[ccnarayanan]

Sorry, it is CCD Bellur and not CCD Belur ...

Originally Posted by ccnarayanan

I did a Mangalore - Madikeri - Channarayapatna - Bangalore in late October (as part of my return from Goa). I did not face any issues with the roads in this stretch on my Jazz.

Regarding rest stops, there is one CCD near Belur on NH-75 (you can get its location by searching for CCD Belur). After that, the only place I had identified as a rest stop was the CCD just before Madikeri. Belur-Madikeri is about 164 km (you should be able to cover it in 3-3.5 hours driving conservatively).

[suviswan]

Originally Posted by DASKD24

Hi,
The planning for Nelamangala>CRPatna>Arkalgud>Kushalnagar>Madikeri next week.

Till CRPatna it should be fine. After that any insights on the road conditions? Up to Kushalnagar via Arkalgud.

Arkalgud to Kushalnagar, are there route options or one straight road?

Are there good restroom options especially between CRPatna and Kushalnagar?

I travelled on 05 Dec. The road conditions are good except few places. There are a lot of speed breakers between Arkalgud and Kushalnagar.

[Kartik Kumar]

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

Hey! I also have an upcoming trip to Madikeri later this month. I had noted down this route from your other thread. That route you had taken looks very enticing !
Just to spice up things more, also wanted to include a slight deviation to SH121 from CR Patna to HN Pura instead of Google suggested route, ever since I had read about SH121 from @procrj's threads. So with this, the entire route from CR Patna to Madikeri should be one of the most scenic routes of all the other routes to Coorg I had taken previously!

This deviation sounds interesting. What would be the reason for you to consider this. I have an upcoming trip to Madikeri coming up soon so would want to consider this deviation as well.

Also what would the good breakfast options on this route Blr-CRPatna-Arkalgud-Shanivarsanthe-Somwarpet-Madikeri?

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

What would be the reason for you to consider this.

Good 2 lane roads with many windmills on either side. more details here on this thread - https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post4010288 (Red Dwarf's monsoon diary - Exploring new roads of rural Karnataka in a TUV300)

If you are looking for some nice twisty roads, would suggest Arkalgud-Shanivarsanthe-Somwarpet-Madikeri over Arkalgud - Ramanathapura - Kushalnagara.

Also what would the good breakfast options on this route Blr-CRPatna-Arkalgud-Shanivarsanthe-Somwarpet-Madikeri?

Best bet would be to stop for breakfast on the numerous options available on NH75 before you turn left at CR Patna. My standard stop has been Swati delicacy after Kunigal. Other options that I would recomend are
1) sambrama - https://goo.gl/maps/iCdtkx34kFwSbiaT8
2) Shark food court - https://goo.gl/maps/NTZdM697QVSGMwNQ7
3) Kamat - https://goo.gl/maps/i47cYfjC7UhADURU6
4) Halli mane - https://goo.gl/maps/UTHLQoP39hocveCA6

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

This deviation sounds interesting. What would be the reason for you to consider this.

This:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post4010288 (Red Dwarf's monsoon diary - Exploring new roads of rural Karnataka in a TUV300)

Inspired me to do a trip covering places around the SH121:
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ed-church.html (Dizzy Drive®: Stress buster - Country roads, Hilltop Temple, Dam and a ruined Church)

Also what would the good breakfast options on this route Blr-CRPatna-Arkalgud-Shanivarsanthe-Somwarpet-Madikeri?

Swathi Delicacy near Yediyur, by far the best though lots of new eateries have opened up now.

Edit:didn't see your post @procrj since I hadn't refreshed the page, my post now looks like a duplicate of yours!

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

Also what would the good breakfast options on this route Blr-CRPatna-Arkalgud-Shanivarsanthe-Somwarpet-Madikeri?

Plan your break before you exit the NH at Channarayapatna. Cross-posting and quoting my post from the Bangalore - Mangalore thread where you can pick something that is prior to CR Patna. Mentioned options in opposite directions as well:

Originally Posted by paragsachania

(Click on any of the names in the list to get the Google-maps location)

Towards Mangalore:

1. Udupi Garden
2. Sambrama Hotel
3. Annapoorneshwari Veg Restaurant
4. Shark Food Court
5. Radhakrishna Udupi
6. Shiva Sagar - Average Rest Rooms
7. New Anand Bhavan - Average Food & Rest Rooms, lots of buses stop here
8. Taj Restaurant
9. Kamat Upachar
10. Kichchana Halli Mane
11. Hotel Dhruvatare
12. Shree Rathnam
13. Hotel Mayura
14. Hotel Anagha
15. A2B
16. Café 75
17. Vidhata Restaurant - 3 Popular Dhabas here have now converted to proper restaurants next to each other

Inside Hassan:

1. Mallige Residency
2. Aishwarya Veg
3. Sri Krishna
4. Suvarna Regency
5. Hotel Raama - Closest to Bypass
6. Mayura International- Closest to Bypass

Hassan - Sakaleshpur - BC Road:

1. The Ossoor
2. Surabhi's Veg
3. Mythri Restaurant
4. Surabhi's NX
5. Navarathna Pure Veg

Between Hassan - Bangalore:

1. Suruchi Restaurant
2. Sri Krishna Bhavan
3. Kamat Upachar
4. Murali Miltry Hotel
5. Malgudi - Average Food and Rest rooms
6. Mayura
7. Adiga's Grand Veg
8. Swati Delicacy - It is better to stop here than Mayura or Adiga's. Easy access from opposite side too
9. Empire

Cafe Coffee Days:

1. @ Bellur Cross - Towards Hassan
2. @ Udyapura - Towards Bangalore
3. @Jaladagere between Bellur Cross and Kunigal - Towards Bangalore

[Kartik Kumar]

Thanks procrj, NPV and paragsachania for the prompt reply. Extremely helpful. I am going to take SH-121, how can I not after procrj's beautiful travelogue.

