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@ad441
No, I never said it was - but I have done quite a bit of cycling in India and spent a lot of time (without a bicycle) in quieter parts of the the Western Ghats and I can promise that there are plenty of nice, quiet roads. As a rather poor analogy, it's a bit like cycling to Brighton - you can go straight down the A23 or you can take the backroads and barely see any traffic (though of course there's far more opportunity for getting lost this way).
Actually for a more accurate analogy there'd have to be no accurate maps of these backroads, anyone you ask for directions would give wildly contrasting information & the surface of the backroads would be incredibly variable in quality, but they'll be there.
There'll also be plenty of horribly busy roads as well & sometimes there's no alternative, but one advantage of getting into the hills is everyone has to go a bit slower.
Any of the main coast roads will be pretty horrendous, but I'd really suggest only dropping down to the coast for a bit of relaxation at the start/end.
Your other advice regarding panniers, clothing, etc is spot on.