[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Approx Kms breakup:
Coimbatore-Palakkad 40 kms-Trissur 70-Kochi 80-Alapuzha 60-Kollam 80-Trivandrum 70

looks at least 400 Kms from coimbatore - palakad- kochi - tvdum - pity me, i need some herculean strength to do it non-stop.

Originally Posted by hvkumar

and is poor on facilities.

not for me - too afraid to try a 700+ on unknown roads let alone no facilities

Originally Posted by Sankar

If you have time to spare then i would suggest you take this return route. The route is pretty scenic and it'll be fun to drive on a new route as you discover it.

yes since i am driving in on wed night i will avoid this route - may be try it saturday morning when i leave from tvdum

Originally Posted by chitbhanu

....and then finally used Wikimapia to chalk out a detailed route map. if are ok to do some research, Wikimapia can give you loads of information on routes etc.

yes chit - i am also doing LOT of wiki work before i venture into the unknown. Have driven till coimbatore many times, once upto karur. once upto trichy - karaikudi. Since I am frm TN I am cool on TN roads, I can call up any of my friends and ask them to guide me- got contacts all over.

But only problem is Kerala - never been there except for munnar - which is more TN than Kerala. Long ago in 1996 did a bus trip from trissur - palakad - coimb - hosur, but then i have no clue beyond trissur - cochin - tvdum. Pray for me guys...

[svsantosh]

Ok Guys... Did some driving in the night between bangalore to trivandrum and back (what !!! in 8 hours, actually took 1 hour - google earth LOL)

Kerala Residents - need some local and expert advise. Please see below.

coimb - palakad - chittalancheri - trissur (Is there a bypass) - Urakkam - nellaya - alwaye (aluwaye?) - ernakulam town OR Bypass? - cochin (Needed?) - turavur - shertalai - allepey (any bypass?)- ambapulai - haripad - kayankulam - karunagapalli - kollam (quilon?) (Bypass) - (???????) - VARKALAI

I am Cool all the way upto Coimbatore. Also know the bypass to palakad and the walayar checkpost. Beyond that I have posted some places and I need your help where can I find decent operational bypass'es for those towns?

Example - does trissur have one? I know its a BIG town and easily loose time if I get lost. And is ALWAYE = aluway? (Collocial). Any bypass there? Ernakulam - cochin, do i need to go thru these or is there a BIG bypass for this HUGE city? Is it necessary to go into cochin? Allepy - Trrk help, is there a bypass? Kollam / Quilon are these same places? Bypass for this city? I need to go into Varkala / Varkalai (collocial) - where do I deviate before TVDM from Kollam?

Feel free to correct me in the above route - and rename a few english names to collocial ones.

[hvkumar]

NH47 all the way.
Palakkad - bypass
Trissur - bypass
Aluva - bypass
Kochi - bypass
Chertala - bypass
Alapuzha - NO bypass
Kollam - NO bypass

Allapuzha - Keep coming on NH47, cross the backwater bridge, keep going for 1 km or so, turn left (signages pointing to TVM) and again and turn right again after half a km or so, and you are back in the road to TVM.

Kollam - keep going straight till you reach a clock tower - at that tower, go up the bridge across the railway line and keep going.

[binoyb22]

There is another route .guess no one has put it across

here it goes

Tvm-Alleppy-Ekm-Edapally-chavakkad-Kunnamkullam-Perunthalmanna-Nilambur-Gudallur-bandhipur -Gundalpettu-Mysore- Bangalore.


And this is the shortest.Its less than 500kms from edapally to bangalore.iam not sure about the distance between Edapally and Tvm.Traffic is very less when compared to salem route

Bad road only between gundalpettu and Bandhipur.(10 km stretch).

[speedzak]

My good mess!
What are those places in between Palakkad and Ernakulam?

Baba! Don't get yourself confused in Google. From Coimby byepass, just stick on to the highway. It'll take you past the checkpost, byepass Palakkad, byepass Trissur and land you in middle of a hectic traffic blocked junction in Ernakulam. Yes, that is the byepass junction for Ernakulam city. Take the byepass, enjoy the potholes till the end of it.
Then the highway will take you to Alleppey. There's no byepass here. There're some boards pointing where to turn and where not to reach Trivandrum. Rolling down the windows and shouting Trivandrum will also be welcomed by the locals as they're very courteous and nice people (Trrk is a big example).
There no major confusions after this all the way till Trivandrum other than a small one in Kollam (also called Quilon). There's a big round a bout and you've got to look for boards indicating Trivandrum. It's actually the straight road which eventually climb up a railway bridge. But there's a good chance you may get confused. (Tip: don't stay on the left side of the road. Stay to your right and go straight at the round a bout and climb up the bridge on your left side on the next signal (hardly 100 meters from the round a bout).
Then it's all good till a place/town/junction called Kallambalam. You have to turn right and go straight to Varkala.

