I always fly up to CM from BKK but, I might be buying a car in BKK and have to drive it up to my home in CM.

What would be the driving time? And would you recommend to stop at any "Must see" stops along the way?

Thanks

Move - Head South, South is better - Stop there.

I always fly up to CM from BKK but, I might be buying a car in BKK and have to drive it up to my home in CM.

What would be the driving time? And would you recommend to stop at any "Must see" stops along the way?

Thanks

That's what I did. Bought my car in Bangkok and drove back to CM. Had the dealer drive me and the car to Don Muang so I had a straight shot back to CM, hadn't driven a car for long in Thailand and did not want to get lost in BKK Took me about 8 hours taking a break every two hours. The Lampang - CM segment is the most hair raising because of the mountain road. You might stop at Sukothai. Lampang has some very nice parks and temples (outside of town).

Sukothai:

http://goasia.about.com/library/weekly/aa072100a.htm

Same sort of question, opposite direction: if I ride my Honda CBR150 from Chiang Mai to Hua Hin and bypass Bangkok on the west side, how many hours of driving should it take? I like to cruise at 120 kph.

If I leave Chiang Mai at 5 AM (I know that part of the road in the dark), could I do it in one day, taking 10 minute breaks every two hours?

Usually take's me just short of 5 hrs to Chaing Mai, 2 hrs to Dong Muang airport and 4 to Hua Hin (at about 120 km/h). I'm more or less directly on the route between Chaing Mai and BKK so 7-8 hrs should do it CM/BKK and 9-10hrs CM/Hua Hin. I rarley stop for breaks just fuel/toilet and I dont hang about.

Cm-Bkk is 6 to 8 hours depending on the vehicle, traffic and the way you drive. (Our trucks do it in 8 to 12, depending on load.)

Make sure you have a full tank in Tak, if heading north. There is a dearth of fuel stops between there and Lampang. (Likewise, fill up in Lampang if heading South.) The road between Lampang & Tak may well be the most boring stretch of tarmac/concrete on the planet.

The G8 Petrol station (on the lane going South) in Tak has, possibly, the cleanest, most pleasant public toilets in any Thai fuel station. The opposite side G8 is filthy.

Make sure you miss the bottleneck in Nakorn Sawan by taking the by-pass which runs to the West of N/S. When heading south you need to do a U-Turn to get on this road.

I'm afraid our favoured food stops are all some way off the main road and hard to find. So I can't give directions here.

'part from the above Go South - South is BETTER.

Thanks so much, y'all - especially p1p's advice, which I printed. Yeah, I'm doing what p1p and chownah always say: move south. One less farang in CMai. Great city, but I miss the beach. Now, don't everybody come to Hua Hin....

I always fly up to CM from BKK but, I might be buying a car in BKK and have to drive it up to my home in CM.

What would be the driving time? And would you recommend to stop at any "Must see" stops along the way?

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what I did. Bought my car in Bangkok and drove back to CM. Had the dealer drive me and the car to Don Muang so I had a straight shot back to CM, hadn't driven a car for long in Thailand and did not want to get lost in BKK Took me about 8 hours taking a break every two hours. The Lampang - CM segment is the most hair raising because of the mountain road. You might stop at Sukothai. Lampang has some very nice parks and temples (outside of town).

Sukothai:

http://goasia.about.com/library/weekly/aa072100a.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PB,

I've do CNX to Hua Hin in 10-11 hours travelling at 120-140. Even if you travel at 140, it's difficult to keep an average speed of 100. If it's your first trip, you'll be stopping a lot to check your map, especially if you're taking side roads to get around BKK. You also need to factor in rain and this time of year, you would be extremely luck not to hit some heavy rain. Will you ride through it or stop?

The most important thing is leaving early and trying to make it to HH before dark The last 150K before HH is a terrible road at night. Traffic is heavy, lots of trucks, few street lights and the road surface is crap.

Good luck and be careful.

Hi all.

If you are travelling from the north about 20'ish kms from Nakhon Sawan towards Chainat there is a turn-off to the right to Uthai Thani, if you take this road you can skim the edge of Nakhom Pathom and get to Ratchaburi where you join the road to the south. This shortcut takes hours off the trip by avoiding Bangkok.

