[Rajeevraj]

Did Calicut-Bangalore today via the usual Bathery-Mysore route. Few small updates.

• Road conditions are pretty good throughout. Few of the hair pin bends have again broken down. Disappointing to see this since these were repaired with great fan fare just a year back.
  
• Noticed a new place (< 6 months old) 'Food Lounge' a 2-3 km before Kalpetta on the right. Looked good from outside.
  
• With most work done, the road from Bandipur exit all the way to Mysore Ring Road is in excellent condition. Nanjangud-Mysore is completely transformed into a 4 lane stretch and looks unrecognizable from its previous avatar. My last trip was 6 months back. Lot of changes
  
• Toll booths are in finishing stages. Expect the toll booth at the Mysore end to become a bottle neck during peak times.
  
• As already mentioned by others, with roadworks complete and the right ring of the Mysore ring road open, travel time on this stretch has really reduced. With a 6am start from Calicut, I was at Columbia Asia at 9.55am. Mostly in the 80-90kmph range even in the fast sections. And this includes slowness in the ghats due to heavy lorry traffic.
  
• Expect this to go up again once the toll collection starts. The toll booths seems insufficient to handle heavy traffic.
  
• Got stuck for 40 min at Channapatna due to a religious procession. Was a big mess.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

As already mentioned by others, with roadworks complete and the right ring of the Mysore ring road open, travel time on this stretch has really reduced. With a 6am start from Calicut, I was at Columbia Asia at 9.55am.
....
Got stuck for 40 min at Channapatna due to a religious procession. Was a big mess.

I guess you meant the right ring of Mysore Ring Road when coming from Nanjangud, so that would get you opposite to Columbia Asia ? If so, you could have take the Bannur road at the intersection before Columbia Asia junction and then Malavalli-Kanakapura - it may have helped in terms of time taken and to avoid the stressful towns of Mandya, Channapatna, et all on the Mysore Road.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by NPV

I guess you meant the right ring of Mysore Ring Road when coming from Nanjangud, so that would get you opposite to Columbia Asia ? If so, you could have take the Bannur road at the intersection before Columbia Asia junction and then Malavalli-Kanakapura - it may have helped in terms of time taken and to avoid the stressful towns of Mandya, Channapatna, et all on the Mysore Road.

Yes, Right ring when coming from Nanjangud. I did think about taking Bannur-Malavalli, but 2 reasons why I decided against it.

• I had not stopped for breakfast and was planning to stop at someplace just after getting into Mysore-Bangalore Road. Since there is nothing good on the 'Right' Ring stretch as well as on the Bannur-Kanakpura route, did not have the choice to change the plan.
  
• Typically if I expect to hit Mysore before lunch time, I tend to prefer Mysore Route- Even if it is Sunday. This was a Monday and based on my progress, I knew I would cross Mysore by ~10am (which was why I did not stop for breakfast at Gundlepet). With minimal humps and barricades, I find Mysore Road pretty fast at these times. Time gains, if any, would have been minimal (Of course, in hindsight, it would have been much faster due to the block I encountered)

Apart from that mess at Channapatna, the traffic was pretty light and progress was fast. In fact, bhpian Sandsun7, who was ~1 hr behind me, did not encounter the blocks at Channapatna at all.

Of course, during any kind of peak times, Kanakpura-Bannur route is a no brainer. In fact , few of us were discussing, it no longer makes sense to take the Kollegala-Chamrajnagar route with the Ring Road-Nanjangud-Gundlepet in such excellent condition. This is till the toll booths become operational-Then we will be back hunting for alternative routes during peak times.

[sandsun7]

As Rajeev noted, there is no real time gain on taking the Kanakapura road from Mysore if you cross Mysore before 12 PM or even 1 PM. The real rush starts post noon. Even on Sundays, I always take NH 275 if I manage to be at Mysore before 12-12.30

[KiloAlpha]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

...

• ...
• Noticed a new place (< 6 months old) 'Food Lounge' a 2-3 km before Kalpetta on the right. Looked good from outside.
  ...
  

Spent the whole of last week in Wayanad, and ended up eating lunch in Food Lounge one day. The plan was to have lunch in Kalpetta, but seeing this place on the way, our collective stomachs decided to stop and eat

Food is good. Menu spread is limited, though.
Service was very unpredictable - one moment really heart-warmingly nice, next moment frustrating. I am not sure the owners/managers have got things going smoothly as yet.
Toilets are decent.

[binand]

I was in Calicut during the weekend - Friday morning (3:45 AM) departure from Bangalore, return was today morning.

