[kshivaa]

Thanks to the various members, made the Chennai - Mumbai trip this weekend. Started from Chennai (Tambaram) at 5 am and reached Satara around 8 PM on my Thar.

Stayed at Hotel Mahendra Executive at Satara (right on the NH but on the opposite direction), as suggested in some of the threads here. A good place to stay, cost is Rs. 1700 for non-AC room. Did the Satara - Mumbai stretch the next day morning.

As suggested by Ampere, starting early helped to avoid traffic at most places.

Have one question - for Chennai - BLR - Tumkur, is it better to take the vellore - Hosur - NICE road (this is what I did), or would taking Old Madras Road via Andhra and going from KR Puram to Neelamangala Bypass in BLR help saving some time if it is a weekend morning ?? ( I did the drive on Sunday)

[onlymadhu]

[COLOR=black]Did the Chennai - Mumbai sector over the weekend in our new Swift ZDi, my brother and myself on our two week old Cheetah (our Swift). we timed our start a bit late as i was caught up in office, left from Annanagar Chennai at 6:30 PM and hit maduravoyal and then poonamalle by 7:00 PM, by the time we were in Sriperumbudur it was past 8:00 PM. really bad peak hour traffic. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]We then gained some pace and zipped past Vellore and stopped for Dinner for about 20 minutes, Change of drivers, one thing we decided was irrespective of the distance covered we will swap drivers every 2 hours and will also give the car a 15 minute break every 2 hours.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]It worked very well up to Krishnagiri, albeit the frequent lane changes all the way upto hosur due to 6 new flyovers etc. we hit Nice road at 11:45 PM. Nice is such a blessing, we skipped all of bangalore, hit the tumkur road exit in 25 minutes and we were cruising towards Tumkur, at that hour, the raod was so active with so many omni buses exiting Banglore and we were in Neelamanga Toll at 12:35 PM.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]We hit the Tumkur bypass, looked for a lodge to crash, got lucky as we got a decent one for the night for Rs 800 a night, the only thing we checked was Geyser in the room and hot water for a shower early in the morning. did our phone calls back home and crashed by 1:00 PM.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]The plan was to wake up by 6:30 AM and leave by 7:30, things worked that way, had a sound sleep and with a bit of nip in the air, left Tumkur by 7:40 AM. the drive to chitradurga was filled with a lot of diversions, my brother took the first turn to drive in the morning, and by around 9:30 we had crossed chitradurga, stopped for breakfast by a road side motel, didn't like the location much, so opted for chai with biscuits and took the mandatory break and driver change.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Started again at 9:50 AM, boy, the best stretch to hubli was a breeze i was confident of doing the distance in little over 2 hours. the drive was very dotted with windmills on both sides of the road. Took a quick breakfast break at a Kamat's in Reliance petrol pump some 50 kms ahead of ch'drga. We managed awesome pace and reached Hubali toll by 12:05 PM. Happy with our progress, we did the driver change. and the stretch to dharwad was toruturous with so many people on the road, and my brother gave a disgruntled look with every time he take the wheel the roads are bad, diversions, traffic etc. [/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]to be continued..[/COLOR]

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[FanaticOnWheels]

I am planning to do a Pune - Chennai run in my GT TSI during the 3rd week of December. I'll be driving alone (I absolutely love driving this machine ). This thread truly has given me a wealth of information regarding what to look forward to. Just a few questions for the experienced folks here, who've done this route:

1. I'm aware that this is a long drive. Having said that, is it practical to do this stretch without any halts (would not do it if it is overkill)? My personal longest in a day so far has been 800KM by car, and 700KM by bike. Assuming that the TSI can safely cruise at 110 KMPH (Only on the GQ, provided the roads and conditions are absolutely safe, and visibility allows for it).

2. If a non stop drive is improbable, I'd like to cover a larger portion of the journey on day 1. Would Hosur be a good stop?

3. The approximate toll cost, one way, would be around Rs 1500? (Please correct me if I am wrong)

4. At what frequency did you give yourself and your car a break, as on these stretches, it is quite possible for one to keep cruising along without realising the miles munched/hours spent on the road. Would a break every 3 hours be a fair interval for the vehicle?

I'm really looking forward to this drive, have heard a lot about the beautiful stretches en route!

[narayans80]

If you can drive 17 hours ish at a shot, its very much doable. Start like 7am Madras, cross Bangalore around noon, should be in Pune around midnight-ish. If you are doing the reverse direction, early morning start (like 4am) is best to cross MH before the highway is flooded with commuters. The Bangalore-Mumbai thread has discussed these in detail. Basically you'll have 3 parameters to time for: Pune-Kolhapur traffic, Bangalore traffic and Madras traffic

[freedom]

Originally Posted by FanaticOnWheels

I am planning to do a Pune - Chennai run in my GT TSI during the 3rd week of December.

1 - Average speeds will be in the region of 70-80. Try sticking to 90-100 range where ever possible.
2 - You can start at 5 am but winter + fog + late sun rise will slow you down.
Hosur looks doable if you start early and are OK to drive till late in the evening.
Keep options open to halt at Davangere or Bangalore. List down the possible places you can halt for the night and call up the hotels to confirm once you cross into Belgao/Hubli.
That way you can have a fall back option incase you get tired.
3 - No idea. 1500 sounds about right if you assume the general formula of 1Rs/km
4 - I usually take a break when I feel like. 2 - 3 hrs is a good window. Carry and drink lots of water. This helps the body stay hydrated and also keeps the brain awake. I usually consume about 1 litre in 3 hours.
The first sign of pee pressure, you know its time to stop. Look out for a descent Petrol Pump and relieve your self, stretch and walk for 2-3 mins and off you go again. If you feel hungry stop at a food place instead of a Petrol Pump.
Of course, everyone has a different body clock, but the idea is to let your body tell you its time to stop, and start looking for options immediately after the body gives you the first message.

The last thing you want to do is be a macho. Its easy to mess up your thoughts when alone. Set conservative goals and stretch goals and work from there.

[GreaseMonk]

I'm planning a bike ride from Chennai to Mumbai via Goa later this month. I have already finalized my route to Goa and Mumbai (https://goo.gl/maps/c4GyJWPtbG82 : Chennai - Bangalore - Hubballi - Ramnagar - Goa - Chorla - Belgaum - Pune - Mumbai), however, I have some leeway\free time with my return to Chennai.

I'm looking for some scenic or enjoyable (read smooth & twisty) route and destination suggestions, preferably along the west coast itself. I won't be doing any sight seeing at the destinations and the ride itself will be my source of entertainment. I can ride anywhere between 10 to 12 hours a day and can keep a reasonable pace when road and traffic conditions are conducive.

I'm seeing conflicting reports of Mumbai to Goa via NH17/NH66 being 'the father of all Indian bike rides' on one side, while travelogues saying its a nightmare due to traffic and the state of the road. I'm not sure what to make of this and can't decide whether its a good idea to return via this route.

Also, is Goa to Mangalore an entertaining ride? Or should I turn off from Gokarna towards Jog falls instead? Of course, I'm open to alternatives as well.

Thanks in advance.

[aargee]

Super plenty options...
1. Sirisi forest
2. Yana caves
3. Dandeli & Ganeshgudi
4. Sadhashiv ghat
5. West coast beaches - Baindur, Bypore, Kundapura, Maravanthe, Gokarnam