[ajithbr]

Originally Posted by asifpm

This the route finally I have chosen. Upto Ulliyeri road is good. From Ulliyeri, I had taken taken this route Ulliyeri-> Perambra-> Kuttiyadi-> Nadapuram-> Mekkunnu -> Thaliparamba

But there is another route from Perambra which directly hits NH17 at Payyoli. This is was suggested one workshop guy, but I stick to the old route Perambra -> Kuttiyadi and further to thaliparamba..

Please provide your timings and route conditions on each stretch as I had outlined before. Also, where all did you stop for food-breaks and your comments on the hotels?

Did you go upto Thaliparamba? I thought you were going upto Kuthuparamba on your way to Siddapura. And where exactly is Mekkunnu?

Choosing not to goto Payyoli to join NH-17 was indeed a wise choice since you will embrace back the hell/mess what you had intended to avoid in the first place by diverting away from NH-17 around Calicut. Also, Perambra->Payyoli road is a narrow one with lots of local traffic and prone to waterlogging when rains happen.

Please provide all possible details you can about the "Ulliyeri-> Perambra-> Kuttiyadi-> Nadapuram-> Mekkunnu -> Thaliparamba" leg of your journey too.

[asifpm]

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Please provide your timings and route conditions on each stretch as I had outlined before. Also, where all did you stop for food-breaks and your comments on the hotels?

We started by 4.45 from Muvattupuzha. We had a 20 mints break at Angamally just before entering NH47. On the left side adjacent to mosque there is 24hr restaurant - we had tea from there. By 8.15 we are at Edappal.. We had a break there for breakfast-we had packed bread omelet. We had a tea/cfee from a nearby small teashop on road-side. Infact our expectation was we would reach Orange county at the latest by 1PM - 2PM. Furthur also road were very good. Only at Malappuram, we have to be bit cautious to get into Manjeri route. From Majeri I know there is a deviation to Nilambur and other to Areekode. So we checked with local people much ahead of that deviation,

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Did you go upto Thaliparamba? I thought you were going upto Kuthuparamba on your way to Siddapura. And where exactly is Mekkunnu?

Sorry it was Koothuparambu... At Mekkunnu junction ( very small junction) , you will have to take right at towards Koothuparambu. Seeing that few vehicles took a right, we inquired the route and further we have to turn back and take left at that junction.

Originally Posted by ajithbr

Choosing not to goto Payyoli to join NH-17 was indeed a wise choice since you will embrace back the hell/mess what you had intended to avoid in the first place by diverting away from NH-17 around Calicut. Also, Perambra->Payyoli road is a narrow one with lots of local traffic and prone to waterlogging when rains happen.

This initial stretch of the road was very narrow even the locals claim that its a bus route.

Please provide all possible details you can about the "Ulliyeri-> Perambra-> Kuttiyadi-> Nadapuram-> Mekkunnu -> Thaliparamba" leg of your journey too.[/quote]

This stretch is very bad.. I would say max km/hr achievable is 25 - 30km/hr. On the day we were travelling, there were water-logging even it was just drizzling.
Roughly 2hr30mnts taken on this route Ulliyeri-> Perambra-> Kuttiyadi-> Nadapuram-> Mekkunnu -> Koothuparambu.
I remember we touched Pookode - thats was the only reasonable big town after Ulliyeri where you can have some food.. But we didnt stop there also.
This is the route we followed Muvattupuzha-Koothuparambu

[Sportsmind]

Latest road condition and recommended route from Calicut to Trivandrum please. Planning a month end trip, will leave Calicut by 6 a.m at least to avoid the morning traffic.

[rajeev k]

Trichur, Ernakulam, Alleppy, Quilon Trivandrum would be fine. Road condition is quite good at this point of time and is recommended. I did it very recently.

[Sportsmind]

Originally Posted by rajeev k

Trichur, Ernakulam, Alleppy, Quilon Trivandrum would be fine. Road condition is quite good at this point of time and is recommended. I did it very recently.

How many hours will this journey take from Calicut to Tvm?. Plan to leave Calicut by 6a.m. Any recommendations on decent break points on this route.

[rajeev k]

Originally Posted by Sportsmind

How many hours will this journey take from Calicut to Tvm?. Plan to leave Calicut by 6a.m. Any recommendations on decent break points on this route.

From Calicut to Ernakulam would take around 3 1/2 hours only at that time with sober driving.
There are two route choices.
1) From Kunnamkulam then via Guruvayoor, to Kodungallur then Ernakulam.
2) via Trichur to Ernakulam
With the 4lane toll road complete from Trichur to Alwaye, the second one is the best.
Proceed through the Ernakulam bypass to Alleppy and then to Trivandrum via Quilon. The bad stretch is between Alleppy and near Quilon.(NH 47) Since you would be traveling during the morning peak it may take 4 1/2 hours. max.
You can have breaks at either Trichur or Ernakulam and then at Quilon.
Sarovaram at Ernakulam bypass is a good vegetarian hotel.
Alleppy has a nice KTDC drive in motel.

