[SithDefender]

Originally Posted by bimal_67

Finished a Delhi - Kerala (Kanjirapally) trip yesterday.

Apologies, but may I know which car was used for this journey?

[bimal_67]

Originally Posted by SithDefender

… which car was used for this journey?

The vehicle is Creta 1.6 CRDi SX(O).

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by bimal_67

Delhi - Gurugram - DME NE4 ( with exit at Kustala toll) - Kota bypass - Jalrapatan - Ujjain - Dewas bypass - Indore

Any reason why you didn't take the MP arm of DME till Ratlam?

[Vipin Kumar]

I drove to Kerala from Lucknow a week ago. I joined the Delhi route at Jhansi and then took Shivpuri - Indore highway. I took the AB Road all the way till Nashik. The first halt was at Indore, second at Nashik, Triambakeshwar. Then I drive to Pune and Belgaum (the route is miserable post Satara due to massive widening work going on). My drive from Belgaum to Karwar was my best, through Khanapur, Ramnagar, Joida (and the Anshi National Park). Excellent drive through dense forests for over four hours! I drove further from Karwar to Kollur the same day and stayed there. I drove the next day to northern Kerala via Mangalore (through the city).

I could have taken the Solapur route from Nashik but I did not do enough research in that direction. Also, I thought it would be worthwhile to drive through Anshi National Park and reach the Konkan Coast.

[bimal_67]

Originally Posted by narayans80

……didn't take the MP arm of DME till Ratlam?

That was due to the following considerations: -
1. Options of towns/cities to halt for Day 1. Indore has much more options than Ratlam.

2. Drive time and distance on the second day between Ratlam and Solapur as indicated by GMaps is more by an hour as against from Indore.

[Innysta]

Originally Posted by bimal_67

Finished a Delhi - Kerala (Kanjirapally) trip yesterday.

Footnote:
2. Plan the route making full use of Satellite view of Google Maps and using expected start day and time for each section (break to break). This will avoid surprises on the break points during the drive but also will aid with an overall view of the days progress.

This is a fantastic achievement, Great. Can you help with below questions:

1. Which sections of the drive did you find too much nuisance from bikers/local traffic (where we should be more alert?).
2. How much was the toll and fuel bills?
3. What was the Avg FE?
4. what is the advantage of using Satellite view of Gmaps, expected start day and time?

[bimal_67]

Originally Posted by Innysta

……help with below questions:

Which sections of the drive did you find too much nuisance from bikers/local traffic (where we should be more alert?).

I would say ‘more than normal’ two wheeler traffic was there only for short time/distances, namely entry to Indore through AB Road, Solapur town, Bengaluru in the evening and not to forget Salem as we were passing Salem around 0845hrs. That has to be expected.

How much was the toll and fuel bills?

Regret that we did not keep track of the toll charges. Fuel bills came up to around 13450/- including the tank filling in Kerala after the journey plus 200km runs within Kerala. We used about 148 litres of diesel (full to full) for the journey.

What was the Avg FE?

Around 20.6kmpl (as per Fuelio app)

what is the advantage of using Satellite view of Gmaps, expected start day and time?

The satellite view helped in assessing various aspects of potential bio/food breaks eg. approach from highway, parking feasibility, whether the place is really functioning or not with a ‘guesstimate’ based on the number of vehicles seen parked there in satellite view etc. This was a lesson learnt from one travel where we couldn’t locate restaurants as seen in GMaps (normal views) on the ground.

The stop-to-stop drive time estimates were worked out using the estimated start time from each stop. This was done as we had seen that the GMaps time estimate in some sections vary depending on the start time. GMaps desktop version gives better options. The breakdown of day-wise plan helped us assess our progress at every section.

[Innysta]

Originally Posted by bimal_67

The satellite view helped in assessing various aspects of potential bio/food breaks eg. approach from highway, parking feasibility, whether the place is really functioning or not with a ‘guesstimate’ based on the number of vehicles seen parked there in satellite view etc. This was a lesson learnt from one travel where we couldn’t locate restaurants as seen in GMaps (normal views) on the ground.

Just realized that the satellite view is stale image and not live. Hence, not sure how we will gain from "number of vehicles seen parked there in satellite view". The approach road, bio/food breaks are all available in Default view as well. Am i missing something?

[bimal_67]

Originally Posted by Innysta

Just realized that the ……… Am i missing something?

You are perfectly right that it is not “live”. As I brought out before, it helps in a “guesstimate” to confirm that the place really exists and is frequented. I have experienced such disparity between what exists on the map and on ground in one trip sometime before. This is not a perfect solution, but meets the objective.

[bimal_67]

Originally Posted by bimal_67

Finished a Delhi - Kerala (Kanjirapally) trip yesterday……. The route and halt points were selected such that night stays can be at comfortable hotels after manageable distances / duration each day.

Finished the return leg (Kerala - Delhi) of the trip. As planned, we retraced the onward route on the return leg with night halts at Bangalore, Solapur and Indore. The halt points could be reached with manageable driving durations everyday catering for bio/food breaks in between. Certain points for reference are indicated below: -

1. On Day 1 (Kerala (Kanjirapally) - Bangalore), the road work near Thoppur Mountain pass area contributed to a delay of more than 20 min. Also, not to mention the traffic congestion while entering Bangalore after Hosur around 1700hrs. I got a feeling that this was mainly due to incorrect traffic management on that day rather than its volume. I could be wrong on that.

2. The A2B at Sira is ideally located for vehicles exiting Bangalore for a food and bio break.

3. Restaurants around Manjarsumbha after Solapur are ideal for breakfast ex-Solapur.

4. Kannad ghat drive is enjoyable as there is no heavy traffic (except transport buses) now. But exercise caution as the side barriers have fallen off in certain spots. Hopefully NHAI restores them soon.

5. Heavy vehicle traffic congestion is to be expected on the ghat sections at Borghat before Indore.

6. The road surface on the Indore bypass needs improvement.

7. Carry packed breakfast from Indore if leaving early. It is difficult to catch a decent restaurant before 1000hrs after Ujjain (which will be too early if start time is before 0600hrs) on this route.

8. The road surface on the left side while driving towards Nainwa-Uniara on the NH 148D Hindoli bypass has started giving way (inline with heavy vehicle tyre trails) maybe due to high temperatures.

9. The toll booths on the Kushtala - Lalsot section on the DME (NE4) has started functioning from 14th June onwards.

10. DME is not comfortable to drive during rains view water accumulation due to uneven paving. Also, the heavy vehicles are seen to be plying on all lanes now, not restricted to the left lanes as displayed on display boards.

Some statistics about the return leg: -
(a) Distance travelled - 2704 Kms
(b) Driving Time - 43 hrs 35 min
(c) Average Speed ~ 62 kmph

(d) Total distance covered in this trip including runs within Kerala - 6271 Kms.

[travancore]

Originally Posted by bimal_67

Finished the return leg (Kerala - Delhi) of the trip.
(d) Total distance covered in this trip including runs within Kerala - 6271 Kms.

Wowww bimal_67. We need pictures of this lovely trip!

[littlebrother]

Hi, can anyone help me with the route recommended for Delhi to Kochi ? Any particular route to be avoided in gmap suggestions ? Stopover recommendations or highway hotel suggestions. Any particular restaurants or petrol bunks with food court and good toilet facilities that you can suggest. All informations or any information would be of great help. Thank you in advance.

[Roan J]

Originally Posted by littlebrother

Hi, can anyone help me with the route recommended for Delhi to Kochi ?

Did you make this trip? Would be helpful for your feedback if any.