The key new update on the route is that the two new toll booths on NH 212 are nearly ready - they just need to fill in the toll amounts. :-)

The Koothanur toll booth (11° 46' 48.62" N 76° 36' 54.11" E) is about halfway between Gundlupet and the forest edge. The design of this booth is a bit weird; it has 3+3 lanes; the up and down collection points are separated by about 100m. So all vehicles that clear the three lanes in one direction seem to me have to converge to one lane while passing the collection points for the other direction. Plus there is some question as to how outsized vehicles would clear the opposite direction building. Strange design. See from 1:35 onwards.

https://youtu.be/03naScDi5qE

The Kadakola toll booth (12° 12' 49.47" N, 76° 39' 45.11" E) arrives about 5 km after the junction of NH 212 with the Mysore Ring Road. The booth is at 2:05 onwards in the below video. At 7:25 in the video you can see a diversion in Kadakola town where the southbound traffic is forced to take the northbound carriageway. This is the last diversion in this route, and possibly toll will start once the reason for this is fixed.

https://youtu.be/xpQhgYnknxc

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

Did Calicut-Bangalore today via the usual Bathery-Mysore route.

• As already mentioned by others, with roadworks complete and the right ring of the Mysore ring road open, travel time on this stretch has really reduced. With a 6am start from Calicut, I was at Columbia Asia at 9.55am. Mostly in the 80-90kmph range even in the fast sections. And this includes slowness in the ghats due to heavy lorry traffic.

Just curios, from which part of Calicut do you start? From Malaparamb bypass till the ring road junction in Mysore, it is 200km and if you have to reach Columbia Asia by 9:55am, it is even more distance. If you have to cover this distance, you have to maintain a 50kmph average speed. I am never able to achieve this with 80-90kmph maximum speed on this section (With the ghat and the 38 humps to cover inside the forest). I start from Calicut University.

Originally Posted by sandsun7

As Rajeev noted, there is no real time gain on taking the Kanakapura road from Mysore if you cross Mysore before 12 PM or even 1 PM. The real rush starts post noon. Even on Sundays, I always take NH 275 if I manage to be at Mysore before 12-12.30

I have a slightly different opinion though. After the completion of road construction, I always take the Malavalli route. There are two reasons for this. First one, I found this route to be faster and the second one is, I encounter much less racers and towns on this route, which makes my drive relaxing. I stay on Bannerghatta road (2km from NICE road) and it makes a lot of sense for me.

[binand]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

From Malaparamb bypass till the ring road junction in Mysore, it is 200km and if you have to reach Columbia Asia by 9:55am, it is even more distance. If you have to cover this distance, you have to maintain a 50kmph average speed. I am never able to achieve this with 80-90kmph maximum speed on this section (With the ghat and the 38 humps to cover inside the forest). I start from Calicut University.

The university is about 25 km from the city, isn't it? That would add about 30 minutes to your time. Here is how I do home-MRR in under 4 hours (I start from near BMH, and for me the MRR junction is 205 km):

BMH - Adivaram - 60 mins (44 km) [incl. time from my home till BMH]
Adivaram - Lakkidi (churam) - 25 mins (12 km)
Lakkidi - Muthanga (forest entry) - 70 mins (54 km)
Muthanga - Maddur (forest exit) - 30 mins (25 km)
Maddur - Mysore (MRR junction) - 60 mins (70 km)

Also:

MRR till Columbia Asia junction - 15 mins (17 km)
Columbia Asia junction to NICE junction - 105 mins (118 km)
NICE junction to home - bhagwan bharose (about 35 km)

These are approximate and could be a few minutes here or there. I start before daybreak (starting 4 AM usually) and drive mostly solo, one-stop (for breakfast at A2B near Maddur).

Driving before daybreak saves me at least 30-40 minutes till Muthanga, and the newly constructed roads till Mysore saves a further 20-30 minutes (driving solo saves another 1.5 hours ). These times have been fairly consistent in the last several trips for me (the only unknown is fog which could delay things by up to 30 minutes).

Originally Posted by A350XWB

After the completion of road construction, I always take the Malavalli route. There are two reasons for this. First one, I found this route to be faster and the second one is, I encounter much less racers and towns on this route, which makes my drive relaxing.

As a recent convert from the Malavally-Chamarajanagar/Bannur routes, I can tell you those are not faster any longer. I agree with the second reason though.

And all this greatness only till they start toll collection, I expect. :-)

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

Just curios, from which part of Calicut do you start? From Malaparamb bypass till the ring road junction in Mysore, it is 200km and if you have to reach Columbia Asia by 9:55am, it is even more distance. If you have to cover this distance, you have to maintain a 50kmph average speed. I am never able to achieve this with 80-90kmph maximum speed on this section (With the ghat and the 38 humps to cover inside the forest). I start from Calicut University.

