Mumbai to Srinagar solo drive in BMW 520d M-Sport! 2200 km, 2.5 days

My family and friends termed me crazy saying I have lost my mind but honestly speaking I wanted to do it anyway.

BHPian ShoMan recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

"I am doing the Mumbai-Srinagar solo!", the idea that would raise all the eyebrows. My family and friends termed me crazy saying I have lost my mind but honestly speaking I wanted to do it anyway. On 8th Nov, I finally put by foot down (literally). I started my journey at around 5:00 am in the morning from Mumbai and given the condition of the highway it took me 3 hours just to get rid of the traffic, the infamous "Fountain" on the highway was as always jam packed. I inched slowly in the traffic, questioning my decision. The traffic got so bad at some point I wanted to turn around but then I kept telling myself - "It’s only for a short time" but God was it difficult!
The trucks were jam packed, they were switching lanes left, right and center. Cars going from the opposite direction while I'm stuck. Anyhow I managed to cross the jam ridden highway and slowly the traffic cleared. The road to Gujrat started to clear and the tarmac got better and I started to push. I entered Gujrat and roads were good not great but good, there was some traffic on the highway but what caused a huge delay was when the police stopped me and they searched my entire car looking for alcohol or any other illegal substance, which they didn't find, Duh! I kept telling them I'm getting late as I had a huge distance to cover and they were a little understanding. After this unwanted escapade, I laid my eyes on the National Expressway-1 (NE-1) and I pushed the car (keeping it under the speed limit) but the worst thing was the hooligans who just don't understand the concept of rules, they're overtaking from the shoulder, trucks overtaking trucks at a crawling pace, state transport busses just blowing their disco horns at full blast but honestly the quality of the road made it bearable. If you're one of those drivers and are reading this - PLEASE TAKE IT SLOW!

I wanted to take my first stop in Amritsar after getting on the Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway but that was me being extra enthusiastic, I could've done it, if my destination was Amritsar but I had a lot of travel next day so I decided to just take a stop when I left like it, so I carried on. Getting enough time to introspect into my life decisions that I made and the "what if'?" thoughts in my head I just put on some nice music and carried on. I took a short stop on the NE-1, where I came across a man who was equally enthusiastic about driving, so I sought his opinion and he highly recommended taking the Abu Road and IT WAS MAJISTIC! Before I began my journey, I did a little bit of research and I came across a YouTuber named Akash who has his channel named "Foodie Mitron" and this sweet guy had put his contact details in the description, so I reached out to him and he also recommended taking the Abu Road which would connect to Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway via Jodhpur. I got on the Abu Road at around 9:00 pm and it was a sheer driving pleasure (thanks BMW - IYKYK!).
I kept going and going, the roads were smooth as anything and since it was a little late there was little/no traffic. I saw a lot of hotels on my way and I thought to myself - I can find one in sometime so I decided to push through, in all this I realized my love for night driving. Yes, it does come with its cons but I loved every second of it. Now it's around 11:30 pm and I started to feel a little tired, not sleepy! So I wanted to retire for the night and guess what? I can't see any place to stay, so I reduced my pace and was hoping to come across a nice place. It didn't have to be fancy, just clean. After driving for around an hour, I saw literal motel with a nice car park. I didn't want to push my luck any further and I pulled in. I went to the reception/shop/chai tapri, it was all those things and I asked for a room. He said 1500 bucks a night with AC and 1200 without AC because he could see my tiredness dripping from my face. I haggled a little and got the AC one for 1200, I just needed to sleep. I went to the room and just went to sleep.

Day 2
Next day (9th Nov), I woke up at around 5:30 am and took a cold shower. I can still feel the refreshment, headed down warmed up the engine, refilled the windshield washed fluid, cleaned all the glass and then headed out. The roads were as you expect them to be in Rajasthan, smooth and straight. So, I am on my way and this lorry wouldn't let me pass and was swaying left to right, somehow I saw a window to overtake him from the left and the moment I steered left, I saw a police constable asking me to stop. Recalling my experience with Gujrat Police I decided to stop and this guy comes running, asking if I am headed straight and I said yes. So he just got in the car and asked me to drop him Jodhpur which was 3 hours away. I wasn't stressed because - A. he was a cop, B. he was A COP!
Initially there was little to no interaction because he was getting calls over and over regarding a case where a man riding a motorcycle while being drunk had crashed into a truck and died and he was going there to do some paperwork and the guys family didn't have Aadhar card so he had to go there and sign on behalf of the family because the guy was from his village. I don't know why I am telling you guys all this, but since I know, you should too.
Slowly we started to speak and I really don't how time passed, he told me his entire life story which was like typical Bollywood story (let me spare the details). Moving on, I dropped him near an intersection because I didn't have to go into the Jodhpur city. We bid each other farewell and exchanged number and there I was, enjoying my alone time again. After taking me through some really ugly roads (thank you, Google Maps!), I got onto the much awaited Amritsar-Jamnagar Expressway. The infrastructure looks MASSIVE! The endless stretch of 8 lane expressway looked never ending, the speed limit was 120 kph, I switched on the cruise control and just listened to some nice podcasts, got bored after an hour or two, called my friends and rekindled with whoever came to my mind and the road still didn't end. I kept crunching the distance but mind you the expressway has some really rough patches which Akash had warned me beforehand. The speed cameras where not a problem to me because I am a law-abiding citizen who upholds the traffic discipline *wink wink*.

