Chennai - Coimbatore - Ooty : Route Queries

pypkmsrikanth · 11th March 2010, 15:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Can you provide more info on this - what kind of restrictions? You mean, like route would be closed or something?

Sometimes the Mettupalayam - Coonoor route might be available only for going up or coming down which you should possibly check out for at Mettupalayam.

csentil · 11th March 2010, 15:24

I would definitely not recommend night time driving in any road. Especially long distances and uphill. Being a first time driver on ghat roads why would you want to take a risk.

You should be able to do Chennai - Ooty in around 10 hrs of time including breaks.

Preferable route would be as pyp pointed out: Chennai - Krishnagiri - Salem - Avinashi - Annur - Mettupalayam - Kotagiri - Ooty.

Chennai to Avinashi is 4 lane. Actually the 4 lane ends 10 kms before Avinashi and its non existent when you take the right from Salem towards Avinashi for about 3-4 kms.

If you start by 5 AM in Chennai you can have breakfast at Thoppur A2B at around 9AM to 10 AM timeframes, have lunch either at Annur or Mettupalayam and be in Ooty by evening.

rajushank84 · 11th March 2010, 16:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by pypkmsrikanth

Sometimes the Mettupalayam - Coonoor route might be available only for going up or coming down which you should possibly check out for at Mettupalayam.

Thanks, I didn't know that! Will check with my relative living @ Ooty before starting.

Quote:

Originally Posted by csentil

I would definitely not recommend night time driving in any road. Especially long distances and uphill. Being a first time driver on ghat roads why would you want to take a risk.

You should be able to do Chennai - Ooty in around 10 hrs of time including breaks.

Preferable route would be as pyp pointed out: Chennai - Krishnagiri - Salem - Avinashi - Annur - Mettupalayam - Kotagiri - Ooty.

Chennai to Avinashi is 4 lane. Actually the 4 lane ends 10 kms before Avinashi and its non existent when you take the right from Salem towards Avinashi for about 3-4 kms.

If you start by 5 AM in Chennai you can have breakfast at Thoppur A2B at around 9AM to 10 AM timeframes, have lunch either at Annur or Mettupalayam and be in Ooty by evening.

Thanks much. I think I will finalize this plan. Actually I had thought of starting at 12 midnight so that the hill climbing will be in the morning time (more pleasant). As April 14 will be a holiday in many companies, I can expect traffic as the day wears on, so just thought of reaching by morning to beat some of the traffic at least.

PraveenM · 16th April 2010, 12:11

I recently did Chennai-Krishnagiri-Thoppur-Mettur-Athani-Sathy-Mettupalayam-Conoor

We halted overnight at Krishnagiri, and it took 8.5 hours to cover the 500kms upto Mettupalaym including two 1/2 hr breaks. It was a peaceful drive albeit a bit bumpy for a hatchback like the Getz.

Refulled at BP COCO bunk (same complex as A2B) at Thoppur just before the toll plaza.

Mettupalayam Conoor took 1.5 hours including a 1/2hr wait at the signal outside lower coonoor.

psathya · 20th April 2010, 23:08

Hi - I drive the stretch to mettupalayam almost twice a week.

I totally agree and recommend pypkmsrikanth Recommendation of "The best route to Ooty is the one I had suggested initially Chennai - Krishnagiri - Thoppur - Sathyamangalam - Mettupalayam - Kotagiri - Ooty".

In case you are stuck enrounte You can try staying at my place melur meadows which is just outside mettupalayam.

Sathya

rajushank84 · 21st April 2010, 13:42

Just went to Ooty and came back. Not writing a travelogue because I didn't take much pics, spent time mostly with family so it will be a boring travelogue if I do write it.

However I want to update on the routes, for whoever might be interested.

1. While going, I did Vellore - Krishnagiri - Thoppur - Salem - Avinashi - Mettupalayam - Coonoor - Ooty

This route is excellent! I had traffic jams at Avinashi (1 hour) and near Coonoor (2 hrs - because of an accident). Stopped at A2B plaza Thoppur. Would definitely recommend this route.

2. Returned via Coonoor - Mettupalayam - Avinashi - Salem - Athur - Chinna Salem - Kallakurichi - Ulundurpet - Tindivanam - Chengalpet - Tambaram

Would not recommend this route at all! The Salem to Ulundurpet stretch is nowhere near ready, and is a torture on the car. Would definitely advise anyone to avoid this road. Not many good hotels en route either. You have to keep watching out for the stretches where the re-laid road begins and ends, because there are a big and sharp surface level differences which could damage the rims if you take these at speed.

ampere · 21st April 2010, 14:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by rajushank84

2. Returned via Coonoor - Mettupalayam - Avinashi - Salem - Athur - Chinna Salem - Kallakurichi - Ulundurpet - Tindivanam - Chengalpet - Tambaram

NH7 to NH45 connection through NH68 is not all that great. Plus you can also struggle for good hotels and clean toilets.

deetjohn · 26th April 2010, 11:56

I did Chennai - Mettupalayam this weekend.