[Bigzero]

The Chamravattom bridge over Bharatappuzha connecting Tirur and Ponnani was inaugurated a few days ago, and there is a news item that KSRTC has started some 28 new services along that route. It is said that the distance comes down by around 35-40 km or so. I am not sure about the time savings though, considering that the roads, as they are now, are somewhat narrow and crowded (at specific points ), which means that you will be maintaining lower speeds. However, traffic can be expected to be much less on this route. I believe this is part of a longer-term plan to strengthen the coastal highway as a good alternate option for the existing NH alignment.

Any first-hand experiences? Here is a news link:
Chamravattom Bridge thrown open to public - South India - Kerala - ibnlive

Here is another link from KSRTC blog:
KSRTC Blog – Kerala State Road Transport Corporation – KSRTC Started 28 Services through Chamravattom Bridge

Looks promising. I guess things will improve over the next year or so; the roads on both sides will have to be widened to start with.

[SAPVEN]

Hi Friends,
Went through this thread, but could not get a clear picture of the best route from TRICHUR-CALICUT . Is the Kunnangulam -Edapal-Kuttipuram road good ?

Would appreciate some help here.

Regards,

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by SAPVEN

Hi Friends,
Went through this thread, but could not get a clear picture of the best route from TRICHUR-CALICUT . Is the Kunnangulam -Edapal-Kuttipuram road good ?

Would appreciate some help here.

Regards,

Yes, that is a very good road, better alternative to NH17 which comes via Ponnani.

[SAPVEN]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Yes, that is a very good road, better alternative to NH17 which comes via Ponnani.

Hi Kumar,

Thanks a ton. Meanwhile, since I have not taken that route til now (never had to go to Trichur and then to Calicut), could you give a few directions from Trichur onwards ? I may be travelling late night, so may not have anybody to
ask directions.

Rgds,

Venu

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by SAPVEN

Hi Kumar,

Thanks a ton. Meanwhile, since I have not taken that route til now (never had to go to Trichur and then to Calicut), could you give a few directions from Trichur onwards ? I may be travelling late night, so may not have anybody to
ask directions.

Rgds,

Venu

Easy route. From Trissur Round, take the Guruvayur road - one of the roads radiating out of the Round - and keep going, via Kunnamkulam, Kuttipuram, Edapal, Valanchery, Feroke. It is one straight road, you will see clear signages. Very less traffic at night, pleasure to drive through. At Ramanattukara, where you reach the Calicut bypass, depending on where you want to go inside Calicut city, you can take the bypass too. Budget for 2.5-3 hours for Trissur-Calicut at night.

[SAPVEN]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Easy route. From Trissur Round, take the Guruvayur road - one of the roads radiating out of the Round - and keep going, via Kunnamkulam, Kuttipuram, Edapal, Valanchery, Feroke. It is one straight road, you will see clear signages. Very less traffic at night, pleasure to drive through. At Ramanattukara, where you reach the Calicut bypass, depending on where you want to go inside Calicut city, you can take the bypass too. Budget for 2.5-3 hours for Trissur-Calicut at night.

Thanks Kumar. Looks like a breeze.

Rgds,

[NPV]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Easy route. From Trissur Round, take the Guruvayur road - one of the roads radiating out of the Round - and keep going, via Kunnamkulam, Kuttipuram, Edapal, Valanchery, Feroke. It is one straight road, you will see clear signages. Very less traffic at night, pleasure to drive through. At Ramanattukara, where you reach the Calicut bypass, depending on where you want to go inside Calicut city, you can take the bypass too. Budget for 2.5-3 hours for Trissur-Calicut at night.

Roads on this route were in great condition when I travelled last in May, don't expect it to be bad now. At Valanchery you will have to make a slight left turn, I'm sure there is signage for that. Just make sure you have the list of towns that you will be passing/bypassing on this route from Thrissur to Calicut:
Kunnamkulam - Kuttipuram - Edappal - Valanchery - Kottakkal - Feroke.
As HVK rightly said, you can decide to take the bypass or not at Ramanattukara based on your destination at Calicut.

[rajeev k]

I did Ernakulam Calicut on 26th night. Roads are quite good. Though the Ponnani bridge is open to traffic I went via Trichur as the Angamali -Trichur stretch is too inviting. Reached Trichur after 1015 pm and found that no Hotels were open. Circled the Round twicw and finally settled for some packed grub from a bakery which has already pulled its shutter half. It took nearly three hours up to Calicut Medical College as there was heavy rain for almost an hour.

[Mistakenguy]

Planning to drive down from Calicut to Trivandrum this saturday via the following route.

Calicut - Kottakkal-Edappal-Kuttippuram-Kunnamkulam-Thrissur- Angamaly-Ernakulam.

I am confused whether to take the NH 47 from Ernakulam to Trivandrum or the MC Road via Kottayam. Tempted to take the MC road, its been a long time since I've been on that route. What do you guys suggest ? Road Conditions ?