[advaitlele]

Thank you HVK sir.

I would riding on next Thursday afternoon - 8th March to Mumbai. So I guess Khandala -Lonavala would not be as much chaos as it is on weekends.

I would be riding Vadodara - Ahmedabad NH8 after almost 12 years, was my usual commute during college days almost twice a month. Having nostalgic feeling already abt it.

[suniladhiya]

Advait, I wish you all the very best for your ride all the way from Pune to Ahmedabad. I did Pune-Vadodara-Pune just two weeks ago (by car of course) and I must say I admire your spirit at taking this up on your bike. Looking forward to reading your trip report on your return. Do PM me if you would like to be in touch - I am also from Pune with relatives in Baroda/ Ahmedabad.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by advaitlele

Thank you HVK sir.

I would riding on next Thursday afternoon - 8th March to Mumbai. So I guess Khandala -Lonavala would not be as much chaos as it is on weekends.

I would be riding Vadodara - Ahmedabad NH8 after almost 12 years, was my usual commute during college days almost twice a month. Having nostalgic feeling already abt it.

Yes, weekdays through Lonavla-Khandala should be fine.

[advaitlele]

Slight change in the program. It would be

9th March - Pune to Vadodara. Start by 6am. Planning to reach home by 6pm with breaks in between every 70-odd kms.

10th March - Vadodara to Ahmedabad - Start around 7am from home and reach Ahmedabad by 9 or 9.30am. Break somewhere around Nadiad on the NH-8.
11th March - Ahmedabad to ??? -- Let that be surprise for now. Will open a new travelog with all the details and photos.

Till then,
wish me luck for the longest ride I have ever taken

[advaitlele]

Folks - I returned from Ahmedabad yesterday evening.
Here is the trip-log till my travelog comes.

9-Mar
Pune to Vadodara.
Start from Wakad at 6.30am.
Stop at Khopoli for tea at 8.10. Trip 79km
Lost our way at Panvel and then landed somehow in Mumbra finding the way out to Ghodbunder road. Time lost about 40 mins.
Stop at Fountain for tea/snacks at 10.30. Start again at 11.00. Trip 180km.
Stop at Sugar n Spice near Valsad at 14.00. Start again at 14.45. Trip 355km.
Stop near Bharuch for tea at16.55. Trip 487km.
Reach home at Vadodara at 18.45. Trip 575km.

18-Mar
Ahmedabad to Pune.
Start from near Iskon temple at 6am.
Stop for lunch at McD, Vapi. Trip meter - 385km. Time 12:00 to 13:30 hours
Stop for tea at Fountain hotel around 16:00 hours. Trip 528km.
Reach home in Wakad at 19:45 hours. Trip - 693km.

What did I do between 9th and 18th March? Well, thats the most exciting part. Wait for the log. There are abt 1000+ pics to be downloaded from my camera.

This is the longest ever bike ride I have ever had. I never imagined I could complete nearly 700kms on a bike in a day.

[suniladhiya]

Advait,

Hearty congratulations and welcome back to Pune. Looking forward to your travelogue with bated breath.

I had SMS'ed you on 8th and 9th March to wish you luck - hope you received them.

[advaitlele]

Thanks Sunil.
I somehow didnt get your sms. Got Idea?

Just started with the log - you can read it in the travelogues section titled "The Bird and The Rann".

[advaitlele]

Folks,

Have updated the log in travelog section.
read here : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/travel...bird-rann.html

The roads in Gujarat are bliss as has been said so many times before. My final destination Kutchh - the interior roads and roads connecting small villages also would put SHs to shame in MH.

Thanks for all the help and guidance HVK sir.

[automachine]

I would be traveling to Mahabaleshwar from Ahmedabad with my family including my 1.5 yr old. My plan is to leave Ahmedabad on 11th Apr Wednesday evening and reach my in-laws place near Bardoli and then leave early next day and drive all the way to Mahabaleshwar which I would like to make it by 2.00 pm. I am familiar with roads till Vapi having born and lived there for some time though a long time ago. However I have a bit of confusion on the exact route to take from Ghodbunder till Mumbai-Pune expressway.

Originally Posted by suniladhiya

Thanks to incredibly precise directions from Dr.HVK, reached Ghodbundar Naka via the expressway without any need to ask for directions. Wifey was given printouts of HVK's detailed file to read out after exiting the expressway. Between Thane and Manor, at least 7-8 flyovers are under construction and travel time would be much reduced when these are completed.

Should I take the Ghodbundar road and turn left on eastern express-hw as shown by google maps to take Pune Rd->Mumbra ->Taloja-> Navade->Mum-Pune Expressway? Another alternative as suggested by HVK earlier would be (correct me here) to take right on EEHw after Ghonbhundar road ends and go on the EEHw till Mulund and take the right on the Airoli bridge Rd --> Airoli exit Rd --> turn right on Thane Belapur Rd --> Ghansoli-> Kopar Khairane -> Turbhe -> Khargar to joine the Mum-Pune Expressway?

