[JMaruru]

The yeshwantpur - mangalore train has been extended until karwar. So this should help folks travelling towards udupi, coondapur and ahead. They should try to reduce the travel time, so that it becomes a good option v/s bus.

[Samurai]

Wow, that means it won't go to Kannur anymore?

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Wow, that means it won't go to Kannur anymore?

Well, the way it has been worded, think it is the day train which has been extended until karwar.

[lohithrao]

Good news indeed!
they waste a lot of time, last time i took the train they stopped in many laces and at mysore had stopped for more then 40mins! reached bangalore by 7:30...

Originally Posted by JMaruru

The yeshwantpur - mangalore train has been extended until karwar. So this should help folks travelling towards udupi, coondapur and ahead. They should try to reduce the travel time, so that it becomes a good option v/s bus.

[MCR]

Originally Posted by prabhusati

Good News.. Shiradi ghat is getting repaired; eventhough it is just patch work.

Hopefully, the entire ghat stretch should be patched up soon and allow hassle free travelling. The question really is; how long will it last?

It has already started to rain in Bangalore. I think it will soon start raining in the ghats. Hopefully the tar will not get washed away in the first rain itself.LOL.

[lohithrao]

MCR this always happens in Bangalore, the magic about Bangalore weather is if it gets too hot, it may rain and ironically summer showers are very strong sometimes better then the rainy season itself.

Originally Posted by MCR

It has already started to rain in Bangalore. I think it will soon start raining in the ghats. Hopefully the tar will not get washed away in the first rain itself.LOL.

[Samurai]

Talking about weather, the temperature and humidity in around Udupi has really moderated in few couple years. I can't believe this is Feb end, it is still cool outside if you are in shade. Even the breeze coming in from windows as I write this is quite cool.

My F-I-L says the weather is cooler every year after the Tsunami happened. Generally we all would be sweating in bucket loads at this time, but now I can sit inside the house without fan or AC. The nights are actually chilly. It is quite surreal...

[lohithrao]

I second your thoughts, offlate am not missing bangalore weather as Mangalore/Udupi does not feel the same as it used to long back...

Originally Posted by Samurai

Talking about weather, the temperature and humidity in around Udupi has really moderated in few couple years. I can't believe this is Feb end, it is still cool outside if you are in shade. Even the breeze coming in from windows as I write this is quite cool.

My F-I-L says the weather is cooler every year after the Tsunami happened. Generally we all would be sweating in bucket loads at this time, but now I can sit inside the house without fan or AC. The nights are actually chilly. It is quite surreal...

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Talking about weather, the temperature and humidity in around Udupi has really moderated in few couple years. I can't believe this is Feb end, it is still cool outside if you are in shade. Even the breeze coming in from windows as I write this is quite cool.

My F-I-L says the weather is cooler every year after the Tsunami happened. Generally we all would be sweating in bucket loads at this time, but now I can sit inside the house without fan or AC. The nights are actually chilly. It is quite surreal...

I agree Samurai.
Effectively the rainy season is extened/postphoned by a month(previously it was June-July-August-Septmeber. now it's almost that rainy season starts from July to all the way till October.), same with summer n winter

Today while returning from Native I was observing the quality of the 4 Lane NH-48 between Bellur-Cross till Nelmangala, why is that most of the stretch towards Bangalore has been repatched ?
I observed that it's because the mud/cement/slush was not cured(dried) properly before putting tar on this road ? Is this a sign of poor construction of the road by Lanco ? It's not even an year and you can see lot many potholes(Tar has gone down, below the road surface)towards your left when coming to Bangalore.

[Fauji]

I will be in Tirthahalli this Saturday and after some enagement there has to go to Karwar. Which is the better route of the two as per present road conditions

a) Tirthahalli - Kundapaura - Bhatkal - Karwar (267KMs)
or
b) Tirthahalli - Sagara - Jog - Honnavar - Karwar (240KMs)

Thanks in advance.

[lohithrao]

True, there are some stretches where the surfaces are not even esp near bridges it can give a bad jerk to the buses not to mention smaller vehicles!