A few years back I road my humble Kawasaki ZZR1100 from downtown Hua Hin to Moonmuang Rd in Chiang Mai using this short cut. I left Hua Hin at 5 am and arrived at the Maddog 7.5 hours later. Mind you I didn't stop apart from refuelling.

I agree that the 150 km stretch to HH is a shocker and extreme care should be taken.

Have fun.

BigMac.

I always fly up to CM from BKK but, I might be buying a car in BKK and have to drive it up to my home in CM.

What would be the driving time? And would you recommend to stop at any "Must see" stops along the way?

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what I did. Bought my car in Bangkok and drove back to CM. Had the dealer drive me and the car to Don Muang so I had a straight shot back to CM, hadn't driven a car for long in Thailand and did not want to get lost in BKK Took me about 8 hours taking a break every two hours. The Lampang - CM segment is the most hair raising because of the mountain road. You might stop at Sukothai. Lampang has some very nice parks and temples (outside of town).

Sukothai:

http://goasia.about.com/library/weekly/aa072100a.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PB,

I've do CNX to Hua Hin in 10-11 hours travelling at 120-140. Even if you travel at 140, it's difficult to keep an average speed of 100. If it's your first trip, you'll be stopping a lot to check your map, especially if you're taking side roads to get around BKK. You also need to factor in rain and this time of year, you would be extremely luck not to hit some heavy rain. Will you ride through it or stop?

The most important thing is leaving early and trying to make it to HH before dark The last 150K before HH is a terrible road at night. Traffic is heavy, lots of trucks, few street lights and the road surface is crap.

Good luck and be careful.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi all.

If you are travelling from the north about 20'ish kms from Nakhon Sawan towards Chainat there is a turn-off to the right to Uthai Thani, if you take this road you can skim the edge of Nakhom Pathom and get to Ratchaburi where you join the road to the south.  This shortcut takes hours off the trip by avoiding Bangkok.

A few years back I road my humble Kawasaki ZZR1100 from downtown Hua Hin to Moonmuang Rd in Chiang Mai using this short cut.  I left Hua Hin at 5 am and arrived at the Maddog 7.5 hours later.  Mind you I didn't stop apart from refuelling.

I agree that the 150 km stretch  to HH is a shocker and extreme care should be taken. 

Have fun.

BigMac.

I always fly up to CM from BKK but, I might be buying a car in BKK and have to drive it up to my home in CM.

What would be the driving time? And would you recommend to stop at any "Must see" stops along the way?

Thanks

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's what I did. Bought my car in Bangkok and drove back to CM. Had the dealer drive me and the car to Don Muang so I had a straight shot back to CM, hadn't driven a car for long in Thailand and did not want to get lost in BKK Took me about 8 hours taking a break every two hours. The Lampang - CM segment is the most hair raising because of the mountain road. You might stop at Sukothai. Lampang has some very nice parks and temples (outside of town).

Sukothai:

http://goasia.about.com/library/weekly/aa072100a.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

PB,

I've do CNX to Hua Hin in 10-11 hours travelling at 120-140. Even if you travel at 140, it's difficult to keep an average speed of 100. If it's your first trip, you'll be stopping a lot to check your map, especially if you're taking side roads to get around BKK. You also need to factor in rain and this time of year, you would be extremely luck not to hit some heavy rain. Will you ride through it or stop?

The most important thing is leaving early and trying to make it to HH before dark The last 150K before HH is a terrible road at night. Traffic is heavy, lots of trucks, few street lights and the road surface is crap.

Good luck and be careful.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

BigMac,

The route you suggested is the same one I use.

7.5 hours is VERY good time. You must have an iron arse, speedy bike and be a bit of a nutter to make that kind of time.

Yes JXXXL, you are correct on all 3 points, my arse is a bit solid although it was also a bit sore after that particular ride, the bike is very fast (faster than I am prepared to take it anymore) and I am definately a bit of a nutter (some of the time) even at the supposedly mature age of 50.

BigMac.