[rahulb22]

Driving to Moodbidri on Wednesday. Planning to start by 4 PM from Bangalore. Considering the below options:
a) Belur -> Mudigere -> Charmadi route [Shortest route, but crossing Charmadi after dark]
b) Channarayapatna -> Arkalgud -> Kushalnagar route [Longer route but maybe lesser traffic]

What do experts on the forum recommend?

Regards
Rahulb22

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by rahulb22

Driving to Moodbidri...
a)
b)

Not an expert, but why would you go to Kushalnagar from Arakalagud? Or were you referring to Shanivarasanthe?

Charmadi is indeed a headache these days, but night driving isn't any worse than driving on the route during daytime. Just stay clear of the empty ambulances climbing the ghats. Experience tells me that a significant number of drivers are either drunk or restless.

[rahulb22]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Not an expert, but why would you go to Kushalnagar from Arakalagud? Or were you referring to Shanivarasanthe?

I meant Kushalnagar itself, since Procrj mentioned in an earlier post that the route would be less twisty compared to Shanivarasanthe - Somwarpet route.

But somehow inclined to take Charmadi since the route is shorter unless I start much later than 4. I do not want to face the night buses coming up Charmadi.

Regards
Rahulb22

[Rohan24]

Driving to Chikmagalur this Thursday.
How feasible is a day drive to Kudremukh? Want to do that scenic circuit from Chikmagalur and return by evening.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Rohan24

Driving to Chikmagalur this Thursday.
How feasible is a day drive to Kudremukh? Want to do that scenic circuit from Chikmagalur and return by evening.

Easily possible, provided you start even at 0900 from Chikmagalur and you will be assuredly back to base by 1700.

Done this few times by not only going to Kuduremukha but also returning via Charmadi. However, provided that Charmadi as of now is not an option to enjoy scenic route (thanks to closure of Shiradi), you are better of tracing the same route back to Chikmagalur.

Make sure you have Kalasa as the place marked for Lunch as Kuduremukha and beyond might not be any worth nor you will get any options.

Chikmagalur to Kuduremukha will be 3 hours (Max) with all your usual breaks in between for clicks 'et al.

[rahulb22]

Quick update from my trip this weekend:

Onward: 22/02/2018
Start: 4:45 PM from BSK
End: 11:45 PM at Moodbidri
Route Conditions: Took Charmadi route as it was the shortest for me. Great to see a fresh layer of tar right from Belur all the way till Kottigehara. Charmadi ghat itself was tiring with quite a bit of traffic. Piles of huge trucks making it difficult to overtake. Also as DailyDriver mentioned above, some drivers flying on the hairpin bends made it even more difficult. Also, I felt that the road on the ghat has deteriorated slightly, thanks to the heavy traffic now. Hope it holds together until Shiradi opens up.

Return: 25/02/2018
Start: 12:45 PM from Moodbidri
End: 9:15 PM at BSK
Route Conditions: I took the BC Road - Puttur - Kushalnagar - Arkalgud - Channarayapatna route as it was less twisty and I had an unwell member in the car. Regarding the road conditions, found some craters between BC Road and Puttur, but nothing alarming. Good roads throughout with a special mention for the Ramanathapura - Arkalgud stretch. Wide fresh road with zero traffic. If only all state highways were so good!! The drive got frustrating from Channarayapatna, with the NH looking like the Outer ring road. Horrible traffic all the way upto NICE road. It took me almost 45 mins just to cross Nelamangala and enter NICE road.

Guess it has reached a stage where entering Bangalore on a Sunday evening (even on Short weekends) is close to impossible.

Regards
Rahulb22

[DragonHawk]

Originally Posted by rahulb22

Good roads throughout with a special mention for the Ramanathapura - Arkalgud stretch. Wide fresh road with zero traffic. If only all state highways were so good!!

One thing which I really hate about Kushalnagar - Arakalagudu stretch is the speed breakers. In my driving history apart from the Bangalore - Mysore stretch in old days this is one of the stretch which has large number of speed bumps. I took this route only once and that was during previous Shiradi ghat closure and since then I am sticking to Arakalagudu-Somwarpete-Madikeri stretch. This route even though is twisty but less traffic with green stretch makes driving more enjoyable.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by rahulb22

Quick update from my trip this weekend:
.....
...... The drive got frustrating from Channarayapatna, with the NH looking like the Outer ring road. Horrible traffic all the way upto NICE road. It took me almost 45 mins just to cross Nelamangala and enter NICE road.

