[xotiq]

I searched the forums for Bangalore-Velankanni-Rameswaram-Bangalore route, did not find this combo. Please suggest route, we are planning to cover these places end of march, maybe 3-4 days. (hope thats sufficient)

[ampere]

Bangalore - Velankanni :

This is via Trichy.

Bangalore- Salem- Namakkal- Thuraiyur-Trichy BP - Tanjore - Thirvarur-Velankanni.

Route link

- Its a total of 500km.
- You can do Trichy (320km) in about 6 hours with break
- Do note the routing to Trichy BP via Thuraiyur. This helps bypass the town easily.
- Trichy-Tanjore is about 60 km which you can do in about 40 minutes. (Its a 4 Lane)

From Tanjore its about another 100 km which you should be able to cover in about 2 to 2.5 hours.

If you start by 4AM, you should in Velankanni by about 12-1 at max.

Velankanni-Rameshwaram

This is via ECR fully. But as per HVK, hardly any facilities on this road.
I am told conditions beyond Thondi are much better. Don't know how it till then.

You should be able to cover in about 5-6 hours max.
Start D2 at 10AM, you should be in Rameshwaram by 4PM.

Route : link

Rameshwaram-Bangalore

This is about 600km. Up Madurai its about 180km. That should take about 4 hours. One on the 4L you pick up speed.
Around 430 km which you should take about 6 hours with breaks. Adding a buffer of 1 hour to cross Madurai, its a total of 11 hours.

Definitely the last day can turn out to be hectic.

[xotiq]

Thanks Ampere, the last day might be hectic as you said.

[ravib]

Originally Posted by xotiq

Thanks Ampere, the last day might be hectic as you said.

Yes, defintely it will be.

We did Rameswaram-Bangalore in a CIVIC with high speeds of about 160kmph in 4L between Madurai-Bangalore. It took us 11 hours end to end including 1 hr break. (4 hrs from Rameswaram-Madurai + 6 hrs Madurai-Bangalore + 1 hr lunch/tea/fuel breaks)

-Ravi

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by ampere

I am told conditions beyond Thondi are much better.

I travelled the ECR in October '10, there were absolutely no food facilities till Ramnad. You might find a couple of petrol bunks, but thats about it There were few roadside shops and bakeries in wayside towns, we stopped for one in Mimisal that time.

Roads were a gem and traffic minimal.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Roads were a gem and traffic minimal.

This was end to end? The traffic is minimal from Velankanni itself on ECR
or you are referring to situation beyond Thondi?

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by ampere

This was end to end? The traffic is minimal from Velankanni itself on ECR
or you are referring to situation beyond Thondi?

End to end from Nagapattinam to Ramnad.

[tharian]

Looks like this is a hardly used route:-
Velankanni - Thondi- Ramanathapuram

I will be driving to Velankanni from Bangalore via Trichy and down to Rameshwaram(including Dhanuskodi) and return via Madurai and Dindigul.

It has been almost 6 years since I went to Rameshwaram last and never done the ECR from Velankanni down to Rameshwaram.

Are the road conditions good and route advisable via ECR?

Also is the route between Rameshwaram to Madurai via Paramakudi and Manamadurai which is what Google maps suggests?

The planned route;
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Be...d12.998932!3e0

Thanks

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by tharian

Are the road conditions good and route advisable via ECR?

Road conditions are still good. Fuel stop situation is much better than what it was in 2010 (I saw 7-8 stations between Muthupet and Kattumavadi alone, compared to 1 near Manora in 2010).

Food stops are still bad, better to fill your tummy at Velankanni or wait till Ramnad if you are looking for proper restaurants with restroom facilities. Bakeries, kirana shops and small eateries are what you will find. Even in a town like Muthupet, small eateries is what we found.
--
I had taken the Kumbakonam-Kollumangudi-Nedungadu-Karaikal just last weekend, roads are mostly in good condition except for a handful of sections. Took 1:10 hrs from Thirunageswaram-Karaikal. On Karaikal-Velankanni there were some rough sections till the Pondy-TN border and improves from thereon.

In Veppur-Kumbakonam, there are bad sections in T.Palur-Neerathanallur-KMU bypass. It is manageable since the kms isn't much.

For the return route, it would depend on the time that you'll cross Madurai. If you pass late night or early morning, go through the town. Madurai ring road is in tatters since there is 4-laning going on. Taking Karaikudi-Pudukottai-Trichy-Karur-Salem would make more sense,

I didn't feel SH35 was all that great during my drive last weekend, infact Thuvarankurichi bypass-Manpparai was in much better shape than the Karaikudi-Kottampatti SH35 stretch.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by narayans80

Taking Karaikudi-Pudukottai-Trichy-Karur-Salem would make more sense,

I didn't feel SH35 was all that great during my drive last weekend, infact Thuvarankurichi bypass-Manpparai was in much better shape than the Karaikudi-Kottampatti SH35 stretch.

If I want to avoid Madurai and take the Pudukottai route, how do I approach it from Rameshwaram?

