[joshguy]

Originally Posted by joshguy

Oh no i thought forest was there.anyways i have already crossed tirupattur after which the the road is not to be seen at all.we are doing a average of 35 to 40 kmph.hope road is good after uthangarai

Hi Guys

Am back from yercaud and it was a wonderful trip.

Actually i should edit my earlier post,after tirupattur the road was bad for about 10-15 kms after which it was smooth.It was full of twist n turns and curves all the way till yercaud.

I just loved the road and last 50km was good with full of trees on both sides of the road.I have taken lots of pic and will post it once my system reads the USB

Way back i came via salem,athur,unlundurpattai ,villupuram,tindivanam and chengalpattu.

The way up from chennai to yercaud took 5 hours after deducting 2 hours for breakfast^2 and pit stops (piss & Photo sessions)

The way back home was around 6 hrs as the road was bad till unlundurpettai

Catch you all later with pics

[ampere]

Now I recollect which hill ranges you would have been refering to. Its the Kalrayan Hill range,
whose base you touch, once you are past Tirupattur and are on the way to Dharmapuri.

[joshguy]

Originally Posted by ampere

Now I recollect which hill ranges you would have been refering to. Its the Kalrayan Hill range,
whose base you touch, once you are past Tirupattur and are on the way to Dharmapuri.

Yes it was kalrayan forest which i passed all the way from harur to kuppanur where we need to turn to yercaud.

[RoadTripper]

Originally Posted by joshguy

Hi Guys

Am back from yercaud and it was a wonderful trip.

Actually i should edit my earlier post,after tirupattur the road was bad for about 10-15 kms after which it was smooth.It was full of twist n turns and curves all the way till yercaud.

I just loved the road and last 50km was good with full of trees on both sides of the road.I have taken lots of pic and will post it once my system reads the USB

Way back i came via salem,athur,unlundurpattai ,villupuram,tindivanam and chengalpattu.

The way up from chennai to yercaud took 5 hours after deducting 2 hours for breakfast^2 and pit stops (piss & Photo sessions)

The way back home was around 6 hrs as the road was bad till unlundurpettai

Catch you all later with pics

Josh: I did Madras-Yercuad Oct 1st week. Took the Bangalore Highway until Krishnagiri, stopped at A2B just after Dharmapuri. This is a fantastic route as the road quality is awesome. Thoppur ghat section is the only go-slow zone for about 10-15 minutes. It is 4L throughout with a median. It took us 5.5 hours plus 30 min "stoppage time" - A2B, Fuel and of course, the Toll Plazas. I heard that distance-wise it's only 40-50Km more.

I'd strongly recommend this route for folks driving from Madras to Yercaud.

[VMG]

Planning to go to Yercaud on 26 and 27 of December from chennai, vellore, Dharmapuri, salem, Yercaud route.
any update on the road condition?

[ravib]

Originally Posted by VMG

Planning to go to Yercaud on 26 and 27 of December from chennai, vellore, Dharmapuri, salem, Yercaud route.
any update on the road condition?

All throughout, the road condition is good. May be very few potholes from salem to yercaud after rains.

-Ravi

[venkyhere]

latest update on SH18 :
vaniyambadi-tiruppattur-uthangarai-harur-kuppanur-yercaud

1) in and around all the above towns (just before entering and just after leaving) the roads are really bad.

2) the other 98% of this route is super-smooth. Silky smooth tarmac with nice twists and turns (reminded me of coimbatore-sathyamangalam stretch).

3) most importantly, very less traffic (did this from 0800 to 1030 on a weekday)

4) saves 3 tolls (60+60+66)

5) the route turns from scenic into really beautiful after harur; last few kms before kuppanur (ghat road) is really really beautiful.

[ampere]

Was really looking for some updates on these stretches.
I secretly hoped (and as well guessed) that stretches should be really good as most SH in TN are well maintained. Thanks for sharing these updates.

This means, folks wanting to cover Tiruvannamalai before coming to Salem can enjoy these stretches really well. Very nice.

I also hope Tiruvannamalai-Harur should also be good and that should complete the circuit.

[polopm]

Originally Posted by ampere

Was really looking for some updates on these stretches.
I secretly hoped (and as well guessed) that stretches should be really good as most SH in TN are well maintained. Thanks for sharing these updates.

This means, folks wanting to cover Tiruvannamalai before coming to Salem can enjoy these stretches really well. Very nice.

I also hope Tiruvannamalai-Harur should also be good and that should complete the circuit.

Tvm Harur road is Ok with few potholes here and there we are planning a yercaud trip during Christmas holidays tvmalai

Will update once I go thru it !

[polopm]

I couldn't drive the stretch, but one of my friends did. He says the potholes have increased. Hopefully something is done to improve the condition.

Harur to Yercaud via Kuppanur ghat road remains ok.

[timj]

Originally Posted by venkyhere

latest update on SH18 :
vaniyambadi-tiruppattur-uthangarai-harur-kuppanur-yercaud

1) in and around all the above towns (just before entering and just after leaving) the roads are really bad.

2) the other 98% of this route is super-smooth. Silky smooth tarmac with nice twists and turns (reminded me of coimbatore-sathyamangalam stretch).

3) most importantly, very less traffic (did this from 0800 to 1030 on a weekday)

4) saves 3 tolls (60+60+66)

5) the route turns from scenic into really beautiful after harur; last few kms before kuppanur (ghat road) is really really beautiful.

This is a wonderful route indeed. I took this route 2 years ago.

I am planning to go to Yercaud again this month. Any updates on this route about the road conditions, especially after the recent rains?? Any info will be greatly appreciated - Thanks.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by timj

This is a wonderful route indeed. I took this route 2 years ago.

I am planning to go to Yercaud again this month. Any updates on this route about the road conditions, especially after the recent rains?? Any info will be greatly appreciated - Thanks.

I dont think there would be any major change since the last update.
These interior roads dont get used much, but for the inter town private and govt buses.

Also it about 110km odd to base of the ghats from Vaniambadi exit. Not many decent places on the route.
But at least now there is a CCD + Arya Bhavan, where you can have a break before exiting the highway.
Prior, this was not possible as this break point was not available.

Hence folks were forced to take the full 4L for this reason alone.

[Pedaltothefloor]

Is it possible to drive from Chennai to Yercaud and return the same day or does it need an overnight stay? I think Yelagiri is closer to Chennai but not much to do there.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Pedaltothefloor

Is it possible to drive from Chennai to Yercaud and return the same day or does it need an overnight stay? I think Yelagiri is closer to Chennai but not much to do there.

Not worth it.Its about 6-7 hours of drive one way. So even if you start by 3AM, you should be there by 10/11.
Enjoy the day and drive back by evening. Do you really stretch yourself that much?

[faridsahmed]

Travelled last weekend to yercaud from chennai

Route taken while going : Chennai -Ulundurpet - Attur - Ayodhiyapatinam - yercaud

Roads are in absolutely fantastic condition.
This road from ayodhiyapatinam leads you to Yercaud from the back side(road generally taken by locals). No sign boards were found till i reach yercaud. Was a isolated drive with few commercial vehicles spotted in between. Had t oask for directions in between as was not sure which direction to take.

Total toll paid : Rs 260
Distance till yercaud : 367 kms

Route taken while coming back : yercaud - salem - krishnagiri - vellore - chennai
Roads are good but long. Crossing Salem took a lot of time.
Total toll paid : Rs 320