[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Any thoughts?

Never ever stopped and stayed at any hotel in BR. Have no idea. Hope to look out for hotels alongside the road on my trip starting tomorrow, and (hopefully) geotag them.

[Sutripta]

^^^
Need any help?

Regards
Sutripta

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Sutripta

Need any help?

I can give you the geotagged photos for you to pinpoint locations and create files for other people to load and use on a GPS device.

[SS-Traveller]

Trip #30 (DEL-CCU) completed in 24 hours 50 minutes. More details soon!

[SS-Traveller]

It was VERY hot thru BR, JH & WB. The road surface was awful after the end of Allahabad bypass till Bardhaman, then it was quite smooth sailing till CCU. The tar had melted & rolled, and there were patchy repairs all over, making for a very bumpy ride.

Was held up for nearly half an hour on the Kanpur elevated corridor around midnight, due to a truck breakdown, until managing to jump across to other side carriageway at a point where the railing was broken. Thank God for small mercies like 4L & high GC.

[SS-Traveller]

A discovery on this trip was this unusually named air-conditioned restaurant called Black Magic, just 10 km east of the WB-JH border, at a place called Sripur More, Ningha.

The interiors - not a lot of customers, which made us worry a little about the quality.

The service was surprisingly quick though, and the quality of food was excellent - a chicken dish, a daal, and rotis.

And of course, the AC worked!

[hvkumar]

Black Magic looks a good discovery on this route! Only restaurant or are there rooms too?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

Only restaurant or are there rooms too?

Nothing advertised on the boards outside regarding rooms being available.

[Sutripta]

^^^
Easiest would be to call up and find out. If one can decipher the phone number in the menu card picture.

Actually lots of hotels in Durgapur, and I'm sure in Asansol.

Regards
Sutripta

[black_panther]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

It was VERY hot thru BR, JH & WB. The road surface was awful after the end of Allahabad bypass till Bardhaman, then it was quite smooth sailing till CCU. The tar had melted & rolled, and there were patchy repairs all over, making for a very bumpy ride.

How is the surface between Bardhaman and Dobbi? I am planning for a quick weekend drive. A bad road surface might slow me down. How much time do I budget for this section, starting very early in the morning from Kolkata, and not so aggressive driving?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by black_panther

How is the surface between Bardhaman and Dobbi? I am planning for a quick weekend drive. A bad road surface might slow me down. How much time do I budget for this section, starting very early in the morning from Kolkata, and not so aggressive driving?

The road through WB after Bardhaman westwards is patchy and bumpy. Once you enter JH, the road condition improves to some extent, but there is still a fair amount of tar rolled up, and with a low GC car, you need to keep your eyes peeled to avoid scraping the underbody. You can still average 60-65 km/h on this stretch.

[SS-Traveller]

Trip #31 was completed uneventfully in 22 hours 50 minutes, starting at 4:40 AM on 30 June from Kolkata, ending at 3:30 AM on 1 July at Delhi. Included a detour into Asansol city on some work, exiting at Neamatpur. One of the lowest highway averages that I have got yet in the Scorpio (11.6 km/l), mainly due to the extreme heat on the way (AC running on full almost all day), and a heavy payload (4 persons plus at least 120 kg of luggage - now don't ask me what all! ).

[hvkumar]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

Trip #31 was completed uneventfully in 22 hours 50 minutes, starting at 4:40 AM on 30 June from Kolkata, ending at 3:30 AM on 1 July at Delhi. Included a detour into Asansol city on some work, exiting at Neamatpur. One of the lowest highway averages that I have got yet in the Scorpio (11.6 km/l), mainly due to the extreme heat on the way (AC running on full almost all day), and a heavy payload (4 persons plus at least 120 kg of luggage - now don't ask me what all! ).

At that early hour also, is Panagad Bazaar road traffic-jammed?

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by hvkumar

At that early hour also, is Panagad Bazaar road traffic-jammed?

No, no, we went through Panagarh very comfortably, with minimal traffic.

The worst traffic of this drive was between Mathura Refinery and the Mahuvan Toll Plaza. Was forced to downshift and drive in 4th and even 3rd gear continuously as buses and trucks crawled along at under 40km/h, and it was a frustrating experience. Never come across traffic this heavy on this section.

Was there some festival/celebration in that area, that anyone is aware of, which caused this kind of traffic nightmare?

[BlackPearl]

Came back today morning to Kolkata via NH2. Took 41 hours from Manali to Kolkata. 24.5 Hours from Delhi. Got harassed by Delhi cops for more than 1 hour due to the roof rack and not having the smart card :-(