[ninjatalli]

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.

– Robert Louis Stevenson

Prologue
A long ride on a cycle over multiple days is a plan that has been in the works since ages for me. By default, I always assumed I'd be doing the Mumbai - Goa by cycle route; a tried and tested route that many cyclists friends of mine have done. And the fact that I have done Mumbai-Goa multiple times by road (both NH17 & NH8), it was an easy plan to make. Especially during the monsoon when the Konkan coastline shows its absolutely brilliant colors. But alas, that's something that always remained a dream, as the moment I got 3 days of holidays, it always got allocated to road trips and larger plans.

So when we moved to Bangalore less than a year ago, just by chance I realized there was a huge opportunity to travel around and see the natural beauty of the state which was literally unexplored territory for me. Traversing the state of Karnataka was not going to be one single trip; the former two trips being Part 1 on an Enfield during January'21 and later Part 2 in a SCross 1.6 later during the monsoon.



So when the opportunity arrived for me to have a week off in March, the seeds of an idea were set - why not do a trip to Goa by cycle? The thought to do it from Bangalore did not excite me. The highways were full of traffic plus the initial part of the route is too mundane with the beautiful locales only coming up when I reach the ghats, which wouldn't be till I do some ~300 kms. So that option was scrapped.

The other option on the table was to get the cycle to Mangalore somehow and start off the ride from there on the coastal line. Thankfully an opportunity came up with a unscheduled last minute trip to Mangalore in Feb first week and we decided to go by road allowing us to carry the cycle in the car itself. And so the works of the plan were finally put in motion.

Planned Route


Actual Route
Day 0: Mangalore - Manjeshwar (KL) - Mangalore
Day 1: Mangalore - Udupi
Day 2: Udupi - Bhatkal
Day 3: Bhatkal - Gokarna
Day 4: Gokarna - Karwar
Day 5: Karwar - Benaulim (GA)
Day 6: Benaulim - Vasco Da Gama (station)

Gear / Acessories
I decided to travel light given the extreme weather (heat) and managed without the need of any panniers. My luggage consisted of:
- 1 x TrekNRide Saddle bag (to carry luggage)
- 1 x cycle portable pump
- 1 x extra tube
- 1 x multi-tool kit
- 1 x puncture kit
- 1 x mobile (front) holder bag
- 1 x portable battery bank
- 2 x pairs of riding top + pants
- 2 x pairs of light material homewear + other knick-knacks
- Basic cycling gear (helmet, bottles, glasses, gloves, etc.)



Trip Stats
- No. of days: 6
- Kms covered: ~450 kms
- Riding hours: 5-6 hours daily (on avg.)
- No. of punctures: 0

Epilogue
Overall, the plan to cover the Karnataka coastline from (state) border to border went without a hitch. While I would have loved to do this during the monsoon (or post monsoon), it still made for a nice trip, even if it was during a hot and slightly humid March first week. While the original plan was to visit the different beaches across the coastline, the actual riding got me hooked into just traversing most of the route on the highways (which wasn't bad at all to be honest). While I have done much longer rides in a day, what I experimented on this trip was to do multi-day consecutive rides over a week and complete it in the same manner as my weekend rides.

Having now done this, probably the next plan would be to attempt the route down south, across Kerala! Or maybe a ride to Leh (if I get company)

[ninjatalli]

Route: Mangalore - Manjeshwar (KL) - Mangalore
Distance: ~50 kms



So a trip to Mangalore came up on the cards a month before the actual week of break and it made perfect sense to use this opportunity to get the cycle over as the only other alternative was to carry the cycle on a bus or the train a day before the cycling trip. Boxed up the cycle in the SCross and we drove over on a Saturday morning and landed up in Mangalore with a day to spare. While the plan was to start cycling only in March but a lazy Sunday morning offered me an option to try out riding in the hot(ter) weather of Mangalore as compared to the cooler temps of Bangalore.

Pumped up the air in both tires and headed out towards south (KL) without a clear destination - the idea was to just see if any repair work was needed on the cycle that could be done before I head back to Bangalore the next day. Contrary to my worries, the weather wasn't that hot, especially the wind was nice and chilly, even though I started quite late in the morning.