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I agree Samurai.
Effectively the rainy season is extened/postphoned by a month(previously it was June-July-August-Septmeber. now it's almost that rainy season starts from July to all the way till October.), same with summer n winter

Today while returning from Native I was observing the quality of the 4 Lane NH-48 between Bellur-Cross till Nelmangala, why is that most of the stretch towards Bangalore has been repatched ?
I observed that it's because the mud/cement/slush was not cured(dried) properly before putting tar on this road ? Is this a sign of poor construction of the road by Lanco ? It's not even an year and you can see lot many potholes(Tar has gone down, below the road surface)towards your left when coming to Bangalore.

[cool_dube]

Guys,

Drove down from Bangalore to Maravanthe (near Kundapura) and back over the last four days. As Samurai and other mentioned in the last few posts on this thread, the weather has really changed over the past few years. In fact, this time we hardly needed the fan in our room during the day time and the nights were chilly enough to warrant a couple of thick sheets. Also, we could afford to hang out on the beach most of the day, except for a couple of hours - the sun was not as hot as it used to be during this time of the year.

Here is a quick summary on the route/conditions:

# Onward: Bangalore - Nelamangala - Hassan - Belur - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Jayapura - Sringeri - Agumbe - Someshwara - Haladi - Maravanthe [8 hours (driving time)/455 kms]

* Bangalore - Nelamangala: Going via Nelamangala is definitely a better option as opposed to the previously popular Magadi route, given the excellent 'expressway' from Yeshwantpur all the way to Nelamangala. The only sore point here is the ORR-Tumkur Road junction which is a perpetual chaos. I encountered a traffic jam at this junction at 6 AM!!

* Nelamangala - Hassan: Four-laning is in full swing till somewhere near Hirisave. Beyond that, the 2-lane road has been re-laid/patched and is fun to drive on. All in all, a good drive barring the usual irritants associated with ongoing four-laning like traffic in the wrong lane, some unmarked deviations, etc. You need to be careful while driving in the night wherein some unmarked deviations can take you by surprise.

* Hassan - Belur - Chikmagalur - Balehonnur - Jayapura - Sringeri: Some rough patches before Aldur and before Sringeri. Other sections are good.

* Sringeri - Agumbe - Someshwara - Haladi - Maravanthe: Some rough patches before Agumbe but all the HPBs are in good condition. Also, the road from Someshwara to Haladi has been slightly widened in some sections. We took a deviation just before Vandse and hit NH17 some 10 kms north of Kundapura. All in all, I would prefer the Someshwara - Kollur road over NH17 if you are coming down from Agumbe and headed to Kundapura and north-wards. You can avoid the crazy NH17 this way!!

# Return: Kundapura - Udupi - Katapady - Belman - Karkala - Belthangady - Ujire - Dharmastala - NH48 junction - Sakleshpura - Hassan - Nelamangala - Bangalore [8 hours (driving time)/475 kms]

* Kundapura - Udupi - Katapady: NH17 is an unpleasant drive with traffic congestion, rash bus drivers, and the ongoing 4-lane activity. We heaved a sigh of relief the moment we turned off at Katapady.

* Katapady - Belman - Karkala: The intent of turning off at Katapady (as opposed to Udupi) was to avoid Udupi traffic. We wanted to take SH37 to Karkala but somehow could not locate the connecting road from Katapady to SH37 and ended up taking the route via Pilarkhana Forest to Belman and then SH1 to Karkala. No regrets, however, since the distance was almost the same and the route was quite scenic with good roads.

* Karkala - Belthangady - Dharmastala - NH48: It was fun to drive with the Western Ghats towering above us on the left hand side. The roads are mostly good and I encountered lesser-than-expected pilgrim traffic given that I was on the Sringeri/Dharmastala corridor. There are some rough patches after Dharmastala before you hit NH48 but were being patched up.

