Team-BHP - All Roads to Kerala

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Originally Posted by Sandy28 (Post 3954645)

I will be driving from Kerala to Bangalore in the 1st week of May. Havent done the Wayanad route before; so am interested in trying this route this time.

Can you share the exact route you took so that i can plot it on google?
How about taking Mysore-Hampapura-Antharasanthe route instead of Mysore-Nanjangud?
If we start early from Kerala (my place is near Perumpilav) say by 5 am, can we reach Bangalore by late evening?
Hows the road thru the forest area? Since it is summer, the forest must be pretty dry right now?
Are there good eateries enroute or do we need to carry food? Fuel options?
Is it possible to take a detour to Thirunelli temple and still make it to Bangalore by late evening?

Thanks

Quote:

Originally Posted by binand (Post 3954675)

That seems to be the route he had taken, but for Perumpilavu it is circuitous. Shorter to take Mysore-Gundlupet-Gudalur-Nilambur-Perinthalmanna-Pattambi.

Easily, but be aware that the late afternoon/early evening traffic on the Mysore-Bangalore Road can be quite maddening.

All the three routes in question - Mysore-Mananthavady, Gundlupet-Bathery and Gundlupet-Nilambur have excellent roads.

Once you are beyond Mysore, your food options are limited though, until you enter Kerala.

For Tirunelli you need to necessarily take the Mananthavady route. A detour would lengthen your journey time by approx. 1.5 hours (not counting time spent at the temple itself).

It would be better if you asked in the Bangalore-Calicut thread, where there are many regulars who take these routes several times a year.

Agree with Binad. Take this route if you wish to visit Thirunelli temple. Other route through Nilambur - Gudalur - Gundalpet is faster from your place. The only problem there is Nanjangud to Mysore stretch. In comparison, Antharsanthe to Mysore road is excellent with less traffic. Food options are not great on this route though. For lunch, you can try Manathavady or stop directly at Mysore.
Also, Thirunelly temple closes at noon so you have to plan accordingly.

Drove from Kochi to Bangalore today. Some updates.
1. As updated earlier by others, the KG Chavadi bye-pass (service road) is open and this saves at least 10-15 minutes. Need to be cautious during night though.
2. Sankari-Tharamangalam-Omalur is relaid and is in good condition. Though there was truck traffic, it was manageable and took 45 mins (its consistent). Whereas, the Selam round-abouts are becoming a pain nowadays with lot of traffic, as I had lost lot of time in my recent trips, especially during noon.
3. Palacode-Rayakkottai-Hosur is also in very good condition. There are stretches around Rayakkotai still undergoing repair, but easily manageable.

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Originally Posted by binand (Post 3954243)

I made the mistake of taking the first exit after the Paliyekkara toll booth (the High Road through Thalore to the round), then MG Road till a major junction (West Fort?) and left again at the junction with Kuttipuram road. This route wasted a lot of time due to traffic pile-ups. On my return I managed to get to Aswini junction and onwards to Kuttanellur where I joined NH7. Coming from Palakkad side I suppose exiting NH7 at Mannuthi itself and joining the Town Hall Road makes sense.

The Thrissur-Kuttipuram Road is 4-lane, dual carriageway till probably near Kaiparambu, and by then traffic volume also goes down. This wasn't the case when I went to Guruvayur a few years back.

I could do good speeds in the return direction; even with a dinner break at a nondescript restaurant on the Guruvayur-Choondal road (clean, well-maintained toilets were the only redeeming feature of this place) we reached home in about 110 minutes of driving time.

True,the High Road option is pure misery.The Kuttanellur option is the easiest and fastest.Just for the benefit of others,there is a Mcdie Drivein at Nadathara Jn between Kuttanellur flyover and Mannuty in the direction of Aluva on NH47 itself

The Junction you mentioned is the Lulu Convention Centre junction,where you take a left towards Guruvayur.The only downside that you might have to negotiate town traffic from Ayyanthole onwards.

My favourite on the Guruvayur-Thrissur road is the Aryaas just before Sobha City,nothing to beat their service and cleanliness.Its a comforting sight to see more of the Aryaas springing up all over NH47.

The Thrissur-Choondal section of 4 laning is a joke,it just keeps alternating every few kilometers and the killer point is the narrow bridge right after Amala hospital where the road just connects to a narrow 4 lane railway overbridge without a warning.Every now and there are cars and trucks crashing there,but then who cares!its still worse while coming from Choondal,its 4 laned right upto the bridge and in a flash you have to readjust to the bridge-no warning signs or reflectors.

The Sobha city turnoff from the highway is ensuring garangutan traffic jams on the highway nowa days.I just hope they install a signal before its too late

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Originally Posted by bejoy (Post 3955502)

Drove from Kochi to Bangalore today. Some updates.

BTW, the Chengapalli toll has increased to ₹85 now. I felt that this is bit too much for a shorter stretch. Though its a 6+dual service road lane, the hike is not justified. This toll is the highest of all along the Bangalore-Kochi route.

