[maylsamy]

Hi,

I had my longest drive on 3 july 10 from Navi mumbai to Vellore(TN).

Started at 5.45 am via pune, kolhapur, belgaum- drive till belgaum byepass was a breeze from belgaum to Hubli was drive without dividers.
Haveri, Davangere, Hiriyur, Sira sector was better than my 2008 drive however beware of rimbreakers in this sector.
Work is on and badpatches of road through railway crossing.

Reached Tumkur (Kamath Upachar) by 19.15 hours took a long break of 75 min and started the drive

Touched NICE at Tumkur road at 21.44 pm & out of Bangalore at 22.56(Attibele)!

What a relief ! The crossover of Bangalore took me 3.5 hours in 2008!

Hats off to NICE!

Reached Vellore my hometown & home at 1.45 am(4 Jul 10)

Good trip with family!

Planning my way back to mumbai via goa on 11 Jul 10.

Will post my experience & fotos!

Any suggestions for stay in Belgaum:

My plan to Mumbai

Vellore to Belgaum : 11 Jul 10
Belgaum to Goa : 12 Jul 10 (morng)
12 - 14 Jul - Goa
Goa - Mumbai : 14 Jul 10 -

Suggestions on stay at Belgaum or alternatives welcome

Thanks

Gopal M

[MX6]

I stayed in Durga residency in Belgaum and found that very good and economical. HVK and others suggest Sankam Residency in Belgaum.

[arindamray]

Typically people travelling from Bangalore, takes left diversion just before Dharwar, so would not staying in Dharwar/Hubli be better?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by arindamray

Typically people travelling from Bangalore, takes left diversion just before Dharwar, so would not staying in Dharwar/Hubli be better?

Yes you are right. While travelling north (towards Pune) but then the time taken to do the Hubli - Dharwad bypass (20mins) and Bypass exit - Belgaum (1 Hr) simply means you would've moved 500Kms from Bangalore which is a great distance in one shot.

Also, It would depend on what time you leave from Bangalore such that you can either opt for Hubli-Dharwad or Belgaum.

And for the quality of roads on NH4 now, those wanting to do Pune/Mumbai from Bangalore prefer doing it in one shot starting early in the morning and reaching by late evening/night.

It only matters when you travel further away from Bangalore (Chennai etc) that the body & mind demands for a longer break. After all, Chennai - Bangalore also is that additional effort!!

[aargee]

@Congrats Maylsamy; I'm really envious that you've done this dream trip of mine. I hope you didn't have any time to take pics during the rigorous 20 hours. Oh!!! BTW, what car?

[maylsamy]

Hi,

Thanks for replies.

Car - Swift Vxi.

Now I am planning to visit Jog via Bangalore, Tumkur, Shimoga.

Drive to Gokarna from Jog

Gokarna to Goa (12-14 Jul in Goa)

Goa to Navi Mumbai

Info on Blore Jog falls Gokarna route road condidtions, time to travel & other info Please

Will post fotos on completion of trip!

Thanks

Gopal M

[prince_pervez]

Mumbai - Bangalore Road trip thread help a lot don't they ? Lot of information there. Neat timings. Waiting for the photos to remind me of my dashes to Pune.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Mumbai - Bangalore Road trip thread help a lot don't they ? Lot of information there. Neat timings. Waiting for the photos to remind me of my dashes to Pune.

Pervez, The next thing I want to read is a log from you to Pune which you have been planning IIRC. I am also sure that by the time you do this, the whole of NH4 will be a glide!!

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Pervez, The next thing I want to read is a log from you to Pune which you have been planning IIRC. I am also sure that by the time you do this, the whole of NH4 will be a glide!!

Yep and everybody reading this post should know that Parag is the undisputed king of this stretch called NH4. This guy knows the road by the inch. So anyone planning to do this should read the holy logs posted on t-bhp and proceed. Parag's logs, HVK's logs and the recent positive developments on NH4 are going to make things a breeze.
And I will write a log when I do that. Surely.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Yep and everybody reading this post should know that Parag is the undisputed king of this stretch called NH4. This guy knows the road by the inch. So anyone planning to do this should read the holy logs posted on t-bhp and proceed. Parag's logs, HVK's logs and the recent positive developments on NH4 are going to make things a breeze.
And I will write a log when I do that. Surely.

Thanks Pervez, It certainly is an honour for sure and wouldn't ve come if not that first attempt to do Pune when the roads were at their worst (2007) and those repeated attempts as an answer to the temptation called "highway driving". And it feels so good to share the updates after every drive.

Nothing beats the average speeds between Bangalore - Pune even at sedate speeds. I am referring a distance spanning 850 Kms in Indian traffic!!

[prince_pervez]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

wouldn't ve come if not that first attempt to do Pune when the roads were at their worst (2007) and those repeated attempts as an answer to the temptation called "highway driving". And it feels so good to share the updates after every drive.

I know what you are talking about back in 2007 (oct - Nov), buddy there were no roads near Davanagere. On top of that I covered that stretch in the late evening. I was scared to the 'T'.

Nothing beats the average speeds between Bangalore - Pune even at sedate speeds. I am referring a distance spanning 850 Kms in Indian traffic!!

Absolutely, it is sheer pleasure to do this stretch and I can be someone's driver for the day. For most people, travelling such a distance is a pain and dangerous also considering the many elements on the road and the perils of highway travel. But for me, I can jump with joy everytime I prepare to do this stretch.

[maylsamy]

Hi

I started my return trip from vellore on 10th Jul reach stayed in Bangalore on 11 Jul 10
Started from Bangalore at 4.30am 12-jul 10

Bangalore to Belgaum-Road Status as of 12 Jul 10

Bangalore to Tumkur - road / construction activities till JAS Toll

Tumkur Byepass not complete - road with diversions & potholes

Tumkur to Chitradurga - Toll road

Bangalore(Ramamurthy nagar) to Chitradurga - 265 Km 4 hours

Chitradurga to Haveri Byepass - 75 kms took 2 hours

11 diversions - 3 flyovers under construction

Road with potholes/rimbreakers in diversions & otherwise in good condition

Haveri byepass to Belgaum is toll road & to Khanapur in NH4A towards Goa

NH 4A - ghat section drive with mid/heavy lorry traffic & road with bad patches & poor visibility curves

Reached Candolium -Goa by 5.30 pm - 698 km 13 hours drive (include B/F, Lunch & 3-10 min breaks)

Started from Goa on 14 Jul 10 at 8.30 am via Sawantwadi - Amboli- Ajar-Uthur-Nipani(NH4)-Kolhapur-Pune - Navi Mumbai - at 19.30 hours with 2 hours in Amboli falls, lunch break, tea break...

145 Km drive through NH17-SH133,131..& total of 550 km from Goa

3 Jul to 14 Jul - Drive of 3397 Km through Karnataka,Tamilnadu,Goa & Maharashtra.