[Amarkarthi]

Hi fellow BHPians,

I'm planning to do the Chennai - Udangudi stretch and return on my 1.6 year old Figo TDCi around August 12th for a family function. I had done frequent highway trips from Chennai to Sathyamangalam (my native) through Velore-krishnagiri-thoppur-Anthiyur route. This Udangudi trip would be my first one in the South and I'm going to have my wife and 16 months old son accompany me in this trip.

Request your suggestions on the route map, convenient places for food joints and fuel enroute. Google map tells the distance to be around 630Kms as my home is close to Tambaram and I'm considering covering up the stretch in 8 hours with an average pace in day-time.

Thanks in advance.

Mods - I couldn't find any readily available route suggestions already existing in the forum, if so please merge and redirect me.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by Amarkarthi

Hi fellow BHPians,

I'm planning to do the Chennai - Udangudi stretch and return

8 hours sounds too optimistic with a child onboard as Chennai-Tuticorin might take that long! Add another 1:30-2 hrs to Udangudi.

If you leave by say 6 am, you could have breakfast at Aryaas near Tindivanam toll gate and lunch at Temple City just before Madurai near Melur. Once you take Madurai Airport bye-pass to reach the Tuticorin turn-off and thereafter, there aren't any decent food options that I know of.

Madurai will be the best place to refuel as well, but am not sure of the bunks in the NH45B. You should be able to spot a COCO just as you reach Madurai IMO.

[couswheels]

Originally Posted by Amarkarthi

Hi fellow BHPians,

Google map tells the distance to be around 630Kms as my home is close to Tambaram and I'm considering covering up the stretch in 8 hours with an average pace in day-time.

With an average speed of 60kms you can easily reach in 8 hours time. The traffic reduces once you cross Tindivanam and becomes very less beyond Trichy. Tambaram - Madurai is easily doable in 5 hours. Having a small kid have a buffer of one more hour and try to start at least by 5am.

[Gansan]

Chennai - Trichy -Madurai - Aruppukottai - Tuticorin - Tiruchendur - Udangudi.

[Amarkarthi]

Originally Posted by luvurride

8 hours sounds too optimistic with a child onboard as Chennai-Tuticorin might take that long! Add another 1:30-2 hrs to Udangudi.

If you leave by say 6 am, you could have breakfast at Aryaas near Tindivanam toll gate and lunch at Temple City just before Madurai near Melur. Once you take Madurai Airport bye-pass to reach the Tuticorin turn-off and thereafter, there aren't any decent food options that I know of.

Madurai will be the best place to refuel as well, but am not sure of the bunks in the NH45B. You should be able to spot a COCO just as you reach Madurai IMO.

Thanks for the informations luvuride. 8 hours is something which I plan for and not aim for certainly, considering the little master on-board. But all i wish is travel and reach Udangudi in daylight as my wife has a peculiar issue of getting head-aches with reflecting headlights both from oncoming and trailing vehicles. Regarding the fuel stations, I remember a couple of pumps in the proximity of Aruppukottai though I don't remember if they are COCO (We filled diesel for our bus during my marriage a couple of years back).

Originally Posted by Gansan

Chennai - Trichy -Madurai - Aruppukottai - Tuticorin - Tiruchendur - Udangudi.

Thanks Gansan sir. Is this route clearly marked or any chances of mistaken deviations all across? Also I read and heard from people a lot about missing the Madurai bye-bass. Can you please help me with the info if there are clear signboards all the way along?

[Gansan]

Lovely four lane toll roads all the way to Tuticorin. Two lane highway from there for around 50 KM or so. Clear sign boards mostly all the way. just enquire a bit about the by pass road before you enter Madurai.

[Grand Drive]

1) Chennai - Trichy -Madurai - Aruppukottai - Tuticorin - Pazhaiya Kayal - Paraman Kurichi - Udangudi.

2) Chennai - Trichy -Madurai - Aruppukottai - Tuticorin - Tiruchendur - Udangudi.

