[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by nileshch

Don't know if you have taken this route earlier. But had read somewhere on TBHP that this may not be the best. Roads are not good for quite a stretch. I had considered this route when coming from Jalgaon to Bangalore. Finally came via Nanded and Hyderabad.

Thanks Nilesh for your inputs. Yes, I am aware that the stretch we intend to take during our return is not in the best of shape. We are 3 friends who would consider an alternate route only from exploitation perspective as NH4 has become too monotonous and boring.

Originally Posted by ampere

@Condor had covered this section some time back. He said, it tires you down. Bijapur-Sholapur is a 2-lane highway, with trucks.

Bijapur-Hospet : 4-lane.
Hospet Bypas: The lesser said the better.

Hospet-Chitradurga : Decent enough 2-lane (Regularly updated in the Hampi thread).

I would say take the regular road. There is not even a scenery to enjoy on the alternative route. Unless you want to take a day off at Hampi. Again not worth it, as it would be hot.

Yes Amp, aware of that. In fact, one of the friends with us regularly does Bangalore-Sholapur via Bijapur and the latest was 3 weeks back. Any alternate route deviating from the usual one will be purely for experimentation and to be honest we really don't have time constraints and nor we are traveling with our families.

This was also the same reason we took the combination of NH17, NH 206 and NH4 (Only Tumkur to Bangalore) on our return from Mumbai 2 months before. We paid a toll of less than 100 bucks and spent almost double time than the fast NH4

[evilshantanu]

Another Pune trip coming up in the first week of April.
How is the current condition of the broadening of the stretch?

My plan is the same as before, leave Bangalore at 4 am so that major traffic can be avoided by 6:30 am, by that time I will cross Chitradurga.

[cyberwhizs]

Traveling from mumbai on the 23rd - will have late start around 8 am, after dropping off my family at the airport. Driving solo, so if anyone planning on the same day, we can catch/convoy up. Most probably will have to take a night halt somewhere enroute - maybe dharwad or davengere. Not too comfortable with night driving and i know i will be tired by then...

[goandude]

Guys, leaving tomorrow Bangalore to Pune. Plan 1st stop at Chitradurga for B'fast and some where around Belgaum for lunch. Any suggestions besides Sankam. Ideally the place should be right on NH4 with quick service (read thali type meals) with reasonably clean toilets. 50 Km +/- is OK. How are the hotels on rt side of road just before Nipani ghat?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by goandude

How are the hotels on rt side of road just before Nipani ghat?

I think they are on the left while you drive towards Kolhapur.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by goandude

Guys, leaving tomorrow Bangalore to Pune. Plan 1st stop at Chitradurga for B'fast and some where around Belgaum for lunch. Any suggestions besides Sankam. Ideally the place should be right on NH4 with quick service (read thali type meals) with reasonably clean toilets. 50 Km +/- is OK. How are the hotels on rt side of road just before Nipani ghat?

There are a couple of Kamath hotels attached to the Reliance Pumps. (& are on the left as u go to Pune!!),Remember one before Belgaum. Do a search on MapmuIndia online maps.

[nileshch]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Thanks Nilesh for your inputs. Yes, I am aware that the stretch we intend to take during our return is not in the best of shape. We are 3 friends who would consider an alternate route only from exploitation perspective as NH4 has become too monotonous and boring.

Any alternate route deviating from the usual one will be purely for experimentation and to be honest we really don't have time constraints and nor we are traveling with our families.

This was also the same reason we took the combination of NH17, NH 206 and NH4 (Only Tumkur to Bangalore) on our return from Mumbai 2 months before. We paid a toll of less than 100 bucks and spent almost double time than the fast NH4

I can understand that and for the exact same reason, I took a route different from NH4 when coming from Jalgaon to Bangalore. Would be good if you can update the status on the roads on the relevant thread once you take this trip!

[santoshr]

Originally Posted by sridhar-v

There are a couple of Kamath hotels attached to the Reliance Pumps. (& are on the left as u go to Pune!!),Remember one before Belgaum. Do a search on MapmuIndia online maps.

See for the list of Kamath outlets along NH4 and which side the are on.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/route-...ml#post3065020

The ones in red are on the highway, and the ones in green are in the city.

[ampere]

Here you go. List of Kamat Upachar and contacts.


http://www.kamatyatri.in/roomlisting...t-Upachar.html

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by goandude

Guys, leaving tomorrow Bangalore to Pune. Plan 1st stop at Chitradurga for B'fast and some where around Belgaum for lunch. Any suggestions besides Sankam. Ideally the place should be right on NH4 with quick service (read thali type meals) with reasonably clean toilets. 50 Km +/- is OK. How are the hotels on rt side of road just before Nipani ghat?

The best one around this area in terms of cleaner rest rooms and good food (Veg Only) is Hotel Amar. This is situated on the left hand side of NH4 towards Pune exactly after Nippani Ghats end soon as you take the long left hander and a straight stretch starts.