Is this a good option in terms of road condition?
https://www.google.co.in/maps/dir/Ra...9663!3e0?hl=en

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by tharian

If I want to avoid Madurai and take the Pudukottai route, how do I approach it from Rameshwaram?

Rameswaram-Ramnad-Devipattinam-Devakottai-Karaikudi-Trichy. Turn to Devipattinam (ECR) is on Ramnad bypass itself, which I think you'll see enroute Velankanni-Rameswaram.

At Devipattinam I remember the turn was marked for Trichy. It is normal 2-lane between Devipattinam and Karaikudi, beyond that it is super wide 2-lane.

This video will give you an idea, move to about 30 minute mark where it shows Trichy-Rameswaram section

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1_QWP0KgGE&t

I am not 100% confident on the current condition of Devipattinam-Karaikudi as I have not taken it recently, I had taken Kattumavadi-Aranthangi-Karaikudi last weekend and this was good throughout except for small section off Kattumavadi and inside Aranthangi town.

Karaikudi-Trichy is like a runway where can do 100.

[tharian]

Had a nice drive covering Velankanni , Dhanushkodi and back to Bangalore.

I had been to Velankanni around 8 months back and I completely forgot the road conditions were bad back then between Thanjavur and Nagapattinam. The 4 lane is being made in patches and most of the 60 kms stretch is filled with pot holes and un-even surface. It took me 2 hours to cover the distance. I remember last time I went via Kumbakonam and Virudhachalam on the return to avoid this stretch.
The East Coast road between Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram is beautiful and roads are smooth throughout. They have widened the road from Ramanathapuram to Pamban as well and a toll booth is up although it is not tolled yet. There is a 100/- fee while entering Rameshwaram town too. I am sure it was only for non TN vehicles.

The return to Bangalore was via Devipattinam , Karaikudi and Trichy.
The roads between Ramanathapuram and Karaikudi were not all that great although there were no potholes, some stretches were very bumpy. After Karaikudi, it is a toll road which is in good condition.

Trichy to Namakkal was via Musiri which was in good condition too except for few spots were re-asphalting was being done.

Some pictures of the roads.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by tharian

I had been to Velankanni around 8 months back and I completely forgot the road conditions were bad back then between Thanjavur and Nagapattinam.

This has been the case for some time now.

The 4 lane is being made in patches and most of the 60 kms stretch is filled with pot holes and un-even surface. It took me 2 hours to cover the distance. I remember last time I went via Kumbakonam and Virudhachalam on the return to avoid this stretch.

Is this Tanjore-Nedamangalam-Thiruvarur section? The road has so many bunds, just wondering how did they find options to get it 4-laned? Also a big relief for this section would be if Nedamangalam gets a clean bypass.

The East Coast road between Nagapattinam and Ramanathapuram is beautiful and roads are smooth throughout.

I presume Adirampatnam-Thondi-Ramnad is as desolate as ever in terms of facilities?

The return to Bangalore was via Devipattinam , Karaikudi and Trichy.
The roads between Ramanathapuram and Karaikudi were not all that great although there were no potholes, some stretches were very bumpy. After Karaikudi, it is a toll road which is in good condition.
Trichy to Namakkal was via Musiri which was in good condition too except for few spots were re-asphalting was being done.

Any reasons why not Madurai? Also; I think its high time they 4-lane Coimbatore-Karur-Musiri-Trichy.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by ampere

Is this Tanjore-Nedamangalam-Thiruvarur section? The road has so many bunds, just wondering how did they find options to get it 4-laned? Also a big relief for this section would be if Nedamangalam gets a clean bypass.

Yes, the same route. It is more like the road is being widened since there is no divider yet and this is in small patches. Most of the route is still the old road which is in tatters.

Originally Posted by ampere

I presume Adirampatnam-Thondi-Ramnad is as desolate as ever in terms of facilities?

I saw couple of big boards saying restaurant and they turned out be small way side coffee shops.

Originally Posted by ampere

Any reasons why not Madurai? Also; I think its high time they 4-lane Coimbatore-Karur-Musiri-Trichy.

I wanted to avoid Madurai because of the longer distance as well avoid entering Madurai which would have costed me time. I left Dhanuskodi at 10am and was home by 8pm even on the shorter route because of loosing time at two fastag tolls after Krishnagiri.

Also added to the time was the detour I took at Trichy to see the GoldenRock Railway workshop.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by ampere

Any reasons why not Madurai? Also; I think its high time they 4-lane Coimbatore-Karur-Musiri-Trichy.

Madurai Ring Road is being 4-laned and is in tatters. Coming from Rameswaram it will involve traversing the entire Ring Road.

Mayanur-Karur bypass section is already 4-laned. Drove that way 3 weeks back returning from Palani. I don't think Tollgate-Musiri-Namakkal can be 4-laned due to the river on the side.

If you are ok with the extra distance, you can take the Kaveri bridge from Musiri to Kulithalai and continue on Kulithalai-Karur NH67.