[binand]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

Thank you again. In the main post you had mentioned taking the bypass before Mananthavady was a mistake. Should I go via Mananthavady then?

Please read that comment in context. It was a mistake only because a certain route I wanted to take beyond Mananthavady required me to go closer to the town.

[Rajeevraj]

Driving down to calicut tomorrow. Based on exchange with binand, have decided to take the standard route.

[VindyWheels]

Hi,

Took the HD Kote route, nice pleasant drive. Took exactly 8 hours after 2 breaks. We went to JLR Kabini for a loo break too, so some detour included. Started from Bangalore at 4:00am, Breakfast at Kattikulam at 9:00am.

Thank you Binand

Vindy

[singleton]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Driving down to calicut tomorrow. Based on exchange with binand, have decided to take the standard route.

Hey Rajeev - How is the route now, considering that it has been pouring badly in Kerala last week ? Planning to go next week with family.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by singleton

Hey Rajeev - How is the route now, considering that it has been pouring badly in Kerala last week ?

Coincidence. Was just typing out a post when your post popped up. Details below

Returned today. Mysore Route while going and the Kanakpura route on the return. It was raining heavily all the way from Calicut till Bandipur today. Key observations

• Felt Mysore Road more comfortable than before with respect to the road conditions. Humps are all well marked, felt a reduction in the number. Few nasty ones-Like the rumble strips at Bidadi, have been removed and replaced with a single hump.
  
• Mysore-Nanjangud has become patchy and noticed at least 2 big pot holes. Nothing to worry, but not as smooth as it was a few months back
  
• Nanjangud-Gundlepet is smooth, but the new humps that have come up in the last few months are a concern, they are mostly big ones in set of 3 rumbler form. So quite an inconvenience.
  
• Gundlepet CCD standard has deteriorated further. Rest rooms have not been very clean in the last couple of trips. Food items anyway have been average. Plan to try Misty Rock next time.
  
• Post that, smooth roads almost till Vythiri. The newly laid stretches are holding up.
  
• Vythiri to Calicut, several small stretches with issues. Vythiri to Churam start has quite a few pot holes developing. Few hundred meters before the churam, couple of bad stretches, several of the hair-pin bends have also developed pot holes. Small bad stretches around Kunnamangalam.

Overall still nothing to worry about, but I remember when I went in May, there was not a single pot hole from Bangalore to Calicut. So that situation has changed. No changes in the Kanakpura Route.

Within Calicut, Roads have deteriorated. Lot of bad sections.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by singleton

Hey Rajeev - How is the route now, considering that it has been pouring badly in Kerala last week ? Planning to go next week with family.

Just re-quoting since I realized that you may not have got the quote notification since I manually adjusted the quotes. Update requested is in the above post.

One more point I missed to add, there is a new set of yellow barricades with a couple of policemen/guards a few hundred meters before for the forest entry. Kind of surprised me as it was not there the last time. I was not stopped, but noticed a Maruti 800 with a bunch of guys being stopped.

[coolclouds]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

[*]Mysore-Nanjangud has become patchy and noticed at least 2 big pot holes. Nothing to worry, but not as smooth as it was a few months back
[*]Nanjangud-Gundlepet is smooth, but the new humps that have come up in the last few months are a concern, they are mostly big ones in set of 3 rumbler form. So quite an inconvenience.

What is your take on Kanakpura-Chamarajnagar-Gundlupet route druing peak hours? I personally don't like the stretch between Mysore and Nanjangud for its high traffic and humps.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by coolclouds

What is your take on Kanakpura-Chamarajnagar-Gundlupet route druing peak hours? I personally don't like the stretch between Mysore and Nanjangud for its high traffic and humps.

Bangalore-Kanakpura traffic can be heavy during peak hours. Beyond that traffic has always been thin in all my trips irrespective of whether it has been a regular day or a weekend or even a long weekend. The local bike traffic can be a little high on the Chamrajnagar-Kollegal stretch.

For a early morning start from Bangalore, it will make no real difference in the time taken to Gundlepet. That's why I stick to Mysore route on my onward drives when I leave at 5 am.

[kala]

Originally Posted by binand

The next thing to look for is the arch across the road announcing the Tiger Reserve and WLS. Soon, you will find the permanently closed road into the forest, and the forest bypass road that turns left. The bypass road has been relaid recently and is a beautiful road; except for 2 stretches - 400m and 200m as per my odometer - which are still flat but jerky (no potholes). At the end of the bypass you go through a boom gate and then you merge with the true alignment of SH 33.

