[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by rajshenoy

It's near balehonnur, I came back from this area last week. Left BSK at 5:30 and reached homestay at 11 am with 30 min breakfast break

This should give you rough idea. Roads are very good as parag mentioned

Thanks. Was your resort near Eagle Eye?

[rajshenoy]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Thanks. Was your resort near Eagle Eye?

yes +/- 10kms i guess. Dont worry about the road conditions, just great roads. Just that the road after aldur becomes very winding and narrow for overtaking, enjoy nature and drive safe

[lohithrao]

Monsoon is almost here, it has already started to rain in ghats(occasionally).

My advice, try avoiding driving at night. as even drizzle beyond Sakleshpura(towards Mangalore) will make driving difficult and risky.

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by lohithrao

Monsoon is almost here, it has already started to rain in ghats(occasionally).

My advice, try avoiding driving at night. as even drizzle beyond Sakleshpura(towards Mangalore) will make driving difficult and risky.

I am taking this route tomorrow, though daytime. Should I be cautious of anything?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Makin Rulesz

I am taking this route tomorrow, though daytime. Should I be cautious of anything?

Usual preparedness on driving in Rains that's all.

Wipers in good condition, driving slower than usual when roads are wet (While and after it has rained), making right use of Pilot Lamps to aide others to notice you etc.

Apart from that, you can expect some new potholes too but this is too early. So be wary about waterlogged roads as there can be a huge pothole right below that too.

Shiradi is not a Dangerous ghat to drive in rains except that one needs to know the limitations of driving under rainy conditions.

[Makin Rulesz]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Usual preparedness on driving in Rains that's all.

Wipers in good condition, driving slower than usual when roads are wet (While and after it has rained), making right use of Pilot Lamps to aide others to notice you etc.

Apart from that, you can expect some new potholes too but this is too early. So be wary about waterlogged roads as there can be a huge pothole right below that too.

Shiradi is not a Dangerous ghat to drive in rains except that one needs to know the limitations of driving under rainy conditions.

Thanks for your advice.
Drove via shiradi today. Roads are good throughout except for small stretch of potholes just before the cement road starts. Few of them are huge and could be difficult to identify in night and if it is raining. I did not encounter any rain but the ghat section of the road was damp, may be due to early morning showers.
Traffic was heavy around Sakaleshpur and took around 45 minutes to pass through the town.

[Shubbi]

Bandh in Kalladka (http://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsD...?newsID=453804)
Section 144 from May 27 till June 2

[vnabhi]

Folks

Need further inputs. Can someone post on good petrol bunks between Hassan and Eagle Eye Resorts? Do they accept credit card payments. I don't want to fill up bad fuel, and my range is normally 500 kms on ghat roads with the 1.6 Fiesta.

Further, instead of returning directly from the resort to Bangalore (11 am is check out time), I was wondering if I could visit Sringeri, and then drive back to Bangalore. Google maps says it will take 1 hour 20 minutes to Sringeri from the resort, and around 6 to 6.5 hours from there to Bangalore. Assuming our visit to the temple doesn't take more than 90 minutes, we should be leaving the temple for Bangalore around 230 pm.

Any comments? I'll take a call only on that day, depending on the weather. Else I'll visit Belur on the way back and skip Sringeri.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by vnabhi

Folks

Need further inputs. Can someone post on good petrol bunks between Hassan and Eagle Eye Resorts? Do they accept credit card payments. I don't want to fill up bad fuel, and my range is normally 500 kms on ghat roads with the 1.6 Fiesta.

I am posting from my cellphone but if you look at my response earlier, I gave mentioned A2B Restaurant in the list of places to stop. Exactly diagonally opposite to this A2B is IOCL, COCO Fuel station. You can refill here during return. This will be around 170 Kms from Bangalore and they accept cards and we you return, your Trip should be close to 400 as you pass here.

Further, instead of returning directly from the resort to Bangalore (11 am is check out time), I was wondering if I could visit Sringeri, and then drive back to Bangalore. Google maps says it will take 1 hour 20 minutes to Sringeri from the resort, and around 6 to 6.5 hours from there to Bangalore. Assuming our visit to the temple doesn't take more than 90 minutes, we should be leaving the temple for Bangalore around 230 pm.

Not a bad idea at all. You are closer to Sringeri at Eagle eye and on the right road that leads to there.

Any comments? I'll take a call only on that day, depending on the weather. Else I'll visit Belur on the way back and skip Sringeri.

Belur is otherwise also doable if you have 1.5 Hours of extra time while you return and won't require a detour except that you need to enter the town (2kms) from the point where you pass it on the way to Hassan fr. Chimagalur.