Guess it has reached a stage where entering Bangalore on a Sunday evening (even on Short weekends) is close to impossible.

Regards
Rahulb22

May be majority of the traffic after Channarayapatna was due to folks returning from Shravanbelagola (last Sunday of Mahamastakabhisheka festival)

[rahulb22]

Originally Posted by srvm

May be majority of the traffic after Channarayapatna was due to folks returning from Shravanbelagola (last Sunday of Mahamastakabhisheka festival)

That must be the case....as I have never experienced such traffic on this route in my numerous trips so far!!

[Rohan24]

Originally Posted by paragsachania

Easily possible, provided you start even at 0900 from Chikmagalur and you will be assuredly back to base by 1700.

Done this few times by not only going to Kuduremukha but also returning via Charmadi.
.
.
Chikmagalur to Kuduremukha will be 3 hours (Max) with all your usual breaks in between for clicks 'et al.

Thanks Parag. I was actually planning to have a heavy breakfast before leaving, and have a late lunch back in chikmagalur itself. But I guess Kalasa is a good option too.
How far on the SH 66 can I go, before I need to turn back to return in time. I was thinking at least up to Hanuman gundi falls. Is that possible?

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Rohan24

How far on the SH 66 can I go, before I need to turn back to return in time. I was thinking at least up to Hanuman gundi falls. Is that possible?

This is something I actually wanted to tell and easily forgot. You can actually go all the way till it merges with NH ahead (Left takes you to Sringeri) and return. Might just add another 30 extra minutes beyond Kuduremukha and you as well get to spot few waterfalls on the way (if at all you are lucky and they offer any visible delight in this time of the Year).

[Samurai]

I don't usually take whatsapp forwarded messages seriously, but this one had me concerned. Is this real or just scare mongering?

In the month of February we lost two family members while travelling to Hassan. There were crates of tomatoes left in the middle of road in a zip zag pattern and while trying to avoid them hit the divider and vehicle toppled. Instead of helping the victims villagers were busy looting the valuables. We lost valuable time since the only mobile phone was also stolen which resulted in elders and kids death. What was surprising is the words from the Doctor, he said this is the 41st case in this month(February 2018) and few locals all told that the accidents are staged to loot people. The Lawyer was already in Hospital waiting for his business even before the victims could be treated. It seems that Local leaders, Police and Villagers are aware but doesn't seem to do anything about it. If you are travelling from Bangalore to Hassan via Kunigal (villages near Kunigal), please be cautious.

[paragsachania]

Originally Posted by Samurai

I don't usually take whatsapp forwarded messages seriously, but this one had me concerned. Is this real or just scare mongering?

This one really surprises me because the message even says this is the 41st case .

I checked news sources and have got no such success in finding anything that is even remotely related to this (Highway robbery) around Kunigal area.

Secondly, I have regularly seen cops stationed after the booths (Hirisave and Bellur Cross) if driving late hours who usually flag down suspicious vehicles or even regular cars to note down the details.

At home I subscribe to Deccan Herald and this is what mostly doesn't fail to report these kind of news, especially from within the state.

[SmartCat]

Originally Posted by Samurai

There were crates of tomatoes left in the middle of road in a zip zag pattern and while trying to avoid them hit the divider and vehicle toppled

1) Something like this can happen on a fast highway with very little traffic. But unlikely on Bangalore-Hassan highway with such huge traffic flow.

2) It seems like too much effort (and too gory) for robbing just cellphones - lugging around crates full of tomatoes and risk being run over by fast moving vehicles.

3) Why keep tomatoes in those crates? Empty crates placed in zig-zag pattern would make cars swerve too.

[mpksuhas]

I too got this forward yesterday, there been similar articles getting circulated about another highway too out of Bangalore too. I don't think there is any truth in this. The only news which came out of this route was the incident with bikers getting attacked by villagers.

Now, lets say these kind of incidents happen. They perpetrators will have to avoid getting noticed / filmed / caught by the victims and also those in other vehicles passing around. Achieving that 41 times looks impossible.

Similar incident (involving a dead chicken) was reported on less crowded roads in KA - KL border couple of years back. But doing that on a highway which descent traffic may not be easy.