.

I did this stretch the second time but in the reverse direction and drove back from Mysore taking the Mysore Road->NICE->Tumkur Road Exit -> NH4 -> Nelamangala -> Doddaballapur -> NH 207 -> Devanahalli. I see some patch work and full road laid near the Shani Temple which leads to a lake on the left (about 14 kms from Doddaballapur). The roads for about 4 kms within Doddaballapur is in a very horrible shape. Some stretches closer to Nelamangala is decent, if not excellent, the NH207 on Doddaballapur-Devanahalli was a breeze indeed.

I was less stressed during the return journey as during my earlier trip, my battery had gone close to dead and ignition would not work and water leaked into my car as the AC got choked because I had kept the external circulation for too long (as per the Service Center) and something clogged it up. I got my battery replaced and AC reworked at Mandovi Service Center at Mysore.

BTW, there is a left turn (coming from Nelamangala and 2-3kms from Dbpur) I need to take as I approach Doddaballapur which leads to the horrible roads within the town limits. Not sure if the roads moving ahead are ok enough and where it will lead to? I see on Google map that it will take me to NH207, not sure. Please share your experiences if any on avoiding Doddaballapur if possible and then heading to Nelamangala. I will take this stretch anytime to avoid the maddening Bangalore traffic - this is highly recommended for people who want to go to Mysore avoiding Bangalore traffic as such.

[ampere]

I will ask @lukeskywalker to answer this question.
He is the "resident expert" of the region.

[Lukeskywalker]

Hi Guys, I got a PM from Ampere for road conditions in this part of town, well Jairam is going overboard calling me the "resident expert", only the resident part is wholly true.

Coming to the routes discussed

Doddaballapur - Nelamangala has never been good, it is in pretty bad shape from Doddaballapur town till the Madurai (not the TN one) temple, after that it is still broken tarmac.

Dobbspet-Doddaballapur is ok, with less traffic, like mentioned in the previous posts, potholes can be easily avoided as it is relatively traffic free, but not so if it is raining, the potholes are camouflaged and can bend your wheels pretty badly.

I've heard about road expansion work happening within Doddaballpur town, am not sure if this has affected the roads leading in and out of town as well, need to visit to check as it also happens to be my hometown.

Hope the info helps, but the best bet would be a post by someone who has done this stretch in the last 15 days or so.

Regards,
Hari.

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by Lukeskywalker

Doddaballapur - Nelamangala has never been good, it is in pretty bad shape from Doddaballapur town till the Madurai (not the TN one) temple, after that it is still broken tarmac.

Dobbspet-Doddaballapur is ok, with less traffic, like mentioned in the previous posts, potholes can be easily avoided as it is relatively traffic free, but not so if it is raining, the potholes are camouflaged and can bend your wheels pretty badly.

Good points.

In 2000, did this route in about 3 hours driving and 30 minutes break (+ a couple of 5 minutes break) at Sivaganga in a bike with one of my friends who wanted a long countryside ride. The route was in an okay condition then but not absolutely not sure of the same now. Cycling/Biking gangs in IISc or ISI or any other colleges in Bangalore can comment on the current scenario.

The route that we took was Ramanagara->Magadi->Solur->Sivaganga->Dobbaspet->Goravanahalli->Doddaballapur->Nandi Hills Entrance->Chikballapur. From Chikballapur, returned via the standard Devanahalli/Yelahanka route after a long break for snacks and fuel.
It was a lunch to dinner drive but the above mentioned route was under 4 hours for sure. Remember crossing Ramanagaram around 2 PM (after lunch at Woodlands hotel, I think) and when we reached Chikballapur, it was just about 6 PM and there was still sunlight. Around 4 PM, we were in Sivaganga and discussing whether to return to Bangalore once we reach Dobbaspet and go for a movie after an early dinner.

Original plan was to drive till Mysore visiting KRS enroute and return the next day. But then, decided against the same since we thought of a Mysore-GopalaswamyBetta trip with more friends and chose to go the next weekend in a hired cab.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

The route that we took was Ramanagara->Magadi->Solur->Sivaganga->Dobbaspet->Goravanahalli->Doddaballapur->Nandi Hills Entrance->Chikballapur. From Chikballapur, returned via the standard Devanahalli/Yelahanka route after a long break for snacks and fuel.