Crossing over the evergreen and wide Netravati river on a foggy Sunday morning with the city still waking up as I head towards Kerala

The KL border is quite close to Mangalore and I crossed over within an hour of leaving and continued ahead till I saw the next town on the highway which turned out to be a non-descript place called Manjeshwar. Instead of going back via the same highway, I decided to head back through the inner roads thinking I'll see lesser traffic as a bonus. What I didn't realize is the highway cuts across the rolling hills while the inner roads go over and under :(


A few kilometers after I cross the state border, I turn into the inner roads and encounter rolling hills (compared to the much flatter highway)


Although the speed is much slower due to the recurring climbs, the views are so much better as compared to the usual setups seen on both sides of the highway

But it's still a short ride back home and I landed up back home some 2.5 hours after I had left with hot piping breakfast ready for me. And with the cycle running without any errors/issues, the setup was ready for the longer trip a month later!

[ninjatalli]

Route: Mangalore - Malpe
Distance: ~60 kms



The overnight train from Bangalore dropped me at Mangalore junction at 7am and I quickly walked to my relative's house to setup the bike and was out of the house by 8.15am. The minimalistic luggage approach did help with only a saddle bag adding weight to the cycle (as compared to my normal rides in Bangalore).


All set and ready to ride!

I very quickly left the city and got on to the highway. Surprisingly there wasn't a lot of traffic, probably due to the weekday riding. I stopped at one of the numerous rivers that the highway crossed between Suratkal and Kapu.



I got off the highway a few kms before Padubidri beach, erroneously crossing over towards the beach front at Hejamadi. The change in scenery was amazing as I got closer to the beach front - more fields, more coconut trees and sorts.


Off the highway, on to the beachside



I soon realized my folly as there was a gap between Hejamadi and Padubidri beach that didn't have a road and I had to cross over via the sandy beach. Of course I wasn't complaining as I walked over to the other end.



The road went parallel to the oceans for the next 20 kms with a mix of fishing villages and beautiful houses with large gardens lining up next to the single lane road.


One of the numerous nicely done villas with large gardens and tall walls/gate that I saw on this stretch

However, it was nice to see a splattering of colors on local homes that made the sight more pretty; best of all being the bright sky blue colors that dotted the default old-school houses of the fishing villages.


That blue color looked so in sync with the blue ocean and blue skies



I soon reached the stretch of thin road/area that had the ocean on one end and the backwaters on the other end.

https://youtu.be/9hOtJihC-zc

My planned stay for the day was to be one of the numerous homestays that dotted this stretch. I finally zoomed onto one - Sattva camp and Cottages that was known for its surfing and tent based camping options, that generally catered to the young crowd.

The place was very artistically done with the road (and ocean) at one end and the backwaters on the back side of the camp. Because of the pandemic and it being a working weekday, the place didn't have any customers and I was able to get a great bargain on one of their 'triangle' huts, a bare bone but compact setup.


My stay for the night on the left


For the bargain price I paid, I would have accepted one of the mini-tests instead of the hut at the end


I really liked some of the ideas put in to this camp

I spent most of the remaining part of the day on the hammocks at the back side of the camp, mostly on my mobile, with nothing else to do other than kill time. Overall a nice end to the first day of my week long plan. Thankfully, I didn't face any constraints and that's all that mattered to me at that time.


A book in hand would have been better though

[ninjatalli]

Route: Udupi - Marvanthe - Bhatkal
Distance: ~90 kms



It was clear from the start that I had to do a long run today, much more than yesterday's 60km. What was not going to help was that it eventually turned out to be a very hot day, much early in the morning. I decided to keep my photo breaks to the bare minimum, skipped scenic detours such as Kodi Bengere; and even though the route crossed numerous rivers that called out for a photo break. I eventually stopped for one only after an hour's riding.


Crossing the Suvarna river

The next proper halt took place at the touristy spot of Marvanthe beach. Even though I was aware of the beach and what it offers, it still blew my mind away. Took a few customary snaps on the bridge that connected the backwaters with the sea and decided to move on.


