[procrj]

Planning a quick dash to Kozhikode over the weekend. Planning to stay near Kappad beach - what would be the best route to take?
Yeshwantpur - Kanakpura - Bannur - Gundulpete - Kalpetta - Thamaraserry - Ulliyeri - Kappad or Should I stick to Thamaraserry - kozhikode - Kappad?

Gmaps also shows Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Irrity - Mahe - Kappad and Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Kutta - Mananthavady - Perambra - Kappad. What would be the best route to take onwards and return? Planning to leave by 5 am on Sat morning and by 10.30-11 am on Sunday

[binand]

Originally Posted by procrj

Yeshwantpur - Kanakpura - Bannur - Gundulpete - Kalpetta - Thamaraserry - Ulliyeri - Kappad or Should I stick to Thamaraserry - kozhikode - Kappad?

Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Irrity - Mahe - Kappad and Hunsur - Gonikoppa - Kutta - Mananthavady - Perambra - Kappad.

I can only tell you what to avoid. Mananthavady-Perambra-Ullyeri-Atholi during daytime will be terrible. It is very narrow road with a lot of truck/bus traffic (the tarmac is about one bus wide in the ghat stretches; and barely two buses wide elsewhere).

Thamarassery-Ullyeri-Koyilandi is probably better; from what I have seen of that road, it is a lot wider (2.5 lanes + sufficient shoulder for the most part) so should be OK to take.

Best would be to come all the way till Malaparamba, take the Calicut bypass, and join northbound NH 17 at Vengalam. Probably a few kilometres longer, but generally wide roads throughout.

Unless the Hunsur-Iritty-Mahe route is a much better option.

In the return direction you will hit the Mysore-Bangalore Sunday afternoon traffic (Driving between Bangalore and Mysore) in its full glory. You might want to consider taking NH 48.

[mpksuhas]

+1 to what Binand mentioned.
Best bet is to take Kanakpura - Mallavalli - Bannur - Mysore ring road - Gundlupet - S Batherry - Kalpetta bye-pass - Thamaraserry - Kunnamangalam - Malaparamba junction - Take right on to Calicut bye-pass.

Proceed on Calicut bye-pass towards north where it joins the old NH 17. Few KM's past this junction you need to take left towards Kappad.

Note: Do not take left turn from NH to Kappad at Vengalam, but proceed north and taken any other left turns. There are both tourism department signboards and resort signboards. Hence it is difficult to miss this turn. This will help you avoid the narrow lanes to the maximum.

[procrj]

Originally Posted by binand

Best would be to come all the way till Malaparamba, take the Calicut bypass, and join northbound NH 17 at Vengalam. Probably a few kilometres longer, but generally wide roads throughout.

Will mostly stick to this. Anything I should watchout for between Kalpetta - Malaparamba? Havent driven this route before hence asking.

Mysore-Bangalore Sunday afternoon traffic in its full glory. You might want to consider taking NH 48.

I guess you meant NH 948 via Chamrajnagar - Kanakpura. I was planning to take Srirangpatna - KR pet - CR Patna - YPR or Srirangpatna - Melkote - Bellur Cross - YPR so that I can avoid the mess on Mysore road and Kanakpura

[kala]

Originally Posted by procrj

Will mostly stick to this. Anything I should watchout for between Kalpetta - Malaparamba? Havent driven this route before hence asking.

The Kalpetta-Calicut section of the highway is pretty decent in general - except for the occasional jam in the ghat section.

Make sure you have all your vehicle papers handy. I see cops checking papers on the Muthanga-Kalpetta section most of the times I pass that way - an out of date PUC certificate is the most common target.

Also the Bathery-Kalpetta section has an interceptor stationed almost all the time these days - generally on the straight stretch between Kakkavayal and Muttil. The speed limit on the NH in Wayanad district is apparently 70kmph - not 80 like other national highways in Kerala.

[binand]

Originally Posted by procrj

I guess you meant NH 948 via Chamrajnagar - Kanakpura.

NH 48 is Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore, I think. Joins Tumkur Road a bit ahead of Nelamangala.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by binand

NH 48 is Mangalore-Hassan-Bangalore, I think. Joins Tumkur Road a bit ahead of Nelamangala.

NH48 is the old name. Post new nomenclature, it's NH75 now.

And Chennai Mumbai via Ranipet Krishnagiri is now NH48

So If you are intending to hit Mysore via NH48 (now 75), you can do Nelamangala Bellur Cross (Nelligere) Nagamangala Pandavapura Srirangapatna Mysore.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by procrj

Planning a quick dash to Kozhikode over the weekend. Planning to stay near Kappad beach - what would be the best route to take?

