[asethi]

I'm travelling to Ankola with family & friends coming weekend in 3 cars (Swift, Polo & City), and will be taking this route via Hubli only. Thanks Damu for the update, now I'm at least relieved about the condition of the road till Ankola!!

[rkamath]

Hi,

If anyone has taken this route recently, I would really appreciate feedback on road conditions. We're driving tomorrow morning.
Planned route is :
B'lore - Hubli (nh4)
Hubli - Ankola ( nh63 )
Ankola - Goa ( nh17 )

Any feedback on road conditions of NH63 would be much appreciated.

Thanks and Rgds
Rohini

[Damu]

Originally Posted by floyd

Great post. Now after seeing this post I realize that I can get beach & forests in the same vacation, so must go soon!

Thanks Floyd! After the heavy rains (after our trip), the forest and ghats should be beautiful.

Originally Posted by asethi

I'm travelling to Ankola with family & friends coming weekend in 3 cars (Swift, Polo & City), and will be taking this route via Hubli only. Thanks Damu for the update, now I'm at least relieved about the condition of the road till Ankola!!

Glad it was of help, asethi! Rains seem to have eased a bit now, hope the road Hubli to Ankola is clear now.

Originally Posted by rkamath

Hi,

Any feedback on road conditions of NH63 would be much appreciated.

Thanks and Rgds Rohini

Sorry for the delayed reply Rohini, didn't log in for some days. If you can catch this post in time, just check in Hubli toll gate about weather conditions Hubli to Ankola.

Have a safe and happy trip!

[VindyWheels]

Hi, which route did you finally take and how was it?

Thank You

VW

Originally Posted by rkamath

Hi,

If anyone has taken this route recently, I would really appreciate feedback on road conditions. We're driving tomorrow morning.
Planned route is :
B'lore - Hubli (nh4)
Hubli - Ankola ( nh63 )
Ankola - Goa ( nh17 )

Any feedback on road conditions of NH63 would be much appreciated.

Thanks and Rgds
Rohini

[MaverikMahesh]

Great travelogue! I am sure this will come handy on my forthcoming trip (Sep 25th) to Goa. I am also planning to take the BLR – Hubli – Ankola – Karwar – Madgaon route.
Would I have any problems with the mining trucks if I leave Hubli at 8 AM in the morning?
I am staying at Club Mahindra Varca. Can anyone let me know of places to visit for a family with kids 15 and 10 years old, places to eat, hangout?


Mahesh

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Damu

Sorry for the delayed reply Rohini, didn't log in for some days. If you can catch this post in time, just check in Hubli toll gate about weather conditions Hubli to Ankola.
Have a safe and happy trip!

@Damu,

Do you have waypoints in Garmin for these locations (I meant Kamat hotels in this stretch?)
If yes, can you copy these waypoints alone to a separate Garmin GDB file and post it here?
That would be very helpful.

[Damu]

Originally Posted by ampere

@Damu,

Do you have waypoints in Garmin for these locations (I meant Kamat hotels in this stretch?)
If yes, can you copy these waypoints alone to a separate Garmin GDB file and post it here?
That would be very helpful.

Hi Amp!
I just checked my file saved and found a few Kamats on that route that I had saved. But, I don't know how to save them as GDB files (that is, I am able to save the entire waypoints as a GDB file (which has a couple of hundred on different routes, but not these individual points). As you are my GPS Guruji, you have to advise me here!

Anyways, I have copied these points co-ordinates as a text file and am putting these here as co-ordinates.

Please note:
1) All from Bangalore side towards Goa
2) All noted here are decent veg restaurants with toilet facilities, except where noted

1) Kamat Upachar Dobbspet Fuel, food, toilet(there are three here, two towards Tumkur and one opposite side. This point noted is the first Kamat while leaving Bangalore):
N13 12.697 E77 15.453

2) Topper Hotel HP outlet Fuel, food, toilet just before Chitradurga:
N13 50.474 E76 44.018

3) Kamat Ranebennur(from Bangalore side, comes before Ranebennur):
N14 34.374 E75 41.424

4) Fuel Food BP Outlet NH4 (from Bangalore side, just after Ranebennur):
N14 38.500 E75 34.680

5) Kamat Upachar Reliance A1 (from Bangalore side, just before Hubli near Navagraha Theerth):N15 11.118 E75 08.247

6) Hotel Shanker Ganesh, Yellapur; decent veg food, not sure about the toilet: N14 57.622 E74 42.430

Hope that helps Amp, or perhaps you could use these to make a GBD file? I'm a novice in this!

Originally Posted by MaverikMahesh

Great travelogue! I am sure this will come handy on my forthcoming trip (Sep 25th) to Goa. I am also planning to take the BLR – Hubli – Ankola – Karwar – Madgaon route.
Would I have any problems with the mining trucks if I leave Hubli at 8 AM in the morning?

Thanks Mahesh!
I did not see any mining trucks at all on my trip this time.
Are you halting for the night? The roads are good and the trip can be done quite easily in a day's driving. See my screenshot of the Garmin. We were not even driving fast.

Originally Posted by MaverikMahesh

I am staying at Club Mahindra Varca. Can anyone let me know of places to visit for a family with kids 15 and 10 years old, places to eat, hangout?
Mahesh

Well, I have saved some co-ordinates but am struggling to search for them as all my waypoints (of all our trips) are in one file. Anyway, here are a couple near Varca I could locate quickly:

1) Johncy's Benaulim Beach, (next to Pedros) nice shack on the beach, when there's no rain, you can have a table on the beach:
N15 15.429 E73 55.176

2) Fisherman's Wharf on the River Sal, Cavelossim. I have written about this in detail in the log of my June 2010 trip: N15 09.469 E73 57.107

Hope these are of help.
.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Damu

Hope these are of help.
.

