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In my experience too it takes 3 hrs from Trichur to EKM especially during peak hours. Traffic goes chaotic in many places with vehicle moving in three lanes although there is no lane demarcation and left side overtakings.
EKM - Shornur under 2 hrs is one hell of a time.

I have just uploaded my logs of the entire trip into a website, URL:

http://www.arkzsol.com/Abad-Tvm-Abad07.htm

On 23-11-07, I started from Hotel Abad to Edapally 20 mts, and from Edapally @ 1130 and reached the Trichur BP start @ 0110, traffic was moderate, total time around 2 hours; some people report in the morning and in the evening longer time from Cochin to Trichur depending on traffic.

I have myself done this stretch 2 years back in a santrol in 1 hour, had to rush in the night around 11PM from Palakkad to Cochih, traffic was very light.

Again my my logso on 24-11-07, from Trichur to Nemarrah, I have taken 90 mits, my sense is, same time would be required from Trichur to Palakkad under similar conditions.

Just my experience........

Happy Driving,

--Ramky

It is possible; and I had done this route more than once (half way up to Shornur) during peak of monsoon. The secret lies in avoiding the Ollur approach to Trichur from NH 47. (use the Mannuthy road or there is another road somewhere in between - dunno the landmark - just know when I reach there). Trichur - Shornur is about 45 Minutes.

Thats absolutely right. I once left Bangalore at 5 in the morning and reached Ekm by 2 in the afternoon. Thats including stops for breakfast, lunch and also a puncture.

BINGO!

Turn left at Kuttanallur. You see a board which says Trichur 6km to the left, and thats where you turn. If you go a further 1 km up on the highway you will come across another board which says Trichur 5km to the left. You could take this one too - it goes through even less crowded roads.

Now Trivandrum to Trichur road is better than before.3 n half hours from Trivandrum to Trissur if travel early in the morning by 3am -4am.

That is right, Kerala roads are deserted early in the morning. Leaving TVM at 310 am, I have done Trivandrum-Ernakulam Vytilla in 2.5 hours (220 kms) 535 am, Trissur in 3.15, 625 am, and have continued to Palakkad in 4 hours (350 kms), 710 am.

Ok. Not boasting here. :stupid: But the fastest Trivandrum-Maradu (hotel wytefort) I've done is 1hour 28minutes. The car was a BMW 530D. Time: 02:30am to 04:00am.
Our aim was to keep the car above 200 as much as possible. Never went below 140 except in towns. Man! Those were the roads a year earlier.
Now, with the same car, it'll take atleast 2hours or more if we try something similar. BTW, roads are slowly being patched up in almost every part of Kerala. North Kerala (above cannanore) is a bit behind though. But for sure, there's some light at the end of the tunnel.

Hey Ramki,

Am I proud to say I made the 11 hrs in a M800 :)
Usually I start early morning around 4 to avoid the bottlenecks but this time the trip was unplanned and I left Blore around 11.30 in the morning and reached Cochin by 10-10.30...

Kibi

That was one hell of a time in one hell of a car. One more quiery, was the Krishnagiri Dharmapuri Mettur goad as bad it was as it is now? You must have also done the palakkad Cochin section under 2 hours, about 130 km.

I have a medicine distributor who did the Coimby Cochin section 6 years back, 1 am to 320 am, in a Maruti Van, he was carrying an urgent medicine from Coimby for Medical Trust Hospital Patient, cochin, no sirens. We didn't believ him at first and validated from the doctors and by-standers. That, as I remember it, is one hell of a record.

--Ramky

Any idea how the road from Kannur to coorg (MADIKERI) is? What's the best route?

The direct route is via Virajpet, but that road is apparently in shambles now. Only other alternative (also bad) is to go via Kasargod, Puttur, Sulya to Madikeri. Choose the lesser of the 2 evils depending on where you plan to go - Madikeri or Siddapura/Ammathi/Gonikoppa.

While going to Madikeri from Kasargod, it's not necessary to go via Puttur. The better and very much shorter option is via Jalsoor, Sullya. The road is good until you meet with Mangalore road at Jalsoor.

Oh no! Kannur-Virajpet is in shambles too?

Yes, I stand corrected. The Sulya-Madikeri road is in bad condition.

According to Sivadas who is from Kannur and lives in Bangalore (and therefore uses that road quite often), that road DOES NOT EXIST. There's a local legend that such a road used to exist once upon a time and that people could actually travel on that route, but that is now history.