[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by fundagenie

Guys, need to a do a Bangalore - calicut drive coming week

Nothing much to add apart from what is mentioned already by others.
Just that, if your plan is to drive on a weekend, would suggest you start a bit early. With a 5 AM start you would be able to reach Batherry by around 9.30 AM, if you planning to have breakfast there it may be late.

Also, by time you hit Mysore road it would have started to get crowded by weekend traffic. If possible start around 04.00 AM or so. This would help in decreasing driving time too. With a breakfast break, budget at least 8.30 hours of drive.

Since it's your first time on this route. Do remember to take Kalpetta bye pass. It's easy to miss it if you don't keep an eye for it. Especially on way back.

Also, do carry PUC paper with you. Saw Kerala police checking the same near Kalpetta.

[i20ian]

Originally Posted by fundagenie

Guys, need to a do a Bangalore - calicut drive coming week. This is my very first time in this route. Cos being from TVM, never had to drive via calicut. Would love to experience the very famous thamarasseri churam . So after reading the posts, this is route I planned to take

Electronic city> Nice road> kanakapura> Nanjanagudu> gundlupete> bathery> kalpetta> thamarasseri> calicut

So guys pls suggest if this is a good route considering the following
1. fairly good roads
2. Traffic
3. fooding options
4. safety (day time with family)
5. scenic
6. and finally driving pleasure

The plan is to start at 5am from bangalore and reach calicut by afternoon. Travelling time is not much of an issue, except for my 6yr old getting cranky with time, which means would like to do it in 7-8hrs with the food break.

FundaG

I had driven from Bangalore to Calicut last week. The route was Bangalore- Mysore- gundulpet- bathery- kalpetta- Calicut

I think this would be the better route keeping in mind your constraints bcoz the kanakpura road does not have good food choices. The day traffic might slow you down at certain stretches since it is single lane. It can also be deserted in certain stretches which might not be a safe idea.

Bangalore Mysore road has lot of good restaurants. The roads are overall in good condition except a small stretch in between Mysore and nanjungud. The route is scenic especially after you enter the forest areas. I happened to pass through the area by around 7pm during my onward journey. There were lots of wild elephants to be seen.
Driving through the tamarasseri churam was exciting at night. Though there were lot of buses which laboured through the hair pins. Overall it was a complete drive. You get highways, Ghats, forests, under construction roads, hair pins and what not. Certainly a drive to look forward if you are an enthusiast. Here are a few pics taken during the drive.

[fundagenie]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Slight error in the route. If you go via Kanakpura, you do not go to Nanjangud. Your route should be

Electronic city> Nice road> Mysore> Nanjanagudu> gundlupete> bathery> kalpetta> thamarasseri> calicut

Originally Posted by arjithin

Since it's your first time, I suggest to take the Mysore route. With 5 am start, you can skip most of Mysore traffic and plan to have your breakfast around Mysore.

Originally Posted by binand

With all your constraints, I suggest you should stick to the "normal" route of Bangalore-Ramanagara-Mandya-Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundlupet-Sulthan Bathery-Kalpetta-Thamarassery-Calicut.

[quote=mpksuhas;3931845][quote=fundagenie;3930936]Guys, need to a do a Bangalore - calicut drive coming week/

Nothing much to add apart from what is mentioned already by others.

Originally Posted by i20ian

I had driven from Bangalore to Calicut last week. The route was Bangalore- Mysore- gundulpet- bathery- kalpetta- Calicut

Thanks all for the inputs. However, had to cancel the trip due to some change in plans. But after seeing i20ians snaps and all the suggestions, would surely do it some day soon.

FundaG

[kala]

Tried two alternate bypasses roads for Chamarajnagar last weekend. (For NH209 travellers going towards Gundlupet)

1) Take a right turn at the first signal when entering CR Nagar town (Left turn is the regular NH209 towards the KSRTC bus stand / Coimbatore road, The narrow straight road goes into town, the right turn is the Nanjangud road - SH80 which you need to take). After about 300 meters turn left into the wide divided road opposite Hotel Bhagya Deluxe. This road reaches SH81 to Gundlupet in about 1.2 kms (after a small left turn followed by an immediate right near the private bus stand). About 100 meters near the private bus stand (Point B to C in the map below) is still untarred, but not really a deterrent since it saves you at least 5-10 minutes of passing through the busy road in front of the KSRTC bus stand and a couple of traffic signals.

The only downside is that the bypass has some 4-5 speed breakers - 3 of them on the wide bypass section are quite huge, so people with low slung sedans need to really slow down to avoid scraping the bottom.

2) There is a second bypass that connects SH81 and SH80 which starts from SH81 at a point about 1 km further towards Gundlupet from the point where the first option above joins it. I tried it on my way back since the road looked good from the SH81 side. Only one side of the divided road is tarred now, and it is a good road for about 1.5 kms or so - but the final connection to SH80 (CR Nagar-Nanjangud road) is still a mud track (portion marked in Red on the map). Also the road surface of SH80 didn't appear to be all that great. So I guess trying out this bypass will need to wait some more till the work is complete.

The bypasses marked on Google Maps below.

[sandsun7]

Originally Posted by kala

Tried two alternate bypasses roads for Chamarajnagar last weekend. (For NH209 travellers going towards Gundlupet)
.

A year ago, I had tried the first route while coming from Bangalore side - took the right at the signal, the next left , but had to return back after realizing it was not done - ended abruptly at one point then.