Backwaters on the left, sea on the right

https://youtu.be/YPvxyCzB5NA

It was by chance that I noticed the small temple at the other end, and the small adjacent bridge that crossed the backwaters. It was a sight for sore eyes. The bridge with the adjacent temple provided some magnificent shots of the highway bridge and the backwaters.


The highway (bridge) is seen on top right

On the other end of the bridge were river islands that seemed untouched by humans (atleast to the nakwd eye). What I wouldn't have paid for a kayak right then to go exploring into those backwaters.


And the big river islands in the center

The rest of the ~50 kms ride went without much of a break - it was heating up quite a bit and my destination for the day, Bhatkal, was only going to be reached after 12pm. So fizzled by the heat I was, I stopped at the first hotel/lodge that I saw within the city limits and decided to halt there.

A decision that initially seemed fantastic with a minimal fare of 300 bucks for a NON-AC room (they didn't have AC rooms), with allowance for me to keep the cycle inside my room seemed perfect. Unfortunately by the time I spent a few hours, I realised the room was a heat sink, with the temps outdoor being much lower than inside the room, despite the fan on full speed. Should have moved out immediately for better options but unfortunately my frazzled mind was not ready to take that decision, convincing myself that the situation would get better in the evening. But alas, with open windows (to recirculate the air) came mosquitoes!

Ah well, this was only day 2, I took it as a good learning for the days ahead. And tried to crash early for the night after a long day of riding.

[ninjatalli]

Route: Bhatkal - Kumta - Gokarna
Distance: ~90 kms



The day started on a bad note with my sleep interrupted by mosquitoes throughout the night. The good outcome of that was I was able to wake up in time without the need of an alarm and was out of the town before sunrise.

My first halt was the temple town of Murdeshwar, some ~20 kms away from my starting point. I wasn't planning on going into the temple premises, but the presence of several Udupi restaurants in that town was my breakfast halt for the day. I saw a large number of devotees outside the gate and I just decided to take a few snaps from a side lane. Got a lot of funny views from folks all around me and I clearly was the odd man out by a loooong mile!


The massive structure with the RN Shetty name plastered all over the premises

After a heavy breakfast, I started out towards the next immediate destination being the fishing town of Honnavar. This definitely was a rich (natural resources) area with the highway cutting across numerous streams and rivers.



Some were small as much as a canal would be but with decent amount of water. What took my breath away was the massive basin of the Sharavati river with the multiple river islands visible close to the highway bridge.


Crossing the massive Sharavati river before entering the city

Sharavati River basin

I stopped for a cuppa in a shop that falsely branded itself as a coffee house (the coffee was bleh) and headed further towards my next destination being the town of Kumta, where I would be crossing over to Gokarna via a ferry.

Kumta was a quaint pretty town, but what blew me away were the untouched beaches. I pondered quite a while if I should take a break and get into the sea.


Zero travellers seen on the long beach streches

As I headed towards the north most point to catch the ferry, the road conditions had completely changed once I left the highway (which went around the town of Kumta). Full tree cover with cool winds from the ocean ensured a pleasant ride.



I finally decided to bite the bullet and took a short halt at one of the beach front resorts. Had a lovely chat with the owner on a variety of topics ranging from untapped potential of North Karnataka beaches to littering while I waited for a tasty sandwich (a late brunch).


Aka restaurant on Nirvana beach front


Yummy it was - one of the best meals of the trip!

A climb over a short hill at the northern end brought me to the tiny fishing village that had an hourly ferry to the other end on Gokarna side. This was not a full sized ferry but one that could probably take 5-8 bikes and about 20 people.



Initially I thought we are going half empty to the other end but soon it filled up to the maximum possible with hardly any space to breathe. With the only cyclist and cycle on board, I clearly stood out from the crowd but nobody gave me more than just the initial glance.


I counted 9 bikes and 1 cycle + some 20 odd people aboard the ferry

About 15 mins later, we reached the other end and I started looking for hotels to stay for the night. Surprisingly I found a nice deal with Stonewood Nature resort, probably a last minute book deal available for that day. I quickly took it, a good place was much needed after yesterday's debacle of opting for a highway lodge.