Quote:

Originally Posted by binand (Post 3954243)

I did a quick Perumbavur-Guruvayur drive on Saturday. Left home at around 3 PM, reached Guruvayur at around 6 PM, started the return trip at 9 PM and was back home again by 11:30 PM. Distance was 90 km one-way.

Hmm.. we missed a TBHP meet at Guruvayur :( I did Kochi - Guruvayur on Saturday through NH17. Started at 2:30PM and reached at 5PM. The drive was uneventful except a long traffic jam at Chettuva bridge due to some repair work. It was worse on Sunday, as the queue went to a couple of kms.

BTW, I found a detour from Muthakunnam via Gothuruth to avoid the narrow stretches till Paravur, on NH17 (while travelling towards Kochi).

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Originally Posted by bejoy (Post 3955763)

How much is the Karumathampatti toll now ? Used to be ₹75 earlier. I usually take NH209 when going to Cochin, and join NH47 at Karumathampatti. Since the toll comes after the road from Annur joins NH47, the ₹75 itself used to be a killer - for just 10 kms on the NH till the L&T bypass start !

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BTW, I found a detour from Muthakunnam via Gothuruth to avoid the narrow stretches till Paravur, on NH17 (while travelling towards Kochi).

Are you referring to the route via Pallippuram-Vypin-Gosree bridge ? Even that has quite a bit of bus traffic and the roads aren't too much broader, but still better than passing Paravur. If it's something different, can you please post a route map ?

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Originally Posted by kala (Post 3955874)

Yes, I was referring to the same toll. It is ₹85 now. I remember it was ₹80 earlier. The location of the toll plaza is very strategic for the advantage of the operator.

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Originally Posted by kala (Post 3955874)

No, its not Pallippuram route. I felt that route was always crowded.
This route is through a very quiet island - Gothuruth. Its couple of kms more than the regular route, but very peaceful and a welcome break from the busy and dragging NH17. There is only one signal that is inside the Paravur town (To cross Paravur main road) and a small stretch is one-way.
Here is the maps link.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejoy (Post 3955763)

BTW, the Chengapalli toll has increased to ₹85 now. I felt that this is bit too much for a shorter stretch. Though its a 6+dual service road lane, the hike is not justified.

Did have the same feeling and had spoken to the NHAI Director on this. The toll, I understand is for the entire 6 lane of 44 kms from Chengapalli to Neelambur Bye Pass. The earlier toll payment gets over where the 6 lane starts.

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Originally Posted by JohnnyBoss (Post 3958968)

Which is the best route, in terms of good roads, from Sreekrishnapuram to Kulappully? The one via Cherpulassery and Vaniyamkulam seems a bit shorter than the one via Ottapalam. Don't mind driving a few kms more if roads are good.

The one via ottapalam-Chunangad-ambalapara-Kalluvazhi-Thiruvazhiyode-mangalamkunnu-sreekrishnapuram is the one I take usually and its in good condition.You might run into a traffic jam near ottapalam bus stand but nothing of any major worry.

Update from Coimbatore Trip:
On the return journey I took Sankari bypass-Edappady-Tharamangalam-Omalur route to bypass Salem. Roads were very good except a small 10 meter stretch where it was being repaired. Nice, tree lined roads, scenic and at couple of places the road is winding through hills. Saw some truck traffic as well. Edappady town is bypassed by turning to right about 2 Km before the town, there are 2/3 other junctions where one needs to turn left and right. Just keep to the newer, wider road and you will be fine :), most signboards are in Tamil so just ask when in doubt, GPS helps definitely.
Tharamangalam is a small town about 10Km before Omalur. At Omalur there is a town road that has a divider with shops on either side and runs parallel to NH7 and merges onto the service road.

Landmarks when coming from Coimbatore side:
1.About 16Km from Bhavani Bridge (Cauvery River) there is a Saravana Bhavan Classic near Reddipalayam junction
2.1Km from Saravana Bhavan you see the "Sankari bypass starts" signage
3.24Km from Bhavani bridge or 8Km from Saravana Bhavan is the turn off to left for Edappady (as soon as you turn you can see the signage for Kuppanur). There are some shops on the left at this turn off, also look for Sakthi Car Sales with the Maruti and Tata logos there are a few signboards on the NH7 before the Edappady turn off

46Km later you reach the NH7 at Omalur.

We took about an hour to get from Sankari bypass to Omalur. To put things in perspective, we had friends in another car traveling with us and they took the regular route via Salem and reached the Thoppur toll about 10 minutes before us.
This is a good option to bypass Salem traffic during a holidays/evening traffic, though in our case it did not save much time since we took it on a weekday at off peak hours.

*While going from Bangalore, there is a huge junction before the Omalur town turn off and there are roads on either side of the NH7. This is a sure-shot accident spot with the way the junction is designed so watch out! The cops have done their part by placing barricades to force traffic to slow down but this can get one by surprise and pose a huge problem for longer trucks, saw a long truck snake his way through the junction slowly and cautiously.