* NH48 jn. - Sakleshpura - Hassan: The moment we hit NH48, I was taken back in time when I first rode on this road back in 2001. The tarmac was freshly laid and gleaming dark grey in the sunlight, winding through the trees and inviting me to unleash all the horses under the bonnet - what a feast!! It was an exhilarating drive of about 15 kms or so till Gundya. Finally came the most awaited part of the drive and we were prepared for the worst. Surprisingly, we encountered only 3-4 *really* bad patches and these too, were limited to curves. In fact, quite a few stretches have been re-laid and repair work is on in full swing. I must admit that I did not clock myself, but we definitely did not take more than an hour to arrive at Sakleshpura town from the Dharmastala road/NH48 junction. This timing can be attributed to the fact that I was driving a Safari which gobbled up most of the bad portions. That said, sedan users can manage most of it but for a few curves where tarmac has been carelessly 'peeled-off' for being relaid and your under-chassis can take a nasty hit if you do not go dead-slow here. From Sakleshpura till Hassan, the roads are mostly good and reminiscent of the good old NH48 that used to be a biker's/driver's delight till a few years back!!

Let me know if you guys have any specific queries on any of the above.

[JMaruru]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

* Kundapura - Udupi - Katapady: NH17 is an unpleasant drive with traffic congestion, rash bus drivers, and the ongoing 4-lane activity. We heaved a sigh of relief the moment we turned off at Katapady.

* Katapady - Belman - Karkala: The intent of turning off at Katapady (as opposed to Udupi) was to avoid Udupi traffic. We wanted to take SH37 to Karkala but somehow could not locate the connecting road from Katapady to SH37 and ended up taking the route via Pilarkhana Forest to Belman and then SH1 to Karkala. No regrets, however, since the distance was almost the same and the route was quite scenic with good roads.

* NH48 jn. - Sakleshpura - Hassan: The moment we hit NH48, I was taken back in time when I first rode on this road back in 2001. The tarmac was freshly laid and gleaming dark grey in the sunlight, winding through the trees and inviting me to unleash all the horses under the bonnet - what a feast!! It was an exhilarating drive of about 15 kms or so till Gundya. Finally came the most awaited part of the drive and we were prepared for the worst. Surprisingly, we encountered only 3-4 *really* bad patches and these too, were limited to curves. In fact, quite a few stretches have been re-laid and repair work is on in full swing. I must admit that I did not clock myself, but we definitely did not take more than an hour to arrive at Sakleshpura town from the Dharmastala road/NH48 junction. This timing can be attributed to the fact that I was driving a Safari which gobbled up most of the bad portions. That said, sedan users can manage most of it but for a few curves where tarmac has been carelessly 'peeled-off' for being relaid and your under-chassis can take a nasty hit if you do not go dead-slow here. From Sakleshpura till Hassan, the roads are mostly good and reminiscent of the good old NH48 that used to be a biker's/driver's delight till a few years back!!

Let me know if you guys have any specific queries on any of the above.

I think you were supposed to turn off at padubidri, which connects to karkala and further onto the belthangady - dharmasthala route to NH48.

Seems like shirady is much better now and might be better option for someone traveling in this month.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by JMaruru

I think you were supposed to turn off at padubidri, which connects to karkala and further onto the belthangady - dharmasthala route to NH48.

Not only would I have traveled a total of 11 kms more, I would have had to endure NH17 for some more time had I taken this option

Originally Posted by JMaruru

Seems like shirady is much better now and might be better option for someone traveling in this month.

Definitely yes.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

* Kundapura - Udupi - Katapady: NH17 is an unpleasant drive with traffic congestion, rash bus drivers, and the ongoing 4-lane activity. We heaved a sigh of relief the moment we turned off at Katapady.

* Katapady - Belman - Karkala: The intent of turning off at Katapady (as opposed to Udupi) was to avoid Udupi traffic. We wanted to take SH37 to Karkala but somehow could not locate the connecting road from Katapady to SH37 and ended up taking the route via Pilarkhana Forest to Belman and then SH1 to Karkala. No regrets, however, since the distance was almost the same and the route was quite scenic with good roads.

Actually, the most hassle free route would have been taking the turn after Sante Katte. You will completely avoid Udupi. Also avoid the circuitous bypass in Karkala.

Kundapura, Karnataka to Belthangady, Karnataka - Google Maps