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Folks

Planning a family road trip from Coimbatore to Pondy and back. What would be the route to take - and approximate distances too please?

Coimbatore-Avinashi-Perunthurai-Bhavani-Salem on NH47, approximately 150 kms
Salem-Athur road for 10 kms
Salem-Harur-Uttangarai on state roads, approximately 70 kms
Uttangarai-Tiruvannamalai-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondy, on Nh66, approximately 175 kms
Total distance approximately 400 kms

Budget for a drive time of 8-10 hours, depending on your speed and stops.

Thank you Sir!

And any updates on the condition of the roads and traffic? I am familiar with the route till Salem.

I would also like to know where after Salem will good food and some decent restroom facilities be available (wife and two girls) - So that we can plan our stops accordingly.

Search for Shrikanth's thread on this route. He reported road from salem to Uttangarai was good. From there, NH66 is also good. After Salem, till you reach Tiruvannamalai (over 100 kms), there are hardly any facilities. You can ideally plan a stop at T'Malai, where you have lots of restaurants.

No no no.. that route is longer(definitely more than 400kms).

Usually, i take this route from Pondicherry to cbe.
Coimbatore-Avinashi-Perunthurai-Bhavani(erode-bypass)-Salem-Athur-Kallakurichi-Ulundurpettai-Villupuram-Pondicherry. 400kms exactly.

Takes approximately 7 to 8.



Route mentioned by hvkumar:
Coimbatore-Avinashi-Perunthurai-Bhavani-Salem on NH47, approximately 150 kms
Salem-Athur road for 10 kms
Salem-Harur-Uttangarai on state roads, approximately 70 kms
Uttangarai-Tiruvannamalai-Gingee-Tindivanam-Pondy

Coimbatore - Avinashi - Perundurai - Sangari - Salem - Athur - Kallakurichi - Ulundurpet - Villupuram - Pondicherry is the shortest good route.
Total - 370 kms. Approx. 8 hours driving time.
Covai to Salem is very good now, with 4 laning done in most places.
Salem to Athur is also good, not bad, as it was in last rainy season.
Athur to Kallakurichi, Ulundurpet is a moderate road, not bad for the car's suspension, and beware of lot of curves, and pls exercise caution before you overtake, in this sector, as there are a lot of blind points.
Ulundurpet to Villupuram is buttery smooth, with 4 laning done, now.
Villupuram to Pondicherry is a good road, but with lot of traffic in day times.

About Hotels :
You have good - best veg hotels in salem - just get on the road to salem bus stand, eat, and then backtrack to the bypass.
in Athur, you have 1 hotel, at the right turn from salem, entering athur town.
Ulundurpet has 1.krishna bhavan opp virudachalam road, and 2.TTDC Hotel, just 2 kms from the town, on the NH45 highway.
villupuram has lots of hotels, on the right turn from the NH towards the Pondy road.

Regards, have a nice trip.

After salem, there are 2 to 3 pretty big filling stations(BP and IOC) with good restaurants & decent restrooms in the Villupuram-trichy highway(NH45) after Ullundurpettai.

After Athur, the roads are pretty bumpy till ullundurpettai. from there on its good.

i've marked the approximate location of the filling stations with a blue line.


btw,i guess it is exactly 371 kms.:)

I was apprehensive about the Athur route because of 2 reasons: 1. The bad roads after Athur, which have been really very bad, and 2. the road widening work on NH45. Otherwise, I agree, the Athur route is the simplest and most direct route to Pondy.

The bad roads after athur were again laid and again got bumpy(but not as bad as it was before) after few rains.:)

The 4 lane-ing of NH45 is almost complete (atleast the stretch from ullundurpettai to villupuram is)

Thank you very much HVK and BBS

I am worried about bad roads - wife hates them! Is it anything like the Walayar-Palghat-Vadakkancheri (sudden-deep-potholes-galore) or has the surface totally deteriorated?

How much longer will the other route thru TVMalai be?

Approximately 1 hour more of driving time, since the Salem-Harur-Uttangarai road was in good condition.

@HVK

I had actually suggested this route in the other thread, for Neyveli to Coimbatore what do you think of this.

Pondicherry - Villupuram - Veppur - Perambalur - Musiri - Kulithalai - Karur - Dharapuram - Kangeyam - Coimbatore. Only concern for me is can you cross over the Cauvery from Musiri to Kulithalai. This is about 390 kms as compared to about 375 via the regular Villupuram - Salem route.

I think it is a good route, except that I do not know anything about the Perambalur-Musiri route. But if the Salem-Veppur road is improved now, I think that may be the shortest and fastest route from Coimbatore to Pondy.

Folks

Any updates on the road condition - especially after the rains?? We will be doing Pondy-Cbe on the way back. (Onward is via Chennai)

The road from tindivanam to pondycherrry is pothole ridden , narrow and lots of villages. Cannot reach good speeds.Watch out for cattle!.No Idea how the roads are after these rains . any updates after the rains???