3) Chennai - Trichy -Madurai - Virudhunagar- Tirunelveli- Nazareth- Udangudi.

Fantastic four lane highways till Tuticorin / Tirunelveli. Please be wary of the speed bumps / local town buses / narrow stretches between Tuticorin- Udangudi / Tirunelveli - Udangudi.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by couswheels

Tambaram - Madurai is easily doable in 5 hours. Having a small kid have a buffer of one more hour and try to start at least by 5am.

I would suggest to add another one to one and a half hours. Its about 430-450km. I would not go beyond 70km an hour average at max. That itself should give six hours.

[couswheels]

Originally Posted by ampere

I would suggest to add another one to one and a half hours. Its about 430-450km. I would not go beyond 70km an hour average at max. That itself should give six hours.

Had done once Chennai - Trichy in 4.5 hours with
> an early morning start of 5am
> speed under 3 digits
> going inside Trichy for a breakfast break which took time due to traffic, did not stop anywhere in between for breaks
> a start from city limits where in Tambaram is 22kms away

7 hours would be too high. In Swift it took me 6.5 hours to reach till Madurai railway station and in Duster it took 6 hours to the same destination. Both the times traffic inside Madurai was very high.

Starting point of Tambaram will save 30 mins and deviating into Madurai city would save another 30 mins, that's how I have said it would be 5 hours. No hard and fast rule to stick to this timelines as the individual should enjoy the drive rather than setting a timeline into one's head .

[ampere]

Originally Posted by couswheels

Starting point of Tambaram will save 30 mins and deviating into Madurai city would save another 30 mins, that's how I have said it would be 5 hours. No hard and fast rule to stick to this timelines as the individual should enjoy the drive rather than setting a timeline into one's head .

Agreed. 6 hours is a good estimate given traffic eases out at many sections on this stretch. Beyond that its being very sedate. 6-6.5 is my estimate too.

[luvurride]

Originally Posted by Amarkarthi

Is this route clearly marked or any chances of mistaken deviations all across? Also I read and heard from people a lot about missing the Madurai bye-bass. Can you please help me with the info if there are clear signboards all the way along?

Chances of missing Madurai bye-pass is high when you travel from Dindigul. From Trichy, the 4-lane automatically continues to be the bye-pass just near Mattuthavani. Once you cross airport, you'll get a circle from where the Tuticorin 4-lane branches off. These are all clearly marked IIRC.

[Amarkarthi]

I completed the above road trip with onward journey on August 13th and return on August 17th.

Onward Journey

Route Taken : Home - Tambaram - Trichy (via NH45) - Madurai - Tuticorin - Authoor - Arumuganeri - Tiruchendur - Paramankurichi - Udangudi.

Started the journey at 5AM from home with full tank at Chennai, and the roads are excellent 4 lane ones all through till Tuticorin from Tambaram which is a breeze to drive except for the Madurai bye pass stretch which is a narrow 2 lane road for around 20 odd Kms. From Tuticorin the roads were completely out of shape till Tiruchendur with huge craters and potholes and it took me 1.5 hours to cross this stretch of 40 Kms and roads were moderately good from Tiruchendur to Udangudi.


Return Journey

Route Taken : Udanguid - Paramankurichi - Tiruchendur - Kayalpattinam - Authoor - Tuticorin - Madurai - Trichy - Tambaram - Home.

While returning, in the early wee hours I took a wrong route and fortunately it saved a couple of Kilometers through Kayalpatinam from Tiruchendur to Tuticorin. Tanked up again at Dhanushkodi Agencies BP Pump (renowned station mentioned by local people) just near the Tuticorin - Tiruchendur junction. I didn't try the Tirunelveli route from Tiruchendur because of the road work happening between Virudhunagar and Kovilpatti and the extra miles that it incurs comparing the Tuticorin route.

Our little master enjoyed the drive all the way and I was able to maintain an average of 100+ km/hr without issues on my Figo TDCI. I Was able to cover the entire distance in 10 hours each both ways including 2 stops each for food and 2 stops for the toddler's nature's call.