Note: If you are planning to take the route, make sure you have a full tank before getting on the Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway. There are filling stations open now (only Jio) but just to be sure because a lot them are still under construction.

Punjab, here I come! I entered Amritsar at around 5:00 pm and I was greeted by the endless farms, overloaded tractors, cool weather and loads of food to be seen around. Now I was feeling hungry, and btw I love surviving on protein bars and Red Bull so by default I don't get many stops but now I wanted real food. I pulled into a huge complex which was a place where all the locals would come and hang out or shop. Where I had some nice food and got myself a huge cup of coffee. Mind you, there was lot of smoke in the air because it was that "time of the year!". The locals are really helpful but I tried to avoid much interactions and I would suggest the same to anyone who is doing a long distance be it solo or with people, don't be rude but don't share much. I left the place and started to push. People from Punjab please don't take it the other way but God you guys drive like hooligans. I came across multiple instances where a car will overtake you from the left, then slow down and let you pass and then overtake you again. THEY JUST WANT TO RACE! It happened to me on multiple occasions, their turn signal lever might be brand new even if the car would be old, because they don't use it! Some say, they call RSA if they see an orange light blinking on their headlight or tail-light in case they accidentally knock it.

After this session of NFS (144p), I just kept my cool and kept driving, but to clear the air not all of them were driving horribly, I made a friend who was driving a Maruti Suzuki Ritz, we would give each other the signal if it was safe to pass or not, I think his lights weren't strong enough so he would always let me pass and follow. I checked to see who was in the car and it was a family, so I felt okay to stick around. Our bromance ended when the Google Maps asked me to take a left to enter Jammu & Kashmir, I was bit skeptical because the road was dark and there were no cars and I was thinking to myself, a lot of cars at least go till Katra and nobody was taking that route. So I stopped and asked the shopkeeper if I was on the right track, before I could ask him he said you're going to Jammu, right? I said yes, and judging by his irritated voice, I am sure a lot people ask him the same question. He said not to take that route, Google Maps is stupid. There was a road but it was rough and single lane. So I marched on and on and on. It was around 10:30 pm and I had entered Jammu and Kashmir, Pathankot to be more precise. I pulled in at a fancy food court (lots of them in Punjab) to eat something and to rest for a while. I was planning to drive through the night and reach Srinagar at around 5:00 am. My family simply said not to drive in the night and somehow I didn't feel like doing it and I am grateful to myself for listening to them. I booked the closest hotel on some app, I think Bookings.com and it said the hotel was 12 minutes away. When I took the route - it was absurd, the roads were the worst I came across. I felt like I was on an off-road track, my anxiety level was at its peak. Somehow I managed to reach the hotel and the guy was kind enough to let me park inside rather than keeping it on the road.

Day 3
Next day (10th Nov), I left at 5:30 am and it was really cold. I let the engine warm up but the guy was waiting for me to leave because I woke him up to open the gate. I drove slowly and steadily through the rough patches till I rejoined the highway. On my way, now and I picked up the pace but to my surprise the roads were terrible. Google Maps asked to take a different route but as per my experience I didn't trust it a went ahead and that my friends was a terrible mistake. At least 40 kms of painful road, because there was flyover being made that would span the same distance. I was just inching ahead. Somehow, I got through and the road opened up and I entered Jammu city. Since it was early (around 7:30 am) in the morning, I didn't get any traffic. After crossing Jammu, I reached Udhampur and the roads are fantastic. It's a must for all the enthusiasts, the roads are smooth, the corners and chicanes are all dreamy but this only lasts till you reach till a place called Ramban and then you see the ugly in the Good, Bad and Ugly. The army convoys are going to drive you nuts, along with the local cab drivers. You're going to be at the edge of your seat with anxiety at its peak! Then comes the good stuff again, India's longest tunnel called Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, which is roughly 10 km long, but to my bad luck I got stuck behind a truck which couldn't do more than 40 kph but anyhow it was a straight road so it was bearable. The moment you cross that tunned you are going notice the dip in temperature, from 20 degree Celsius to sharp 8 degrees but it was something I was looking up to because I can put the car in the sports mode and just unleash hell. The roads again after crossing the tunnel are amazing, the bold mountains, the river flowing, it just keeps getting better and better. Before I knew it I was in Srinagar at around 12:00 pm! 2200 kms in 2.5 days - SOLO, different geographies, different terrains, but I swear - it was worth it!

Be prepared for all types of scenarios. I was carrying a tool box, tire inflator, puncture repair kit. Before I started the journey I took the car for an inspection and they said the brake-pads are worn out, so I fitted a pair of Brembo's - front and rear, replaced the battery along with front two tires - I switched to tubeless and it made a huge impact on the smoothness of the ride (sorry RFTs! it's not you, it’s me).

I would recommend you guys doing long distance solo, it's a different experience altogether. You will enjoy your company more!

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