Now another question Ajit.
How is the Solur-Sivaganga-Dobbaspet stretch? How was it when you covered it?

[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by ampere

Now another question Ajit.
How is the Solur-Sivaganga-Dobbaspet stretch? How was it when you covered it?

I did this in 2000 as I mentioned in my post below. It was a very decent stretch then, Sivaganga-Dobbaspet being really good with frequent buses and private vehicles. As you may know, Sivaganga hill looks different from different directions and this Solur-Sivaganga-Dobbaspet stretch lets you see these different views from close distances. I have done Sivaganga in bus a couple of times after this memorable trip but didnt pay attention to road condition then. Both times, went through Dabbaspet and the bus journey was comfortable and hence believe the roads should have been good.

To know the current situation, someone planning to visit Sivaganga for temple or adventure, should try this circular route

Ramanagaram-Magadi was a bit rough then. It should be a favourite route for people visiting Sholay Hills and Savanadurga even now. So, can get some update from any of them if someone from this forum can check.
Magadi->Solur even though road was good, had a lot of hilly terrain and passes through some forest kind of regions. Cyclists/Bikers are reported to have spotted leopard many times in this route.

[cool_dube]

Guys,

This Sunday, I took out my RE after a hiatus of about a month or so and headed out on this stretch of NH207. Overall, the roads are superb with hardly a couple of km of bad stretches. Given the construction equipment lined up, I could tell that these would be done up soon. Also, if need be, one can now bypass the narrow lanes of Sarjapura town. Coming from Bangalore, one needs to take a left at the T-junction after crossing the initial 300m or so of the town. You will end up just 200 m or so short of NH207. However, as of now, the condition of this bypass is pretty bad and low GC vehicles might be better off taking the route through the town.

PS: This stretch is ideal for a short lazy Sunday ride/drive for people staying around the Whitefield/Marathalli area. I intend to do the Hoskote - Sarjapura - Bagalur - Hosur stretch sometime soon.

[amitk26]

Did Whitefield - ChikkaTirupati - Sarjapur stretch yesterday , Road is overall nice , There is a road resurfacing working in progress near to Samayanahalli ( Ayurgram ). Only the roads on Sarjapur town are dug up.

I think it is fastest route for people in Whitefield to reach Attibele or Hosur.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by amitk26

Did Whitefield - ChikkaTirupati - Sarjapur stretch yesterday , Road is overall nice , There is a road resurfacing working in progress near to Samayanahalli ( Ayurgram ). Only the roads on Sarjapur town are dug up.

I think it is fastest route for people in Whitefield to reach Attibele or Hosur.

The better option Varthur road Forum Value Mall, Domasandra Sarjapur-Attibele-Hosur.
The issue is as you mentioned: NH207 Y Junction (beyond Hope Farm) to Chikka Tirupati.
Its also roundabout to hit NH7 as compared to Varthur road (SH35).

Though it makes beautiful morning drive green fields and temple visit at Chikka Tirupati.

[slakhs]

If you are travelling from Channasandra to Sarjapur, in addition to Chikka Tirupathi, you have another temple (Ranganatha) at a place called Kalkunte (just a few mtrs off the highway).

Slakhs

[Night_Hawk]

Hi Friends,
As a part of my next week's Hyderabad - Ooty - Hyderabad trip, i am planning to use the following stretch to bypass BLR city traffic.

Devanahalli - Doddaballapur- Nelamangala - NICE - Mysore Road. (Expected arrival time at Devanahalli could be 11AM)

I request information on the current road conditions and approximate driving time to cover this stretch. Any other suggestion / alternate route for bypassing BLR city traffic is welcome.

On my return, i intend to start late afternoon from Ooty and break my journey and stay for a night probably at or around Neelamangala. I will resume my drive to Hyderabad early morning.

I will be travelling with my family . Request for suggestions on stay options (Budget approx Rs 2K) in and around Neelamangala.

Thanks a Ton in advance,
cheers
NH