If you're planning an early morning start, you can take either Mysore-Nanjangud-Gundlupet or Kanakapura-chamarajanagar-gundlupet. Taking Bannur route means you still end up going via Najangud so no real advantage there in my opinion since you're starting early (my basic premise) so even Mysore road is fine
From Gundlupet take the regular route to Calicut via Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta, Vythiri, Thamarassery.

As Suhas and others have mentioned, take the Calicut bypass (turn right) before Civil station, to get to Kappad.

Return journey is where you need to avoid Mysore route so consider Gundlupet-chamarajanagar-kanakapura.

[pramodpk]

Which is the best route to reach Ramanattukara/Thenhippalam while coming from Kalpetta. Last time I drove, google maps directed through some interior roads but it was faster/shorter than taking Calicut bypass all the way. This is the route that google maps shows.

https://goo.gl/maps/nN3DECFoBMD2

Can anyone please help with land marks, road condition updates? Thanks in advance.

[kala]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Which is the best route to reach Ramanattukara/Thenhippalam while coming from Kalpetta. Last time I drove, google maps directed through some interior roads but it was faster/shorter than taking Calicut bypass all the way. This is the route that google maps shows.

https://goo.gl/maps/nN3DECFoBMD2

Can anyone please help with land marks, road condition updates? Thanks in advance.

The one shown in the map (turning off at Kunnamangalam and going via Kuttikkattoor to Pantheeramkavu) may be shorter, but that road is quite narrow and if you encounter a slow vehicle in front of you, it is near impossible to overtake on that road and it could end up being slower in the end (as I found out during my only attempt at taking that route)

I think the most reliable one would still be the Calicut bypass turning left at Malapparambu and proceeding straight to Ramanattukara since the road is quite wide all the way, so chances of getting stuck is quite low (except may be a bit of a congestion at Malapparambu and Thondayad signals if you happen to be travelling during peak hours).

An alternate is to take a left at Karanthoor and go via Medical College / Mavoor Road and join the bypass at Thondayad junction, but that also takes approximately the same amount of time, so don't think it is really worth the trouble.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Which is the best route to reach Ramanattukara/Thenhippalam while coming from Kalpetta. Last time I drove, google maps directed through some interior roads but it was faster/shorter than taking Calicut bypass all the way. This is the route that google maps shows.

https://goo.gl/maps/nN3DECFoBMD2

Can anyone please help with land marks, road condition updates? Thanks in advance.

I would also recommend sticking to the by-pass. Once you enter it, the flow would be consistent. Only challenge is the potentially long line at Malaparamba before you can turn left into the Bye-pass. With flyover construction happening at Thondayad and also at the Calicut-Palakkad NH Jn, the congestion maybe higher than normal.

[binand]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Only challenge is the potentially long line at Malaparamba before you can turn left into the Bye-pass.

One possible option to avoid this is to turn towards Chevarambalam which is a couple of kms before the bypass junction. That road I believe is connected to the bypass at several places; or you could go till it's end at Chevayur, turn right and make use of the free left to join the bypass at Thondayad.

[Vysakh]

Originally Posted by kala

An alternate is to take a left at Karanthoor and go via Medical College / Mavoor Road and join the bypass at Thondayad junction, but that also takes approximately the same amount of time, so don't think it is really worth the trouble.

This stretch is in terrible shape with huge potholes at a few places. Avoid.

[arjithin]

Originally Posted by pramodpk

Which is the best route to reach Ramanattukara/Thenhippalam while coming from Kalpetta. Last time I drove, google maps directed through some interior roads but it was faster/shorter than taking Calicut bypass all the way. This is the route that google maps shows.

https://goo.gl/maps/nN3DECFoBMD2

Can anyone please help with land marks, road condition updates? Thanks in advance.

It depends on the time of your travel.
If you are crossing during the peak traffic, take this route. It will save a lot of time. Most of this route is 1.5 lane and its only 11 km long. This should save around 20-30 minutes minimum.

Other times its better to take the regular bypass road.

[binand]

Drove back to Bangalore after our Christmas trip, today. A good development is that the under construction bridge between Mysore and Nanjangud on NH 212, seems to have been opened to traffic - I simply didn't see that detour on my way back (it was there on my way out on 16/12). Similarly the bad patch where an abandoned building blocks the southbound carriageway (acquisition under litigation?) has been repaired, though the building is still there and hence at this point the two carriageways merge and creates an accident hot-spot.