Originally Posted by binand

BMH - Adivaram - 60 mins (44 km) [incl. time from my home till BMH]
Adivaram - Lakkidi (churam) - 25 mins (12 km)
Lakkidi - Muthanga (forest entry) - 70 mins (54 km)
Muthanga - Maddur (forest exit) - 30 mins (25 km)
Maddur - Mysore (MRR junction) - 60 mins (70 km)

Also:

MRR till Columbia Asia junction - 15 mins (17 km)
Columbia Asia junction to NICE junction - 105 mins (118 km)
NICE junction to home - bhagwan bharose (about 35 km)

These are approximate and could be a few minutes here or there. I start before daybreak (starting 4 AM usually) and drive mostly solo, one-stop (for breakfast at A2B near Maddur).
And all this greatness only till they start toll collection, I expect. :-)

I start from Nadakkav area. Very close to Malaparambu Bypass. Timings would be very similar to what Binand has mentioned. I start typically between 5.30 and 6 and reach Adivaram in ~45 min. Rest of it is in line with what Binand has mentioned. Depending on how lucky you are with traffic in the Churam, between Vythiri and Kalpetta, Gundlpet and Nanjangud towns, you end up saving 10-15 min more.

All these fell in place for this drive mentioned. Hence the timing. Once the toll starts, this advantage will be lost.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by binand

The university is about 25 km from the city, isn't it? That would add about 30 minutes to your time. Here is how I do home-MRR in under 4 hours (I start from near BMH, and for me the MRR junction is 205 km)

I usually start @5am from University and it takes 7 to 8h for me, door to door, with couple of breaks. My breakfast is usually around 7-7:30am at Wilton, Bathery.

Originally Posted by binand

driving solo saves another 1.5 hours

That explains a lot. I travel with my family (wife and 2 kids (one is 1year 4 months old)). The churam is one place where I have to really slow down as my wife gets uncomfortable on winding ghat roads. Also, I have to make couple of breaks for my younger one. When driving solo, I've done similar or slightly better timings as what you mentioned (guilty )

Originally Posted by binand

As a recent convert from the Malavally-Chamarajanagar/Bannur routes, I can tell you those are not faster any longer. I agree with the second reason though.

And one more reason for me to choose the Malavalli route is the tree cover it provides for the breaks I take for my kid. Earlier, there was good shade till Mysore but now, there is almost no place after you leave Gundlupet. I take all the 3 routes once in a while.

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I start from Nadakkav area.
All these fell in place for this drive mentioned. Hence the timing. Once the toll starts, this advantage will be lost.

Yes, once the toll starts, I think I need to go back to the Chamarajnagar route :(

[binand]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

I take all the 3 routes once in a while.

3? From Gundlepet to Bangalore, there are 3 routes. From Calicut to Gundlepet, 2. There are 2 routes from Calicut to Mananthavady and 3 from Mananthavady to Mysore, none of which touch Gundlupet. Not to mention two alternative Mysore-Bangalore routes (apart from BM Road).

Many of these have sub-routes. Altogether in the 375-400 km range there must be about 15-20 different combinations. Sufficient to say, there are so many options that I, despite my wanderlust, haven't covered them all.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by binand

3? From Gundlepet to Bangalore, there are 3 routes. From Calicut to Gundlepet, 2. There are 2 routes from Calicut to Mananthavady and 3 from Mananthavady to Mysore, none of which touch Gundlupet. Not to mention two alternative Mysore-Bangalore routes (apart from BM Road).

I was only talking about the 3 major routes from Bangalore to Gundlupet. As you told, there are many more routes, if you want to travel from Bangalore to Calicut. But with family, I stick to the 3 most traveled routes from Bangalore to Gundlupet and take either the Bathery or Gudalur route depending on the mood. As I've to go to University, the Gudalur-Nilambur-Kondotty route is better for me, if I'm early.

[binand]

Originally Posted by A350XWB

As you told, there are many more routes, if you want to travel from Bangalore to Calicut. But with family, I stick to the 3 most traveled routes from Bangalore to Gundlupet

Yep, with kids you are limited in your choices. And if they have travelling sickness all the more so. When I'm travelling with my family it is a leisurely 9-hour affair with long food breaks, site-seeing breaks and just-like-that breaks. :-)

[VindyWheels]

Hi,

We need to go to Calicut from Mananthavady. Does anyone have inputs on the Thottilpalam-Perambra route?

Best Regards

VW

[binand]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

We need to go to Calicut from Mananthavady. Does anyone have inputs on the Thottilpalam-Perambra route?

Been a while since I have taken this road. My last update is:

Mananthavady-Niravilpuzha has bad surface. Unless you are on a tank-like car this stretch will restrict you to 30-40 kmph and is quite bumpy.

Niravilpuzha-Thottilpalam is quite narrow ghat road, but good quality. Bit of hit or miss based on whether you end up behind a truck/bus or a slow-moving vehicle. I think barely 1.5 buses wide.

Thottilpalam-Perambra-Ullyeri-Atholy-Calicut bypass is standard Kerala state highway stuff. Generally wide enough for two buses but with narrower stretches, especially in the towns. Hardly any shoulder space, and where it exists, only soft shoulder. You might be able to maintain a decent clip since it is a Sunday, but I wouldn't bet on it.

If you have the choice, I'd suggest taking the Mananthavady-Kalpetta-Thamarassery-Calicut route. Nearly the same distance, but much better roads.