[Alton]

Hi all,
WISHING EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU A VERY HAPPY PROSPEROUS AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR 2010.HAPPY AND SAFE DRIVING.

Planning a road trip to Gandhidham,Gujarat from Hyderabad from 11th Jan to 17th Jan 2010.The ride will be Palio MJD with 3 persons but only one will be driving it.So ,request T-Bhp mates to advise on best route with good roads and a suggestion for night stay .
The driving schedule will be 0330 hrs to maximum 1830 hrs.Extendable till 2100 hrs if the roads permit with less traffic and smooth pavement.Planning to keep travelling time as 2 days for onward and 2 days for return journey with remaining 3 days for work.

The following are my route plans,request to advise:

Route A on NH 211 : Hyderabad - Osmanabad (right diversion before Solapur)-Beed - Aurangabad - Malegaon - Taharabad - Navpur - join Mumbai Vadodara Expressway NH-8 at Panoli - continue till just before Vadodara - turn off left towards Limbdi on NH-8A - Dhrangadhra - Bharau - Gandhidham.
Total of 1427 kms as per Google maps.

Route B on NH 9: Hyderabad - cross Solapur - turn right towards Ahmednagar at Tembhurni - Kopargaon - Manmad - and Taharabad .Then continue as on NH 211 via Expressway - Vadodara - Gandhidham.
Total : 1442 kms.

Route C on NH9: Hyderabad - Pune - Mumbai - Vapi - Vadodara - till Gandhidham. Dont know how many KM?

Regarding night stay,am planning Aurangabad if NH211 and Mumbai if on NH 9.Dont know on other routes.Are there any hotels on the expressway near Panoli?
Is it possible to reach the Expressway by 2100 hrs on the same day if starting by 0330 hrs by NH211or NH 9 Manmad route?
Please advise,since this the first long distance Western India trip by car.
Regards

[Alton]

Gurus! Suggestions please.!

[hvkumar]

Route C:
Hyderabad-Pune-Bombay/Thane, 730 kms
Bombay/Thane-Baroda-Ahmedabad, 530 kms
Ahmedabad-Gandhidam, 360 kms
Totalling 1620 kms

I will take Route C because I have the benefit of the high-speed Pune-Bombay expressway and 4-laned roads all the way thereafter.
I have deliberately chosen to go through Ahmedabad although the route via Baroda-Vasad-Vataman directly to Bagadara can save you 40 kms, but will mean slower drive compared to teh superfast Baroda-A'bad expressway
You can easily bypass Bombay without hassles
You don't get into Ahmedabad city at all, since the Sardar Patel Ring Road will help you connect to the Rajkot highway from Ahmedabad easily.
You will however have to enter Pune city (although a route does exist that bypasses the city)

You can follow the route between Samkhiyari and Bombay in the following log book:
NORTH EAST 2009 - hvkumar | Google Groups
(See the last day of the trip, only difference is that I went into A'bad city, you will continue on the SP Ring Road directly to Expressway.

Why not the other routes?
No substitute for fast 4-lane roads.
Route C is a direct route without any confusion.

In case you want to know the Baroda-Bagodara route (to avoid A'bad), you can refer the following log book:
GUJARAT, Jan 2005 - hvkumar | Google Groups
(check out the onward journey, till Samkhiyari, Gandhidam is 55 kms from there)

If you leave H'bad at the time you want to, you can easily cross Bombay by 5 pm, and opt to stay either at Ghodbunder (20 kms north of Bombay/Thane) or at Vapi, 150 kms north. There are several hotels en route.

[hvkumar]

BTW, your route profile for Route A and B has several mistakes, and you may not be able to relate the place names in the real world. Have you plotted it using Google Maps or any such online map program - if that is so, I am not surprised!

Just to point out a few mistakes:

Route A on NH 211 : Hyderabad - Osmanabad (right diversion before Solapur)-Beed - Aurangabad - Malegaon - Taharabad - Navpur - join Mumbai Vadodara Expressway NH-8 at Panoli - continue till just before Vadodara - turn off left towards Limbdi on NH-8A - Dhrangadhra - Bharau - Gandhidham.
Total of 1427 kms as per Google maps.

In the first place, you take NH9 from H'bad till Umarga or Naldurg.
In the second place, there is no Bombay-Baroda expressway. You join NH8 at Kamrej which is on the Surat bypass.
Thirdly, you do not turn off before Baroda (I don't deny that there is indeed a road.....but that is not the road to ideally take), but after Baroda at Vasad and go via Borsad and Vataman to Bagodara which is on NH8A (highway from A'bad to Rajkot). Limbdi is further down that highway.
Lastly, why should anyone go via Dhrangadhara when the correct route is via Bambanbhore and Morbi.

Route B on NH 9: Hyderabad - cross Solapur - turn right towards Ahmednagar at Tembhurni - Kopargaon - Manmad - and Taharabad .Then continue as on NH 211 via Expressway - Vadodara - Gandhidham.
Total : 1442 kms.

This is what comes out of plotting routes using online map programs. Isn't it simpler to read the map yourself and work out the route, and not let a computer program simply trace out every line on the map and decide on the route? Sorry for these caustic comments, but these had to be said

[Alton]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

BTW, your route profile for Route A and B has several mistakes, and you may not be able to relate the place names in the real world. Have you plotted it using Google Maps or any such online map program - if that is so, I am not surprised!


This is what comes out of plotting routes using online map programs. Isn't it simpler to read the map yourself and work out the route, and not let a computer program simply trace out every line on the map and decide on the route? Sorry for these caustic comments, but these had to be said

GURUJI!!! THANK YOU SIR! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
To point the mistakes and to correct them is truly befitting of an experienced and kind hearted person.
With my computer crashed and rejuvenated just an hour ago I lost all hope of recieving a helping suggestion.
I just happened to check on the post before bedtime and this is what I got!
'The best advice I ever recieved'.
I once again Thank you. For, if not for your pointers I would have simply ended up as some stupid bum out on the highway in a new place ,as a stranger completely helpless and lost.
I stand corrected regarding the online maps.I am carrying an Eicher map.
Now gearing up for the tour,I have just finished loading up my car with all the required gear, courtesy TBHP.Also I have company in the second car ready for the tour.So off tomorrow at 0330 hrs.Seven people in 2 cars - Fiat Palio MJD and a Hyundai Getz GVS.
Thanks .Will post the travellogue.