Originally Posted by hvkumar

NH4 is good, but navigating Lonavla-Khandala can be difficult if you are driving through on a weekend.

Same place where the expressway ends. Just before Panvel, you take the Panvel bypass which is part of the expressway.

Could you please let me know where should I exit the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to go bypass Pune city and go straight to Mahabaleshwar? The google maps tells me to exit to join NH4 near Lonavla.

[suniladhiya]

@automachine: You should follow the second alternative after exiting NH-8 at Ghodbunder, i.e. Ghodbunder-Thane-Mulund Cross-Airoli Bridge- Right Turn under the railway underpass- Kopar Khairne-Turbhe- Pune Expressway. This is the best option as advised by our travel guru Dr.Kumar, and also as tried out by me in Feb this year.

After touching the Pune Expressway, do not exit at Lonavala or anywhere else. Go straight right upto Pune and continue on Pune bypass till you reach the new Katraj tunnel - after the tunnel you are on NH-4 going towards Satara. Proceed on this road till you cross the Khambhatki Ghat. Approximately 6-7 kms after this ghat ends, you come to the turn-off which takes you to Wai-Panchgani-Mahableshwar - roads are all in excellent condition.

Please feel free to ask for any further clarifications on Pune-Mahableshwar Section. As regards any further clarifications on Ghodbunder-Thane-Expressway section, Dr.Kumar can add his super-valuable inputs as always.

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by automachine

I would be traveling to Mahabaleshwar from Ahmedabad with my family including my 1.5 yr old. My plan is to leave Ahmedabad on 11th Apr Wednesday evening and reach my in-laws place near Bardoli and then leave early next day and drive all the way to Mahabaleshwar which I would like to make it by 2.00 pm. I am familiar with roads till Vapi having born and lived there for some time though a long time ago. However I have a bit of confusion on the exact route to take from Ghodbunder till Mumbai-Pune expressway.


Should I take the Ghodbundar road and turn left on eastern express-hw as shown by google maps to take Pune Rd->Mumbra ->Taloja-> Navade->Mum-Pune Expressway? Another alternative as suggested by HVK earlier would be (correct me here) to take right on EEHw after Ghonbhundar road ends and go on the EEHw till Mulund and take the right on the Airoli bridge Rd --> Airoli exit Rd --> turn right on Thane Belapur Rd --> Ghansoli-> Kopar Khairane -> Turbhe -> Khargar to joine the Mum-Pune Expressway?


Could you please let me know where should I exit the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to go bypass Pune city and go straight to Mahabaleshwar? The google maps tells me to exit to join NH4 near Lonavla.

This link will answer all your questions on how to go from Ghodbunder on NH8 to Kalamboli where the expressway to Pune starts.

https://sites.google.com/site/hvkuma...bypass---north

Provide for some traffic congestion during the morning and evening peak hours.

[automachine]

Thank you very much @suniladhiya. Also thanks to @HVkumar for the extremely valuable and detailed description.

[advaitlele]

Hi Folks,
I would be starting my Baroda journey later this month. This time though, I would be in the CNG Zen car - and not Indica that has been my drive for last 6 years.
Would be taking the usual route of Pune -> Exp Way -> DAKC -> Airoli Bridge -> Thane -> Ghodbunder and then NH 8.

Specific queries on CNG fueling stations enroute. With Zen that I would be driving, usual range I would get is approx 200 kms. for full gas tank. Where are the gas stations on this route so that I can run as much on CNG than petrol.
PS : MNGL site has a list of gas stations but I could not make it how many would be on my route near Vashi / Thane / GB road and ahead.
Thanks.

[JoshMachine]

Hi Folks - just did a return trip Pune-Baroda last month. A big thanks to Chief Kumar for the precise instructions.
Wanted to add an update: after crossing Ankleshwar town via Golden bridge and while proceeding towards Bharuch, there are couple of landmarks I came across which helped a lot. Firstly there is a AMW commercial vehicle showroom/small factory outlet and secondly there are lot of microwave towers just beside the highway. Also while coming from Bharuch side on the highway, there is a large signage which reads "Bharuch - 7 km" and an arrow which is tilted left inside - this is the entry point where I got down from the highway and entered Ankleshwar town to proceed back to the Golden bridge.

[suniladhiya]

Planning a Pune-Vadodara trip towards the end of March, so can those who have travelled recently and especially our travel guru Dr.H.V.Kumar give latest information on the following:

(a) When I travelled the same route around this time last year, there were a couple of under construction flyovers in the Thane-Ghodbunder section. Whether these are now complete and whether we can use them to save travel time.

(b) Similarly, there were several under construction flyovers with attendant diversions along with six laning work in progress in the Ghodbunder-Surat section - whether all this is now in place and hence travel time reduced ?

(c) Whether Golden Bridge continues to be the route of choice for crossing Ankleshwar-Bharuch or by the NH8 Bypass Bridge is functional in both directions?

All your valuable inputs are eagerly awaited