BHPian Sarang W recently shared this with other enthusiasts: Hello Fellow BHPians! I had to plan to a 2-week trip to my hometown Wardha as my mother needed to be operated for cataract. So, I chose to plan this trip between two weekends in the month of April. One Saturday (5th Apr) -Sunday for onward and another one for return (19th Apr.). My Virtus GT Plus was 15 months old, had clocked 15,000kms by then. I had done several small distances to mid-distance non-stop (no overnight stay) and a few night-stay trips in these 15 months. Some of those onward & return journeys were: Vadodara-Indore, Vadodara-Bhavnagar, Vadodara-Girnar/Somnath, Vadodara-Vapi(break)-Pune (Thrice), Vadodara-Navsari/Nashik (Break)-Wardha. The reason why always avoided evening drives to cross mountain ranges / ghats between Gujarat and Maharashtra were due to safety of family and car. Almost all routes from Guj to Maha cross mountains at some place or the other. I would normally start in evening from Vadodara and stay overnight in Navsari or Vapi on NH48 and resume the route early morning next day. However, this time I chose a different route and that was Vadodara-Kadodara (on the NH48 outskirts of Surat)-Dhule-Aurangabad-Wardha with a plan to leave Vadodara in the early morning around 5:30-6:00 AM; I had inquired about the Surat-Dhule highway and people told me it is good and Vadodara-Dhule 310 kms could be done in 7 hours. So I had planned to stay overnight in Dhule as I didn’t have any idea how good or bad the “Dhule-Chalisgao-Ellora (Samruddhi Mahamarg Ellora Interchange, IC-17 near Aurangabad)” 135kms road was. So I had my ammunition ready with my Virtus GT the previous evening and after a good night’s sleep I started exactly at 6 AM on 5th April. I knew I had to cross Bharuch-Ankleshwar in an hour or so and then try to take the left turn on the Surat-Kolkata highway as soon as possible so I didn’t hurry for the breakfast break. Vadodara-Bharuch morning drive was smooth due to 80 odd kms stretch (part of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway), cruising at a speed of 115 kmph. By 7AM I was crossing the new bridge over Narmada River between Bharuch & Ankleshwar, and in another 15 mins hopped on to the NH48 the 55 kms leg I thought would be slow because of some flyovers construction work and GIDC-bound vehicles that slows down much of the Vapi-Ahmedabad stretch of NH48. Well time was on my side today and I finished that leg in just an hour or so and took a left turn (around 8AM) on the Surat-Bardoli road which would merge with NH53 after Bardoli. For about 15-20 kms I didn’t find a Hygienic place for breakfast, and later I didn’t find any place at all for breakfast! đ So, I continued hoping to find one. Around 9:30; halfway towards Dhule, I took a 15 mins tea break, the place wasn’t as per my liking for breakfast. (avoid the name ‘Swagat Restaurant”). I decided I would have my breakfast in Dhule, albeit a delayed one. The road was uneven in patches in the middle part from Navapur to Nimdarde, but repair/expansion work was going on then so I presume it would be alright by now. Further on, the Akkalpada dam on the side of the road was looking scenic and inviting, but I avoided stopping there as I was hungry and wanted to reach Dhule soon. Akkalpada Dam Dhule, just alongside the road. Image Source: ZP Dhule By 10:30 AM I was on the outskirts of Dhule on bypass road. Caught up with an ex-colleague at his home inside city center, thanks to his family for yummy idli-chutney breakfast! And then I resumed my journey by shifting from HW 53 to 52, Dhule-Chalisgaon-Kannad-Verul-Ellora Interchange (IC-17) on Samruddhi E-way! This 180 odd kms section was smooth 4-lane highway with very little traffic (maybe due to very hot summer) and finished it in just over 2 hours. There was a 10 km diversion just a little after Dhule and a 10-15 km ghat section before Kannad where the run was slow on an otherwise avg speed of 110kmph. I had also refueled near Kannad knowing I would only stop once for the lunch. Ghat section is easy for a strong engine vehicle, Image Source: Google Images You may see a large Solar Energy farm from atop Kannad Ghaat road, Image Source: Google Maps Entrance to E-Way at Jambhala Village, Source: Google Maps Hopped onto E-Way near Aurangabad! Source: Google Maps By now in about 7:45 hours I had covered more than 500 kms of my total 900 kms journey. And I was really hungry now after entering E-way around 2 PM. I pulled over at the first food plaza just after Aurangabad and had a good meal – a spicy daal fry and butter rotis! With just 400 kms left on the E-way I was sure I would make it to my hometown Wardha by 6PM, yes 3:30 hrs at a cruising speed of 118kmph. The only challenge was a boring long similar-looking E-way so I decided to call up some of my close ones with whom I like to talk n fight, helps stay alert on such a boring drive! đ Well, I passed close to 90 mins & travelled half the remaining distance with some phone calls rest of the times I was just looking at the boring signs and sides of the expressway and overtaking other cars at cruising speeds. I wasn’t physically tired and hence didn’t feel the need for a break was chewing a lot of mouth freshener though. I somehow made it to my hometown by 6PM; yes, at the end of exactly 12 hours I parked my car in front of my home! Couldn’t believe I made 900 kms in just 12 hours; I smiled thinking I’d planned an overnight break before this journey.. happy I didn’t need it! Well, I guess this travelogue may read boring but hope it acts a brief guide for this route for other travelers. Happy Driving BHPians! Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.