[mankuthimma]

While in Madikeri, I dont want to do any touristy stuff this time, but would like to spend time driving along some nice scenic roads within Coorg. Any suggestions for such routes starting and ending in Madikeri ?
Also suggestions for good/unique eateries to try out ( veg food ) ?

[ccnarayanan]

Probably something like this for a scenic drive?

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ma...4205!3e0?hl=en

Originally Posted by mankuthimma

While in Madikeri, I dont want to do any touristy stuff this time, but would like to spend time driving along some nice scenic roads within Coorg. Any suggestions for such routes starting and ending in Madikeri ?
Also suggestions for good/unique eateries to try out ( veg food ) ?

[Kartik Kumar]

Originally Posted by ccnarayanan

Probably something like this for a scenic drive?

https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ma...4205!3e0?hl=en

That goes into Kerala for a bit before coming back to Karnataka. Will it be a problem for KA residents?

[ccnarayanan]

Valid point. I noticed it after posting. Two options:
1. One could try two different scenic drives to be completely within KA (say, Madikeri- Sullia and Madikeri-Tala Kaveri.
2. Take a short-term KL pass to one of those villages such as Panathur (there doesn't seem to be any transit pass to transit through KL).

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

That goes into Kerala for a bit before coming back to Karnataka. Will it be a problem for KA residents?

[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.

[Kartik Kumar]

So we drove to Madikeri the weekend before last. The onward route was via CR Patna, Arakalagud, Shanivarsanthe, Somwarpet. Would recommend this route only if you are fond of driving through coffee estates on winding roads. Beautiful scenery but slows you down on the stretch between Shanivarsanthe and Madikeri. We took 7 hours with a 1 hour break at Swathi Delicacy. The return route was via Kushalnagar, Ramanathapura, Arakalagud, CR Patna. This too took 7 hours with a 1 hour break at Dhruvataare for lunch.

Since I usually drive around 80 to 90 kmph while my wife prefers to go 100 to 120 kmph, we usually end up taking longer than usual (I try to corner the driving shifts ). Roads were good (with a few bad patches) mostly except Shanivarsanthe - Somwarpet - Madikeri route which had more than a few bad patches but most importantly were narrower and winding which really slows you down (all the better to admire the endless greens).

We also drove once to Siddapura and then Gonikoppal and back via Murnad. Awesome scenery but so-so roads especially Gonikoppal - Ammathi - Murnad stretch. And we drove once to Yevakapudi via Napokulu - roads were much better and scenery as good.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

We took 7 hours with a 1 hour break at Swathi Delicacy. The return route was via Kushalnagar, Ramanathapura, Arakalagud, CR Patna. This too took 7 hours with a 1 hour break at Dhruvataare for lunch.

6 hours of drive time seems a tad too long for this route. What is the start point you are considering? I guess start time also might make a difference.

Just got back from a trip to suntikoppa where onward was Arkalgud - Somwarpete - Shanivarasanthe - Suntikoppa and the drive time was 4 hrs 15 min with Taj Vivanta, Yeshwantpur as the start point. Return was via Kushalnagar - Ramanathapura - Arkalgud and the drive time was 4 hrs 10 min. Both during onward and return, I was driving slower than my usual speeds as my friend who accompanied me on this trip is a very sedate driver (my usual speeds are 90-110 kmph on the 4L roads and 70-80 kmph on 2L roads where ever traffic permits).

[KeeepDriiiving]

Thanks for all the great tips here. I took the trip this week and I'm happy to report that road condition is all good except for maybe a km or two in the entire stretch from Bengaluru to Madikeri. I stayed in Suntikoppa (between Kushalnagar and Madikeri).
Even roads to Mandalpatti and Kote Betta are good. The latter was an underwhelming experience.

Onward was straightforward:
BLR -> Channarayapattna -> Holenarsipur -> Arkalgud -> Ramanathapura -> Kushalnagar -> Suntikoppa

Return was inspired by the above thread:
Suntikoppa -> Somwarpet -> Shanivarasanthe -> Arkalgud -> Holenarsipur -> Hariharapura -> Channarayapattna -> BLR
- Somwarpet -> Shanivarasanthe detour was to look for Apple orchards in Sulimalthe, but we only found apple plants being sold in a nursery, but no lush orchards or even a fruit laden tree.
- Hariharapura detour was to get closer to the windmills. That was good as the road runs next to a canal the leads to a lake. It makes a good picture spot with the windmills in the background. Also, the road coming out of Holenarsipur aligns perfectly with 3 windmills in a straight line.

The second route has narrower roads but it didn't matter. I took about 6-hours in each direction - excluding the stops. I go fast enough to cause my wife to get worried a little. Anyone making it in 6-hours is doing good.

Originally Posted by Kartik Kumar

We took 7 hours with a 1 hour break at Swathi Delicacy
This too took 7 hours with a 1 hour break at Dhruvataare for lunch.

... BTW, looks like you stopped at the other side of the ride both the times.

Originally Posted by procrj

6 hours of drive time seems a tad too long for this route.

... As always, frequent travelers & enthusiasts are able to go faster. Though my car is 2-litre turbo-petrol automatic, I was humbled by a Duster, an Innova, and a Skoda (Rapid?). Of course, there are more powerful engines that I'm not listing.
... thanks for your other thread