The resort was located on top of a hill and the route to the place went around some pretty small beaches, which I would have loved to take a break. But I was dead tired thanks to the limited sleep the previous night and I just wanted to get to my room.


'God's own beach' is what it is called apparently - on west side of Gokarna

I finally reached the resort, with the staff giving me amused looks, as clearly I wasn't the normal clientele (mostly saw couples and large groups) for that place. I was so tired, I just ate a sandwich at the restaurant and crashed immediately; a decision that I was going to regret the next day morning. In the end, it wasn't a bad day - I had covered nearly 90kms, more than what I had initially planned for the day.

[ninjatalli]

Route: Gokarna - Karwar - Benaulim
Distance: ~130 kms

Day 4 (Gokarna to Karwar)



So the previous day went kind of a blur with me mostly sleeping off all day and crashing early. The result of it was I woke up quite early without any alarm and completely refreshed. I decided to start late today and enjoy the resort for a few hours of the morning instead. It was still dark but the resort was nicely lit up so I decided to sit outside my cottage and enjoy the sunrise.


View from my cottage

It was quite beautiful with the arecanut trees (and surrounding forest cover) creating slivers of light before the sun came up completely. Breakfast was to be served at 7.30am, which was some time away so I decided to roam around the resort campus.


The beautiful Stonewood Nature resort

I was blown away by the beauty of it. The cacophony of birds singing/crying early morning unfortunately couldn't be captured in a picture but I just sat down at the steps and listened to them all around the resort.


Main center of the resort with the pool & restaurant

I then noticed the swimming pool being cleaned and then only I wished I had not slept that much the previous day. Unfortunately it didn't seem I was going to be able to use it today, as I had to move on after breakfast.


The broken road at the end to the resort

The sun was up its full glory by the time I left the forested area surrounding the resort. At that time, given the heat used to become untolerable by 12pm, my destination was only Ankola, a town some 35 kms away from Gokarna. When I reached the town, I found it was quite pleasant (in spite of it already being 12.30pm) and I decided to continue further towards Karwar. The roads were in great condition, traffic was minimal and there was a strong cool breeze (although strong headwinds) that helped made the ride easy. Compared to the previous day's, I was able to ride on till late afternoon when the familiar naval base of Karwar came into sight!


Port ahoy!

Weirdly the highways around Karwar were still under construction, a sight that I had seen almost a year ago with hardly any changes. I quickly settled into one of the good hotels of the city and crashed for the day.

-----

Day 5 (Karwar to Benaulim)



Similar to the previous night, I woke up early again without any alarms and this time I decided to move out of the hotel by 6 am. True to its nature of a small town, the whole city was mostly sleeping, including the hotel management. Thankfully I had paid in advance, so I left my room key at the lobby and moved out. There were a few folks on the streets but otherwise it was almost a dead town.


Except for a few security guards, the city was dead asleep

The sun started coming up as I passed the familiar bridge over the Kali river. Interestingly I saw a good number of runners/walkers on the river, more than the number of vehicles plying across the bridge.


Kali river in all its might

Within a short period of time, I was at the border, wondering if I would be stopped for vaccination records. Nopes, they just let me breeze through! Immediately the ads for liquor started lining up on both sides of the road, a clear sign that I was in Goa!


Finally the border comes up! Yay!

Within a short while, familiar sights started coming in view - for example this scenic patch of backwaters that comes up just before one passes Patnem Beach exit.



I almost was in half a mind to get off the highway and just get to the beach. (Un)fortunately the stomach won, it had been nearly 2 hours since I left and I hadn't had any food.



Decided to skip the pretty beaches and headed to a familiar and popular breakfast outlet (Patnem chai shop) at Patnem (village) and had a nice break(fast). By the time I was back on the highway and started crossing the ghats separating Canacona and Morbor, the sun was up and even though it was only 9, it was heating up nicely. Traffic had increased quite a bit and the sorry state of roads in this section definitely did not help.

What was surprising was the change in colors of the ghat section - it was bone dry and all shades of brown, with minimal amount of green-ery.


Take 1 - summer

I remembered this section very differently and much more beautiful. Here's a picture of the same road section as above, taken a few years ago after the monsoon season. The difference is stark!