Travelled to Thirunelli and back over the weekend. Took the Kanakapura-Malavalli-Bannur-Mysore-HDKote Handpost-Bavali route. The 2 untarred stretches that Binand refers to above has also been completely tarred now (No white lines for the road boundaries and no markings for speed breakers yet) and SH33 is now a pleasant drive all through (Except for the speed breakers in the forest stretch of course - but those didn't bother me too much because I drive pretty slowly anyway when inside forest areas).

Recall seeing quite some criticism about the bad state of the Malavalli-Bannur-Mysore road recently - and may be because my expectations were very low, I was pleasantly surprised to see the road condition to be very decent except for a couple of kms around Bannur town. Yes there are speedbreakers near every village, but generally a peaceful drive, and the 128 kms from NICE road / Kanakapura Road Jn to Mysore Ring Road junction took me exactly 2 hours 8 minutes.

Could average around 60 kmph till DammanaKatte (the entrance gate of the Nagarahole sanctuary where the diversion through villages starts) - Took me 3 hrs 18 minutes for the 197 kms till there. The villages / forest drive was slower from thereon and reached Kattikkulam in 4 hrs 20 minutes (237 kms), and Thirunelli in 4 hours 50 minutes (257 kms)

I'd say this would be the best choice as of now to get to North Wayanad (Mananthavady, Thirunelli etc) as well as South Coorg (Kutta / Iruppu falls etc). May be a good choice to get to Tellicherry / Kannur as well if the road conditions of Periya / Palchuram ghat sections are OK (Haven't been that way for a while now, so not sure of that)

[arjithin]

Back from a quick run to CLT (Chathamangalam).
Onward : 16th sept 1.50 pm to 9.35 pm
Return : 17th Sept 1.00 pm to 9.30 pm
Route(both side) : Whitefield - silkboard - e city - kanakpura - C. Nagar - gundlupet - batheri - koduvalli - NIT.

As usual Kanakpura road is very good to drive on until C Nagar. We passed Malavalli area in the evening and the small hills near the waterfall looked so beautiful with the green cover.
C nagara to Gundlupet - Patchy, no change in road conditions.
Gundlupet to muthanga - few more trenches are dug up near the village limits. Its better to take those at 80kmph+ speeds ( fly ).
Muthanga- batheri - potholes closed, no issues.
Choondale - 6 th hairpin bend - expect 1 feet deep potholes to appear all of a sudden; don't tailgate or you will miss it
Around 2 km section on the top of Ghatroad - bad condition.

Crossing Bangalore during evening traffic was a pain in my return.

[Rajeevraj]

Has anyone tried the 'misty rock' hotel opposite the CCD in gundlepet. Are the restrooms better than CCD? How about breakfast?. Driving tomorrow and was looking for an alternative to CCD which was pretty average last time.

[majumon]

Planning to return tomorrow morning from Perinthalmann via Manjeri Mukkom Areecode Thamarassery chamarajnagar to Bangalore. Intended to return through Nilambur but not sure what is the status at Gudalur due to TN unrest. Was returning from Silent valley took the decision to halt here due to the HC verdict and possible unrest through TN.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Has anyone tried the 'misty rock' hotel opposite the CCD in gundlepet. Are the restrooms better than CCD? How about breakfast?. Driving tomorrow and was looking for an alternative to CCD which was pretty average last time.

Answering my own question. Stopped at misty rock today. Decent place. Dosa items were oily, but things like poori were good. Rest rooms were decent. Overall felt it a better option than CCD. There was a decent crowd too. Drive was uneventful. No change in road conditions from what has been posted recently.

[Rajeevraj]

Forgot to add. There were police squad's stopping vehicles in 3 places in the kapetta vythiri chundale stretch. I was not stopped. Today read in the paper that checks on other state registered vehicles will be stepped up. Reason mentioned is to increase revenue collection, but wonder if it is a tit for tat against the checking happening in Bangalore.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Forgot to add. There were police squad's stopping vehicles in 3 places in the kapetta vythiri chundale stretch.

I was stopped (KA vehicle) after Sultan Battery last time. Along with me another AP registered Santro also was stopped.

When I showed the RC, the inspector asked about the make of the vehicle. I felt that was for checking PUC, when I told it is less than 6 months old he asked me to carry on.

However saw the Santro checked for PUC and fined for sun film. Seems they were left off soon since around Gundulpet when I stopped I saw them zipping past.

Those were traffic police squads and not RTO.