[Asif 6959]

Did this stretch a couple of days back and with the monsoons just getting over but the rains have done their damage.
The stretch from Nelamangala-Kunigal-Hassan upto Sakleshpur is splendid, the trouble is just when you exit Sakleshpur to take road to Mangalore. The Ghat sections are 30-35 km if i remember correctly and are not very bad its just the traffic at times makes it a pain.

I did this stretch in the morning @ 11:00 and hence did not get the regular bus traffic. But on the way back we were caught in the dark and not to mention the rains. Its best to do Bangalore-Mangalore when the buses are least on the roads.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by prasad14

Two more options you might want to consider:

1. Bangalore-Mysore-Bhagamandala-Kanhangad-Mangalore
2. Bangalore-Mysore-Madikeri-Sullia-Kasargod-Mangalore

(Mysore-Bhagamandala itself can be done either via standard Madikeri route or via Virajpete)



My 2 cents.

Prasad

Thanks.
Route 1 ..I had in mind till someone told me Bhagamandala road is very bad ! Any pics?
Route 2- I heard 30 kms after Sampaje till Sullia is very bad . Somewhere in 2007 , I had done this road in similar conditions (when shiradi was in its worst possible shape) and had to get a front suspension and steering OH .I am driving with one slight bent alloy rim as well . So this is ruled out

I might do the one via Sringeri . Return trips are usually late starts and hence , have no option but to take Shiradi - Hassan.

Any idea on Mangalore - Calicut ? I might do Bangalore-Calicut-Mangalore in November

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Thanks.
Route 1 ..I had in mind till someone told me Bhagamandala road is very bad ! Any pics?
Route 2- I heard 30 kms after Sampaje till Sullia is very bad .

I did Madikeri-Bhagamandala-Panathur-Sullia as a part of my solo Bullet ride in 1st week of Jun. Madikeri-Bhagamandala was in a pretty decent shape (pic 1 below) and Bhagamandala-Panathur is an amazing 25km or so of deep forest (saw elephant dung in 2-3 places), with hardly any traffic, narrow winding roads good enough for the car (pic 2). I remember reading recently that the road is pretty fine beyond Panathur, but cannot guarantee.

I also heard that Madikeri-Sullia road is completely done now, I'm sure some BHPian has traveled recently.

[dkamath]

Originally Posted by prasad14

I also heard that Madikeri-Sullia road is completely done now, I'm sure some BHPian has traveled recently.

No it's not. Occassional bad patches of road from Mani till Sampaje, and it's smooth sail until B'lore once you cross the Sampaje Check Post.
PS: Watch out for the infinite number of humps, though. But they are necessary, as the roads are so fine that you'll never realize when you hit the 3-digit number on the speedo, hehe.
By the way, travelled by this stretch last Sunday night.

[cool_dube]

Originally Posted by prasad14

I did Madikeri-Bhagamandala-Panathur-Sullia

How did you go to Sullia from Panathur? AFAIK there is no direct route.

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by cool_dube

How did you go to Sullia from Panathur? AFAIK there is no direct route.

I relied on Google maps, which showed a road (and still does) and undertook the journey. There indeed is one, but mostly the ones that are used by locals to move between estates. There are numerous forks and I had to ask several people along the way and some times I had to wait as much as 7-8mins to find a soul (In one place I even parked the bike and went inside an estate to find someone after waiting for long to find someone). The roads as such are decent, but for a small patch where it was being made. My bullet got stuck in the loose soil and required help from the kind labourers.

In short, its a route for jeeps and bikes and for the ones that have patience and looking for some adventure. Google maps show 22kms, but I remember it to be about 40kms and taking 1.5hrs (have misplaced the travel log).

Prasad

[kala]

Originally Posted by prasad14

I remember reading recently that the road is pretty fine beyond Panathur, but cannot guarantee.

Yes, the Panathur-Kanhangad stretch is in good shape, and the last 20-25 kms (I think after Rajapuram) is excellent.