Take 2 - monsoon

Once I covered the ghats, it was all one Goan town/village after another as I quickly reached my destination for the day, Benaulim (beach) by 11 am. A little later than what I would have expected given the early start but it was good to be in Goa (finally!) And the sight of the ocean with the beach shacks and open restaurant setup was a sight for sore eyes (and tired limbs for sure)!


Destination reached!

The trip was more or less done, with only a final stretch of ~30 odd kms to Vasco station tomorrow to load the cycle on the train and head back to Bangalore. At the start of the trip, I wondered how I'd be able to do a week long trip, just cycling and no more. But time just flew by and it's time to get back to the usual grind!

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[sukhbirST]

Lovely trip with neat description of route using maps. Sometimes slow and steady rides have their own charm and enjoyment. Photographs were also good which showed the beautiful coastline all along. Wishing you many more such trips.

[Blessings21]

Hi Ninjatalli, thanks for sharing your ride experience. Very informative with necessary details and maps. I have recently started cycling; bought a 'Fuji 1.9 absolute' hybrid last week. In a week i have covered about 80 kMs (30 + 20 +15 +15) of riding and enjoying it thoroughly. Western Ghats have been in my radar for a monsoon drive for a long time. But after seeing your experience, i am looking forward to take a ride in my cycle rather than driving around this beautiful coastal line. In line with this, i am also interested in cycling the whole stretch of Kerala. Let me know once you decide on the plan (i am sure, it might take some time, based on leave and other scenarios), i will try to join. Thanks once again for sharing and motivating.

[woodstock3001]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

Route: Gokarna - Karwar - Benaulim
Distance: ~130 kms

Great travelogue Ninjatalli. It really inspires me to take out my bicycle & start travelling again, but in Delhi we do not have such beautiful avenues and i only have normal bicycle.

Question - Is it possible to do such stretches in MTB (Normal bicycle) and what difference will it make otherwise ? and if possible, i would love to join you on Kerala trip or any other such short trip.

[narayanang76]

great riding and awesome travelogue @ninja.

How did you transport the bicycle for this ride? Did you leave the cycle at Mangalore after the first trip in car or carried it in train along with you?
And did you visit Eco beach @ Honnavar?

Cheers
narayanang76

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by sukhbirST

Lovely trip with neat description of route using maps. Sometimes slow and steady rides have their own charm and enjoyment. Photographs were also good which showed the beautiful coastline all along. Wishing you many more such trips.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by Blessings21

In line with this, i am also interested in cycling the whole stretch of Kerala. Let me know once you decide on the plan (i am sure, it might take some time, based on leave and other scenarios), i will try to join. Thanks once again for sharing and motivating.

Good to hear on your riding habits - keep it up. As for the Kerala plan, that will take time - it'll probably be another 6 months before I get a week off again.

Originally Posted by woodstock3001

Question - Is it possible to do such stretches in MTB (Normal bicycle) and what difference will it make otherwise ? and if possible, i would love to join you on Kerala trip or any other such short trip.

Easily. As long as you are comfortable doing long rides on your cycle, the type of cycle wouldn't be a problem.

Originally Posted by narayanang76

great riding and awesome travelogue @ninja.

How did you transport the bicycle for this ride? Did you leave the cycle at Mangalore after the first trip in car or carried it in train along with you?
And did you visit Eco beach @ Honnavar?

Cheers
narayanang76

Bangalore - Mangalore: Carried in car and stored at my relative's place for a month
Goa - Bangalore: Brought it back via overnight train (as luggage).

Indian Railways luggage/parcel process has become so streamlined it took me about 30 mins to get the cycle packed at Vasco Da Gama station parcel office and about ~30 mins to get the gate pass at Yeshwantpur (last stop). No other efforts needed from my end. All for a dirt-cheap cost of less than 300Rs; all-inclusive, by the book, no hassles at all.

Originally Posted by narayanang76

And did you visit Eco beach @ Honnavar?

No, but I did visit Blue Flag beach, Padubidri which was a (similar) commercially maintained beach with well-maintained beach front park, excellent washrooms & bathing rooms, parking, restaurants and sorts. I was quite impressed by such a setup and landed just by chance at it.