[hvkumar]

[quote=svsantosh;888052] I need to go into Varkala / Varkalai (collocial) - where do I deviate before TVDM from Kollam?

quote]

Besides Kallambalam (as speedzak mentioned), you can go further down till Attingal (20 kms from Kollam) and turn right off NH47.

[speedzak]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Besides Kallambalam (as speedzak mentioned), you can go further down till Attingal (20 kms from Kollam) and turn right off NH47.

The road from Kallambalam to Varkala is smoother, better laid and preferred by many than the one via Attingal. One can also choose to go directly to Varkala by taking the right turn after Parippalli town.
But in case one misses both the turns, then he can choose to go further ahead and turn off at Attingal.

[trrk]

Hi,

I will use HVKumar's message as a template

> NH47 all the way.

Very true. It is NH47 all the way. So query has to be always to get back on the NH.

> Palakkad - bypass

Also known as Palghat. The byepass is a 90 degree left and is more or less clearly marked.

> Trissur - bypass

Also known as Trichur. Again the byepass is a 90 degree left.

> Aluva - bypass

It is also known as Alwaye. Here the byepass is straight ( slightly curving to the right and with signal lights). From Angamaly (about 10 to 12 kms to the north of Aluva) it is four laned all the way to Cherthala (Sherthallai).

> Kochi - bypass

Again a 90 degree left right after a small bridge and at a signal light junction.

> Chertala - bypass

The byepass starts as the 4 lane ends. At the end it curves to the right and go along the road.

> Alapuzha - NO bypass
> Keep coming on NH47, cross the backwater bridge, keep going for 1 km or > so, turn left (signages pointing to TVM) and again and turn right again
> after half a km or so, and you are back in the road to TVM.

New signboards are in place and just follow them. After the initial bridge (which has signal lights now), be careful about the next junction as that is accident prone and has rumblers and a huge convex mirror to prevent accidents now.

You can follow Mr Kumar's instructions or else in Alleppey, after the bridge you can take any left and take a right at the second junction and you will be on the Trivandrum Road. It is all criss cross roads.

> Kollam - NO bypass
> Kollam - keep going straight till you reach a clock tower - at that tower,
> go up the bridge across the railway line and keep going.

About a place called Kavanad, you will reach a Y junction. Here take the left fork and keep on the road where you will reach a huge circle and leave the first and second left roads and take what is essentially the third and straight road. You will cross a traffic island a nd go over a left curving railway overbridge. After the bridge take a right at the next junction and follow thta road where it curves to the left and onwards to Trivandrum.

Please get back for any doubts.

What would be your approximate time schedule for the route?

[svsantosh]

[quote=hvkumar;888105]NH47 all the way.
Palakkad - bypass
Trissur - bypass
Aluva - bypass
Kochi - bypass
Chertala - bypass
Alapuzha - NO bypass
Kollam - NO bypass

quote]

thx kumar - i needed this info badly - looks like there are a few useful bypasses

Originally Posted by binoyb22

Tvm-Alleppy-Ekm-Edapally-chavakkad-Kunnamkullam-Perunthalmanna-Nilambur-Gudallur-bandhipur -Gundalpettu-Mysore- Bangalore.
).

too weak hearted - me - to try this - but i am sure its shortest and probably beautiful too...

Originally Posted by speedzak

My good mess!
What are those places in between Palakkad and Ernakulam?

Baba! Don't get yourself confused in Google. .........
Then it's all good till a place/town/junction called Kallambalam. You have to turn right and go straight to Varkala.

Zak - I kno!! What a mess - thx for the help, i am going to have lots of print outs when i start my trip.

[quote=hvkumar;888170]

Originally Posted by svsantosh

Besides Kallambalam (as speedzak mentioned), you can go further down till Attingal (20 kms from Kollam) and turn right off NH47.

yup - saw that too in Goo-earth

Originally Posted by speedzak

The road from Kallambalam to Varkala is smoother, better laid and preferred by many than the one via Attingal. One can also choose to go directly to Varkala by taking the right turn after Parippalli town.
But in case one misses both the turns, then he can choose to go further ahead and turn off at Attingal.

something that no one told or I saw on g.e - thx again Zak

Originally Posted by trrk

Please get back for any doubts.