[alstonlobo]

Traveling next weekend to Mangalore from k r pura first thing in the morning. This time with entire family in a Chevy beat petrol. Have traveled umpteen times via shiradi ghat. Feeling itchy to try the Charmadi ghat road for the first time. How are road conditions and scenery? Normally when traveling via sakleshpur there are only veg restaurants for lunch. What options are there in the Charmadi route? Your thoughts guys!

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by alstonlobo

Traveling next weekend to Mangalore from k r pura first thing in the morning. This time with entire family in a Chevy beat petrol. Have traveled umpteen times via shiradi ghat. Feeling itchy to try the Charmadi ghat road for the first time. How are road conditions and scenery? Normally when traveling via sakleshpur there are only veg restaurants for lunch. What options are there in the Charmadi route? Your thoughts guys!

Don't expect much in terms of "good" place to stop via Charmadi. Options on Shiradi are better.

However, there are many (and many more) Coffee Shops that have mushroomed from Belur till Kottigehara (50kms) and quite a few of these are very decent places to stop when with family.


At Banakal you have "Fresh Bean Café" attached to IOCL station on your right (
https://goo.gl/maps/Vi7reE2eLa42) after the town ends.

Beyond this, hardly a good place (read clean rest rooms for ladies) on this route till you hit Ujire/Belthangady belt.

On road conditions, Charmadi remains charming as ever. Good clean roads end to end except small patchy sections on Hair Pin curves. But these patchy sections are not the primary reason not to do Charmadi but others - 11 Hair Pin Curves, Narrower Roads almost till BC Road from Belur and lack of facilties are some of the other reasons travellers avoid this. However, this has been a regular road for the usual lot who either stay here or have stayed here.

Not bad and worth a try If you are looking for more scenic and route with lesser traffic.

[vnabhi]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

I am posting from my cellphone but if you look at my response earlier, I gave mentioned A2B Restaurant in the list of places to stop. Exactly diagonally opposite to this A2B is IOCL, COCO Fuel station. You can refill here during return. This will be around 170 Kms from Bangalore and they accept cards and we you return, your Trip should be close to 400 as you pass here.

Thanks to your precise directions, I was pretty relaxed in my drive. I tanked up at BPCL COCO outlet near Kasepalli on my way from Hyderabad, so had sufficient fuel when I reached Bangalore. I tanked up again between Nelamangala and Kunigal at an IOC bunk that accepted card payment, though they had only Extra Premium petrol.

On my return, I did visit the bunk opposite A2B, but they said they don't accept card payments. So I went ahead and filled Rs 500 fuel near Yadiyur, which lasted till I reached Kodihalli.

I tanked up at Kalyan Nagar IOC the following day on my return trip to Hyderabad. And by the way, breakfast at Shark Food Court was awesome!

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Belur is otherwise also doable if you have 1.5 Hours of extra time while you return and won't require a detour except that you need to enter the town (2kms) from the point where you pass it on the way to Hassan fr. Chimagalur.

Visited Belur temple on the return leg. Took totally 30 minutes in all. Many thanks for the suggestion. We avoided Sringeri as it would make the return journey longer by 3 hours, and also because my kids wanted to enjoy night life in Indira Nagar.

As regards the roads, they were awesome and 4-laned till Hassan. From there to Belur was decent, though undivided. Belur to Chikmagalur was a bit narrower with a few spots where narrow culverts are there. Chikmagalur to Aldur was scenic. Aldur to Sangameshwarpet was a ghat road with many twisties. The last 10 kms to the resort was a narrow and isolated road amid thick forest, that took us 30 minutes to traverse.

[mooza]

Back from a trip to Mangalore via Shiradi, a couple of days ago.

Roads are good throughout. Shiradi roads are in good condition so far, before the monsoons, barring a few uneven stretches, but no potholes encountered during the trip. So, this remains the best option now. Just hope it stays that way through the monsoons !

[k88k]

+1 to Mooza.

Didn't find any pothole on Shiradi route. But the downside: Rash and negligent driving. People at least slow down seeing the condition of the road ahead. Saw an Indica, which had turned turtle and lying on a bush. If it was not for the bush, the car would have definitely dived into the stream. Probably the driver got too excited seeing the road condition at Shiradi. Also witnessed the remains of a burnt truck and indica.

Ride safe..

[rahulb22]

4-Laning work to start in September as per the below news report. Hope it happens on time and fast.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/c...w/59128409.cms

Just feel sad for all the vegetation that we would lose due to this road widening.