Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Route / Travel Queries (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/)

-   -   12 hours to do B'lore-Kannur-B'lore - Best Route? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-travel-queries/42713-12-hours-do-blore-kannur-blore-best-route.html)

I need to do a daylight run on the Bangalore-Kannur route, leaving B'lore at sunrise to return by sunset.

Questions:

1. Is it possible?
2. What is the best route?

I drive an SUV, so a hilly route would take me more time than what a regular car will take with fast driving - I could still push it, but considering that I will be driving for the whole journey I would prefer not to push too hard around curves and stuff.

On the other hand, road conditions dont matter as much as it would if I were driving a car - except if the road is really really had and slows you down.

I need to leave early in the morning (say 4 or 5 am) and return before dusk.

The route is good for the details mentioned below -

Bangalore - Mysore - Hunsur - Nagarhole - Kutta - Tholpatty - Kattikulam - Manandvady -Nedupoyil - Kuthuparamba - Kannur - 350km - 8hrs Drive +/- 30mins

Kannur - Kootuparamba - Mananthavadi - Kartikulam - Tholpatty - Kutta - Kanur - Ponnampet - Gonikuppa - Hunsur - Mysore - Bangalore - 370km - 8hrs Drive +/- 30mins

6 hours, you may just about do it. I have done Bangalore-Kannur in about 5 hours 15 minutes on a Bullet 500, but most of it involved standing up and blasting through non-existent roads. Got a bent rim and suspension work after the run.

The best route which would have made this possible was the bangalore-Hunsur -Virajpet-iritty one, but since the virajpet section is still not motorable, I dont think it is easy to do in 6 hours, unless you are taking too much of risks.

You can attempt the route given above, since it is shorter than going via SultanBattery and should do good time until Mananthavady. After that curves come into play and you are advised to drive safe, rather than against the clock. You may be able to do close to 6 hours, at least on the onward stretch because of the timing.

Drive safe. Start at 4. Tell us how the drive went.

When will Virajpet route be ok?! So there are only two possible ways. One via SBattery and other as mentioned by Gowda79.
Blore - Mysore - Nanjangud - Gundulpet - SBattery.
Blore Mysore took 1.5 hours. Mysore - Gundulpet 2.5 hours very sedate. Gundulpet Sbattery about 40 kms bad roads but no problem for SUV. Sbattery Kannur took 2 hours. On an average i think this route will take you to Kannur in 6 hours flat with minimal stops and flat out driving. May not be a good suggestion!! but still.

I think we've decided on the S Battery route: B'lore-Mysore about 1.5 hours, Mysore-Gundulpet about 45 minutes to an hour, Gundulpet-S Battery about an hour thanks to the road. I dont know the time for S Battery - Kannur so I'll go with your 2 hour timeframe. Should be possible within 6 hours.

However I hear the place we need to visit is in a town called Quilandy and not Kannur. I've been asked to go to Thamarassery and take a right to Quilandy from there. Not sure if this is such a bright idea as the Kalpetta - Tamarassery route is quite busy.

its possible, i have done blr kannur via quilandy last week in 7.5 hrs.i started from blr at 1am & was at kannur by 8.30 am with 30 mins break at gundulpet. mysore -nanjangud section will be slow (bad roads).

the return journey took 10 hrs. started at 4.30 pm was in bangalore at 2am. traffic till battery & rain &fog at ghats delayed us.

Steer: dawn to dusk trip will be really on the edge driving, esp with traffic while getting back to Bangalore. I suggest you can account more time so that you dont have to push it hard all the while.

Dont take the route through Kutta as in through coorg as you will be spending some time. Its better to take the route suggested by kutlee. Thats the best option i guess.
Virajpet route is not good and kutta route is not very good.

Looks like I will leave at 4 am tomorrow morning. I may have a co-driver sharing duties from Calicut, provided he can make it to Calicut by then (and on time!)

Quilandy is 20 KM from Kozhikode towards Kannur. Kozhikode - Quilandy is NH47, and the surface is good (except for the occassional pothole - and the rowdy private bus drivers).

I think you should be asking for a Quilandy - Kozhikode - Bl'ore route.

Edit - oh dang - I got confused between Quilandy and Vatakara. Quilandy is only 20 KM odd from Kozhikode, towards Kannur. (hope nobody noticed this before the edit.). You should be above to do quilandy - Kzhkd in 20-25 mins or so.

Mysore Nanjangaud road is not bad. Roads are good. (atleast when i did this couple of months ago).

For Koyilandi, it's always better to come to Calicut. Just take the normal route, ie.. Mysore - Gundulpet - Sultan Batteri - Tamarasseri - Calicut.
Just before you hit the town, take the right (mini byepass) which will take you straight to NH17. About 15kms from there will be Koyilandi.

Co driver??? Then wow!! Yeah, I hope he reach Calicut on time.

Huh? What are you saying? To go to Quilandy, you don't even need to get to Thamarassery. Just before reaching Thamarassery town, there is a junction called Chungam(IIRC), you need to take right from here and it is about 20 kms I guess, to Quilandy.

If you go via Calicut, you travel an additional 25 kms, not to mention the traffic involved.

Steer - S.Battery to Kannur in 2 hours will involve mad mad driving, if done in daytime. I think I am a slowcoach when compared to you guys, I don't think I could do it in 2 hours(Gotta try when I am there againlol:)

UPDATE

Returned from the trip, which didnt quite turn out to be a 12-hour trip as we ended up spending 5 hours in Kollam near Quilandy.

The trip from Bangalore to Quilandy took 5 hours of driving time plus 30 minutes of stoppage for breakfast at Gundlupet. The breakup is as below:

5.00 - 6.30 am Bangalore - Mysore excellent roads except for unmarked speedbreakers at all sorts of odd spots. Suspension took a right royal beating. Visibility was bad till Ramanagaram as my lights were spread all over the countryside. Made a note to get the headlamps aligned before we hit nightfall again.

6.30 - 7.00 am Mysore - Gundlupet. Mysore - Nanjangud is so-so with uneven surfaces, but nothing much to worry about. Nanjangud - Gundlupet was a breeze at over 140 kmph. MORE UNMARKED SPEEDBREAKERS

7.00 - 7.30 am Breakfast and morning rituals

7.30 - 10.00 am Gundlupet - Thamarassery. VERY VERY GOOD roads, the forest stretch has been relaid completely except for two small bits that would be all of 200 meters between them. Watch out for unmarked speedbreakers, though.

Once you reach Kerala you can drive with confidence that there are no more unmarked speedbreakers. We did good time even though half the Ghat section was enveloped in monsoon cloud, bringing visibility down to 10 meters or so in some places. The ghats are in excellent condition except for 3 hairpins that are slightly damaged and are being repaired as we speak.

10.00 - 10.30 am Thamarassery - Quilandy via Balussery, also an excellent route.


Coming back took some more time as we had a puncture, stopped to get it repaired and in the process got all 4 wheels balanced and filled with Nitrogen (at Kalpetta).

Also stopped yet again to get headlamps aligned at a MASS outside Sultans Battery, where they finally ended up changing the Osrams and putting in Mico 90/100s - with immediate effect. I had a focussed beam and driving became a pleasure.

All this cost us over 1.30 hours.

Stopped again at Gundlupet for dinner, another 45 minutes down the drain. We ended up taking about 8 hours for the return journey, still very good time if you consider the downtime incurred (2.15 hours).

@ kuttapan - the turnoff to Quilandy is at Thamarassery, not Chungam.

And oh by the way the total distance we logged today as 780 kms, including an unscheduled trip from Quilandy to Loganarkavu. I found that my wife has some very illustrious ancestors.