What would be your approximate time schedule for the route?

WOW - What a example of local knowledge - superb trrk, you must be quite a regular on these roads. I will leave blore by 6 in the eve and rush to coimb by 3 in the morn (have done that earlier), hope to clear walayar and exit palakad by 5AM. Please give me a ballpark on rough hours by a SAFE driver across these towns till varakala.

[hvkumar]

You can trace the details of the Coimbatore-Trivandrum route in this log book:

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS South India, May 2003

[hvkumar]

Or the Trivandrum-Ernakulam route on this link too:

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS South India, Jan 2005

[trrk]

Hi santosh,

> WOW - What a example of local knowledge - superb trrk, you must be quite a > regular on these roads.

Compared to others who seem to know about all the roads, this is nothing. My sister is at Erode, Tamil Nadu and I take these roads since 1973 (as a passenger and later as a driver). Moroever I used to make purchase trips to Bangalore & Hyderabad in the end 80's and early 90's. My serious travels stopped after 1994 when my daughter was born.

Truthfully, have not travelled beyond Angamaly for the past 15 months.

> hope to clear walayar and exit palakad by 5AM. Please give me a ballpark
> on rough hours by a SAFE driver across these towns till varakala.

Palakkad to Trichur is around 70kms and you should be in the middle of Trichur byepass by 6.30 AM and with another 70kms to Cochin, you should be in the middle of the Cochin byepass by 8 AM and at about 9 AM you should be crossing Alleppey. It will be a little later if you stop enroute for BF.

You would be too early for breakfast at Trichur (Vasantham on the right side about a couple of kms after the end of the Trichur byepass would have been a good place).

If you need to contact me, I would PM you my number. I would keep it on in the morning when you are to cross Alleppey. Ususllay it is on only after 0930hrs.

I do Alleppey Cochin and Alleppey Kollam often.

[svsantosh]

Originally Posted by trrk

If you need to contact me, I would PM you my number. I would keep it on in the morning when you are to cross Alleppey. Ususllay it is on only after 0930hrs.

I do Alleppey Cochin and Alleppey Kollam often.

great routine you follow there Rajesh sir... pity me , I HAVE to keep both my phones on thru the night. PM sounds great. I will pm you mine - in case i get lost... LOL

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Or the Trivandrum-Ernakulam route on this link too:

H V Kumar - Driving Log Books - KUMAR'S DRIVING LOG BOOKS South India, Jan 2005

kumar sir - all that in a matiz? great write up... it is helpful - i will keep them handy

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Santhosh, Once you finish Palakkad byepass, there are two or three junctions with medians. These medians are in areas with busy junctions / towns. THe land mark towns would be Kozhalmandam, Vadakencherry and Alathur. In all cases, the proper towns are a bit off the NH, but you will find buildings and medians on the entry points on NH.

The only median with an arm towards LEFT is where the Trichur byepass starts. This place is called Mannuthy byepass junction - and there is the Kerala Agricultural university campuses on both sides of the road couple of KM before the turn off point. From here, you are on tricky roads - 4 laning work is going on and the road surface will be like the curate's egg - excellent in certain parts.

Once you turn left from Mannuthy, your landmarks would be - Appolo Tyres factory on right hand side (place is called Perambra); Chalakudy, Angamaly (4 lane starts), Aluva, and Edapally - where you will turn left to the Ernakulam byepass. Remember that 4 or 5 Kms from Edappally is Vytilla, a very busy junction - 6 or 7 roads join here. About 7 KM - upto Aroor - after Vytilla is still 2 lane, with widening work going on. You need to pay a toll some 3 or 4 KM after Vytilla.

Eating places - Walayar motels (have not been there for past 2 years), just after the Walayar byepass on your left side; one veg hotel (cannot remember the name - vasantha or saravana bhavan, on right side) just after the Trichur byepass ends (Amballur or something, the place is called); The recommended place for veg fare, given your timings (around 8 at Ernakulam) is BTH sarovaram 2 KM from Vytilla - just after the first bridge. You will have to go all way 2 kms ahead and take a U turn since the median has no break here. Of course for nonveg fare, you should consider whytefort, just a hundred meters before this U turn. (The stretch after the first bridge is 4 lane, so remember to take the first exit to left and use the service road till whytefort).

[greenhorn]

santhosh was also looking for reliable places to tank up in TVM.
I suggested the varma travels pump @ east fort, the one opp st mary's church at keshavadasapuram, the one at pongumood, the one at genl hospital to pattoor road. Any other recommends guys ?