There are 2 "good looking only" restaurants just at the beginning of Nippani Ghats (Ajra road turn off) on both sides of road (easy option to cross the road due to the presence of a cut in the median) but they are not worth in terms of food and cleanliness (rest rooms).

Hotel Kaveri is one of them that comes on left hand side of NH4 towards Pune which has recently undergone renovation and looks better than what it used to earlier. Hotel AMAR is situated hardly 3-4 minutes away from this and i have been there at least 5 times since its existence and found it to be extremely good for vegetarian food and cleaner rest rooms. At night, you get the option to dine on their sprawling lawns outside the restaurant overlooking the Tawandi Ghats.

Originally Posted by ampere

I think they are on the left while you drive towards Kolhapur.

They are situated on both side of Nippani Ghats actually and both of them are worthless.

Originally Posted by nileshch

I can understand that and for the exact same reason, I took a route different from NH4 when coming from Jalgaon to Bangalore. Would be good if you can update the status on the roads on the relevant thread once you take this trip!

Took the usual Pune-Aurangabad-Kannad Ghat- Dhule-Indore route for onward journey and returned through a very different and unusual route just for the heck of driving.

We returned via Indore-Godhra (knowing that it was worst)- Kalol-Halol - Baroda-NH8-Thane-Pune-Mumbai.

[CANPUSH]

Interstingly, on NH4 as you drive away from Pune towards Bengaluroo, at least till Hubli there are number of hotels on your left hand side.

But as you drive back towards Pune, there are hardly any (or very few) hotels on your left hand side till you reach Khed Shivapur that is just 15 kms outside Pune.

Very strange indeed!!

[condor]

NOt really, you do have

a couple of Kamat;s before Tumkur
A veg restuarant (Hotel HIghway ?) before CHitradurga
Kamat Yatrinivas near Ranebennur
Hotel Sai Nivas (?) immediately after Dharwad By-pass

[ampere]

Originally Posted by CANPUSH

Interstingly, on NH4 as you drive away from Pune towards Bengaluroo, at least till Hubli there are number of hotels on your left hand side.

But as you drive back towards Pune, there are hardly any (or very few) hotels on your left hand side till you reach Khed Shivapur that is just 15 kms outside Pune.

Very strange indeed!!

Are you referring to the full stretch between Bangalore and Pune? If yes then can @condor, the spread I think is quite even. Kamat is almost evenly distributed across either sides of the road.

[goandude]

Went to Pune over last weekend and a few updates on the road. 6 laning work is going on between Pune and Satara, Dharwad and Belgaum and C'durga and Tumkur. All these works are progressing at a good pace and perhaps in a year or so will see a super smooth drive all the way. The quality of the completed 6 laning on the C'durga tumkur section is smoother than some runways and at 140 kmph the car was feeling so steady.

The 4 laning of the Hubli Dharwad stretch is also progressing and one can see the road taking shape but at a different alignment from the current 2 lane.

New Kamat has come up, attached to an IOC bunk on West of the road 14 km north of the new toll (the southern one). Tumkur Kamat (on east side of road) has shifted a couple of kms away from Bangalore.

Stopped at "Rajasthan dhaba" attached to HP bunk 9 km North of Bankapura toll. Great tasting food, but please tell them to use less oil as our dal tadka and gobi masala was floating in the red stuff.

Made a grave mistake while exiting Bangalore at 0600 by taking the ORR as the railway gate was closed and going thru lost me an hour. Came back via Jallahali, BEL circle, ORR at 1800 hrs and reached home by 1845.

Some timings: left home at Big Bazar OMR at 0600 and reached Pune (Kirkee) at 2100 850 kms with the traffic jams and stops for about 1 1/2 hr.

Left Kirkee at 0530 and home by 1845 with similar stops.

Temp during the day went up to 37 degrees and could really feel the protective effect of the light Garware tints. Also the drive this time was much more enjoyable with my uprated speakers

Incidentally got caught up in a thunder shower at Nippani and had to use wipers at full speed for about 10 mins. Temp came down to 22 degrees in the rain.

[evilshantanu]

Originally Posted by goandude

Went to Pune over last weekend and a few updates on the road. 6 laning work is going on between Pune and Satara, Dharwad and Belgaum and C'durga and Tumkur. All these works are progressing at a good pace and perhaps in a year or so will see a super smooth drive all the way. The quality of the completed 6 laning on the C'durga tumkur section is smoother than some runways and at 140 kmph the car was feeling so steady.

The 4 laning of the Hubli Dharwad stretch is also progressing and one can see the road taking shape but at a different alignment from the current 2 lane.

Thanks for the update mate. I am going to Pune on 11th April, does the road widening work interfere with the road traffic? Did you experience any delays because of the road work going on?