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by prasad14

I did Madikeri-Bhagamandala-Panathur-Sullia as a part of my solo Bullet ride in 1st week of Jun. Madikeri-Bhagamandala was in a pretty decent shape (pic 1 below) and Bhagamandala-Panathur is an amazing 25km or so of deep forest (saw elephant dung in 2-3 places), with hardly any traffic, narrow winding roads good enough for the car (pic 2). I remember reading recently that the road is pretty fine beyond Panathur, but cannot guarantee.

I also heard that Madikeri-Sullia road is completely done now, I'm sure some BHPian has traveled recently.

Wow ! this is good news . I am doing this most probably in the next week . Only worry is that permission to enter early mornings . I usually start at 1 or 2 am ,which means I will be in Madikeri by 5 or 6 am . Will keep all of us updated

Originally Posted by dkamath

No it's not. Occassional bad patches of road from Mani till Sampaje, and it's smooth sail until B'lore once you cross the Sampaje Check Post.
PS: Watch out for the infinite number of humps, though. But they are necessary, as the roads are so fine that you'll never realize when you hit the 3-digit number on the speedo, hehe.
By the way, travelled by this stretch last Sunday night.

How bad are these stretches ?

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

Only worry is that permission to enter early mornings .

Why? I do not remember seeing any checkpost or road closures atleast till Bhagamandala. I'm not sure about a checkpost in Bhagamandala-Panathur section, thought fairly certain that no one stopped me. I feel there are no restrictions, can someone please confirm?

Prasad

[speedsatya]

I wasnt allowed through Agumbe at 430am !! They made me wait till 6 am . All I had to do was park the car and sleep till 6 am

Just checked with a colleague who is from Bhagamandala . He also confirmed there are no checkposts . All he said is "why take this road ? its full of curves ! And its longer !!" I said " this is what I want "

He just nodded his head and walked away .

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

All he said is "why take this road ? its full of curves ! And its longer !!" I said " this is what I want "

He just nodded his head and walked away .

Hahaha. I too have encountered such "are you crazy?" looks. Poor fellows. They don't even know what they are missing.

Would be waiting for your inputs as I plan to take this route for a vacation in Bekal later this month.

Prasad

[speedsatya]

Originally Posted by prasad14

Would be waiting for your inputs as I plan to take this route for a vacation in Bekal later this month.

Prasad

I thought you already knew this route ! Yeah will let all of us know .most probably it will be next week. This week I am taking the bus

[prasad14]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

I thought you already knew this route ! Yeah will let all of us know .most probably it will be next week. This week I am taking the bus

Yes, but only upto Panathur, as I went to Sullia, instead towards the coast.
And @Kala has confirmed that the roads are good from Panathur onwards too. So you are good to go.

Prasad

[sdp1975]

Did Blr->Hassan->Sakleshpura->Kukke Subramanya->Dharmsathala , and then back to Blr over the weekend.

Apart from the Shirady ghat section , where one needs to slow down at several stretches, the rest of the roads are good.

[dkamath]

Originally Posted by speedsatya

How bad are these stretches ?

Not really bad, if you drive sedately. But you got to be cautious as it'll still be a bouncy ride. The roads seem like they were dug up for repairs, and then hurriedly filled up with mud and stones during the monsoons. I did see small cars drive by this stretch, though. The pain in driving along this stretch is, it's like a mirage. You pass over a bad patch of road, then find yourself on a good stretch, pick up speed, and all of a sudden are greeted by another dug up and filled piece of road.
If you will be starting from M'lore, the Sampaje check post is at about 105 kms from the city, after which the next 280 or more kms are properly laid roads. Compare this with the drive from B'lore (via. Hassan, Sakleshpur), where the first 110 kms are really good, and the remaining 250 kms are tricky.
Sampaje Ghats are a breeze to drive, but I wish the bends could've been made less sharp. But it surely saves time, and you'll find your vehicle mostly on the higher gears, in the drive upto Madikeri.
To sum it all up, the distance, though more (by around 27 kms), it took just about the same time to reach B'lore as it would have, if done along the Hassan-Sakleshpur route.