Very useful indeed sir! I will take note of the same. Most of them I could notice on Google maps.
But I wanted the Satguide locations, so that it would be consistent while driving.

I sent you PM regarding the steps.

[Damu]

Originally Posted by ampere

Very useful indeed sir! I will take note of the same. Most of them I could notice on Google maps.
But I wanted the Satguide locations, so that it would be consistent while driving.
I sent you PM regarding the steps.

Thanks Amp! Have done as you instructed and made the GDB file.

What I have done is to include whatever points I had made, so there are not only Kamats but also a non veg place (which I didn't visit, only noticed it) and some points in Goa. So you can remove what you don't want.

I have also for good measure, , included the two major railway line diversions (which may not be valid after some months though).

Also made them in two formats, GDB and GPX.

NOTE: Please read the comments in each waypoint's properties.

Garmin GDB:

Hotels with toilet NH4 Goa.gdb

GPX

Hotels with toilet NH4 Goa.gpx

Now, thanks to my GPS Guru, this should be more useful!
.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Damu

Now, thanks to my GPS Guru, this should be more useful!

@Damu,
Thanks for those attachments.
I am no guru, but just another user like you!
In all fairness that credit goes to @Netfreakbombay, who taught me how to mange these things.

Its just that I am passing them on to others!

[MaverikMahesh]

Thanks Damu. Yes we are staying overnight @ Hubli at a relatives place and plan to head out early the next day so as to maximize our stay in Varca. I assume it will take 4 hours from Hubli to Varca (please correct me if its not the case). We will look up the places you have mentioned. If you remember any other details or places, appreciate your inputs on them.

Regards
Mahesh

[rkamath]

Originally Posted by VindyWheels

Hi, which route did you finally take and how was it?

Thank You

VW

We took exactly this route. Returned last night. NH63 is in relatively ok condition - patches have potholes- keep eye out for deep potholes. We hit two of them; there was no damage, just shook us up. Don't speed on this road.

On NH4 - there were 2 short diversions (where road work was being completed) after chitradurga, before davangere. While returning, there was a different diversion to old highway for a while, it slowed us down by half an hour.

B'lore - Goa : (from home @ 4:00am - 3pm @ hotel in south goa)

Breakfast : Hotel Garuda - (just before davangere) It is a pretty large campus, has toilet facilities and parking. ( we did not stop for lunch, had it directly in Goa. )

Goa - B'lore : ( We did a small stop at Om Beach, Gokarna - i would not recommend this to others - lost 3 hours, it was crowded with slightly unruly folks and road was not good. )

Breakfast : Hotel Premier - Karwar ( roadside parking )
Enter Karwar, at the first circle, take a left. Go to dead end. Same Hotel is present on both sides of the road.

Lunch : 30 km after Hubli - Jagdeesh Dhaba - ( apparently the toilets are scary - so said the gents, the ladies didn't dare venture )
It was proper Dhaba Food and it was very good. Had both families and truckers.

Tea : Jai Hind Dhaba - 15 km after Chitradurga ( no toilets )

Do watch out for Cows (and sheep)- we had a couple of close shaves with cows that jumped suddenly onto the road. Both in goa and on the NH.

[Raps]

Hi,

Just to add to list of Hotels
1. Yellapur Hotel Shanbhag, average stuff (buns you find really tasty)
2. Sirsi - Hotel Madhuvan -(just before the BP petrol bunk)

Last week I drove from Hubli to Jog Falls just around 170kms. The route which I took was UBL -> Yellapur (Ankola road) -> Sirsi -> Siddapura -> Jog. The road were amazing, wonderful drive as such.

Cheers,
Pradeep

[Damu]

Originally Posted by ampere

@Damu,
In all fairness that credit goes to @Netfreakbombay, who taught me how to mange these things.

Yes Amp, I have seen some of Netfreakbombay's posts in the GPS thread; he is extremely knowledgeable and helpful.

Originally Posted by ampere

Its just that I am passing them on to others!

That's what makes this site an invaluable resource!

Originally Posted by MaverikMahesh

I assume it will take 4 hours from Hubli to Varca (please correct me if its not the case)...If you remember any other details or places, appreciate your inputs on them.Regards Mahesh

Yes Mahesh, Hubli to Varca should be just about 4 hours. I will post any additional points of interest here when I locate them.

Originally Posted by rkamath

We took exactly this route. Returned last night. NH63 is in relatively ok condition - patches have potholes- keep eye out for deep potholes.

Thanks for the prompt update Rohini.

Originally Posted by rkamath

Breakfast : Hotel Premier - Karwar ( roadside parking ) Enter Karwar, at the first circle, take a left. Go to dead end. Same Hotel is present on both sides of the road.

Thanks for this information. Can you please clarify if this place has good toilets for ladies?

From Goa, we always stop at the first Udupi hotel (on the NH, I forget the name - it has a non-veg hotel next to it) in Karwar. While the food is decent the toilet is awful, even for the men. This visit we found the toilet was sickening.

So please let us know the toilet facilities in Hotel Premier.

This is OT, but just an anecdote:
Early this year on our holiday to Emerald Lake near Ooty, my friend's wife and my wife were teasing me about my preoccupation with the GPS saying I was captivated by the lady's voice on the GPS! This trip to Goa, both our wives were very pleased with the GPS and me because I had saved all the "clean toilet available" location on the onward trip! Much required information!
.

[rkamath]

Originally Posted by Damu

So please let us know the toilet facilities in Hotel Premier.

.

It should be having, its a full fledged hotel, not just a restaurant. Sadly I did not investigate as to the cleanliness :(