Had seen the second road while coming from Gundlupet side a month ago. Looked all done up from there but did not want to take a risk so went through the normal route.

Thanks for the info, now will try the second route nowonwards.

[kala]

Originally Posted by sandsun7

A year ago, I had tried the first route while coming from Bangalore side - took the right at the signal, the next left , but had to return back after realizing it was not done - ended abruptly at one point then.

Had seen the second road while coming from Gundlupet side a month ago. Looked all done up from there but did not want to take a risk so went through the normal route.

Thanks for the info, now will try the second route nowonwards.

I would suggest waiting some more time before attempting that second route. No work seemed to be in progress in that unfinished mud track portion (about 300-400 meters), and also it took me longer to bypass the town through that route.

But the route (1) I mentioned in my post is a much better option as of now in spite of the humongous speed breakers - It took me only about 3 or 4 minutes from the right turn at the signal to the SH81 junction whereas it used to take around 8 to 10 minutes to pass Chamarajnagar through the old route.

[binand]

Originally Posted by kala

But the route (1) I mentioned in my post is a much better option as of now in spite of the humongous speed breakers

I had once taken this route once, but had decided if I care for my Civic I should avoid this route. :-) Plus more often than not, we have a stop at Nijaguna planned, so eventually gave up on this route mostly.

[Anoopscv]

I am planning to travel to Kozhikode tomorrow morning 5AM. I will be starting from Electronic City. Can someone suggest the best route, is it via Myore-Gundlupet or Kanakapura-Gundlupet?

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by Anoopscv

I am planning to travel to Kozhikode tomorrow morning 5AM. I will be starting from Electronic City. Can someone suggest the best route, is it via Myore-Gundlupet or Kanakapura-Gundlupet?

Have you tried the Mysore->Handpost->Bavali->Manathavady->Kalpetta route? That may also be an option. The roads are really good and at the early morning hours it would be very less crowded. The route is also a scenic one. With a 0500Hrs start check if the big Toyota factory on Mysore road would have their shift change at that time. Then expect a long slow convoy of their buses on Mysore road.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Anoopscv

I am planning to travel to Kozhikode tomorrow morning 5AM. I will be starting from Electronic City. Can someone suggest the best route, is it via Myore-Gundlupet or Kanakapura-Gundlupet?

if you can start by 4.30-5am, Mysore Road should be fine. Beyond that advisable to take the Kanakpura Route.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Anoopscv

I am planning to travel to Kozhikode tomorrow morning 5AM. I will be starting from Electronic City. Can someone suggest the best route, is it via Myore-Gundlupet or Kanakapura-Gundlupet?

You can take Mysore route, endure the 18-20Km widening work on Mysore-Nanjangud section, should be manageable as you're starting at 5am. Rest of the route is fine from Nanjangud-Gundlupet-Bathery-Kalpetta-Vythiri-Thamarassery-Kozhikode

Alternately, you can also do Bangalore-Kanakapura-Malavalli-Kollegal-Chamarajanagar, stop at Nijaguna Residency for breakfast, then Gundlupet and rest of the route same as the other one.

*Tomorrow being a holiday and beginning of long weekend, I think Mysore road route would see heavy traffic, consider avoiding this if you start beyond 5am.

[kala]

Originally Posted by Anoopscv

I am planning to travel to Kozhikode tomorrow morning 5AM. I will be starting from Electronic City. Can someone suggest the best route, is it via Myore-Gundlupet or Kanakapura-Gundlupet?

If you have no problems in driving on 2 lane roads, the Kanakapura route would be the low traffic stress-free option with good roods almost all the way through (except for very short rough patches between Chamarajnagar and Gundlupet). Mysore road would definitely have much more traffic, and you also need to contend with the speed breakers / barriers on SH17 and the road construction activity in the Mysore-Nanjangud stretch.

With a 5AM start you should be in Chamarajanagar by 7:30 / 8 and that would probably be ideal place for a breakfast stop. Nijaguna Residency is the most recommended restaurant here, but for people who aren't very fussy about decor, the Mayura Rajadhani restaurant in front of the KSRTC bus stand also serves quite decent food (not sure about the quality of toilets though). Another restaurant that I noticed the first time during my last trip named Hotel Bhagya Veg. Delux seemed decent from the outside and may be worth a try. (It's at the corner where the new bypass starts - see my message a couple of days back. Some photos of this restaurant available on http://chamarajanagar.nammuru.com/hotelbhagya/ )

[silversteed]

Originally Posted by kala

...Mayura Rajadhani restaurant in front of the KSRTC bus stand also serves quite decent food (not sure about the quality of toilets though). Another restaurant that I noticed the first time during my last trip named Hotel Bhagya Veg. Delux

The toilets in Mayura Rajadhani were horrible the last (and only) time I stopped there - the ladies' room didn't have a latch inside, and was dirty. Maybe I'll try the Bhagya hotel on my next trip, if the timings match.

[Anoopscv]

Thanks to all the inputs. If I could start before 5AM, will take Mysore road else Kanakapura Road.

[mpksuhas]

Originally Posted by silversteed

The toilets in Mayura Rajadhani were horrible

Yes, had faced the same issue. Rajadhani was having very badly maintained toilets. Infact, KSRTC bus stand next to the hotel has better paid toilets. Nowadays stop over there for any bio-stops.