The road is excellent from Chennai to Thoppur as always.

I was confused on which route to take from Thoppur i.e. the (Sathyamangalam) Sathy route or the Salem route.

I do Bangalore - Cochin sometimes and knew the Salem route was in good condition and with no oncoming traffic.

Took a risk in taking the unknown Sathy route and that decision turned out to be really rewarding! If you love to drive, this is the road to take.

This is a two lane road and will take you some time to get used to vehicles coming from opp side after the Chennai - Thoppur roads.

The Thoppur - Mettur stretch is bit rough as they have recently patched the roads but no potholes which is a big relief.

The road is simply awesome to drive from Mettur onwards. It is scenic, smooth, well laid with good banking and winding between those big old trees on both sides.

I did it in the afternoon and there was no traffic as well.

You can easily cruise at 120 but be careful when crossing the small villages. And do take your foot off the pedal for those smooth jumps on the road.

Fuel is not a problem but food is. I couldn't find any good family restaurants on the way. i.e. from Mettur to Mettupalayam.

The entire drive will take a little over 8 hours.

The route I took was Chennai - Krishnagiri - Dharmappuri - Thoppur - Mettur - Ammapettai - Athani - Sathyamangalam - Sirumugai - Mettupalayam.

ampere · 26th April 2010, 21:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by deetjohn

The route I took was Chennai - Krishnagiri - Dharmappuri - Thoppur - Mettur - Ammapettai - Athani - Sathyamangalam - Sirumugai - Mettupalayam.

This also gives one a nice snack/lunch break at Mettur watching the water.

neutralgrey · 29th April 2010, 00:18

Hi Guys,

I will be doing Chennai-Palakkad this weekend. Plan to do the Krishagiri-Thoppur-Salem route after reading your experiences on that stretch. I have a doubt though. If you look at the Google maps screen shot below of Avinashi. It shows a gap in NH47 (marked in a blue rectangle) and the route is kinda round about. Any idea whats the deal here? Or is it some glitch and is the road fine out there?

Can anyone who has done this route recently provide some clarity on this?

Please click on image for readability.

Chennai - Coimbatore - Ooty : Route Queries-avinashi.jpg

ampere · 29th April 2010, 06:36

There is no break like that. Just go straight through NH47/NH7. No issues.
Another similar example is look at Shoolagiri near Krishnagiri on NH7. Google map says NH7 is discontinuous!

rajushank84 · 29th April 2010, 08:26

Was there 2 weeks back and I can assure you there is no break in the road! In fact you can see for yourself in the satellite view at fully zoomed level. It seems to be a bug in google maps.

ddis_dude · 13th May 2010, 15:35

neutralgrey - everyone here is right - I asked this very same question in another thread and was given the very same answer! I went straight to Ooty though and took NH-15 at Chitode as was recommended here (great route and no problems anywhere).

Lunch at Gobi was also better than expected. As someone said - google maps also says NH-7 is broken before K'giri - we've all been on that "broken" road dozens of times!

Good luck and drive safe.

gajadonga · 14th May 2010, 10:41

If you want to avoid Thoppur-Mettur-Sathy route the best is as suggested by ddis_dude.From Thoppur-Salem-Chithode.From Chithode take the Gobi-Sathayamangalam route this is also good.Last time when I travelled 2months back the approach road from Chithode bypass towards Gobi from the highway was not ready so I had to turn into the Chithode town and then crossover to Gobi road.

robimahanta · 13th July 2010, 15:51

Among all the routes talked upon which will be the most scenic and which one is the fastest, bear in mind that I'll be travelling from Salem

Route 1:
Salem-Chitode-Gobi-Satya-Mettupalayam-Conoor-Ooty
Route 2
Salem-Mettur-Athani-Satya-Mettupalayam-Conoor-Ooty
Route 3
Salem-Chithode-Avinashi-Annur-Mettupalayam-Conoor-Ooty

I know that if I take the Mettupalayam-Kotagiri-Ooty route it will be scenic though a tad longer and steeper. But what about the route upto Mettupalayam?

11th March 2010, 15:24	#32
csentil Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,349 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	I would definitely not recommend night time driving in any road. Especially long distances and uphill. Being a first time driver on ghat roads why would you want to take a risk. You should be able to do Chennai - Ooty in around 10 hrs of time including breaks. Preferable route would be as pyp pointed out: Chennai - Krishnagiri - Salem - Avinashi - Annur - Mettupalayam - Kotagiri - Ooty. Chennai to Avinashi is 4 lane. Actually the 4 lane ends 10 kms before Avinashi and its non existent when you take the right from Salem towards Avinashi for about 3-4 kms. If you start by 5 AM in Chennai you can have breakfast at Thoppur A2B at around 9AM to 10 AM timeframes, have lunch either at Annur or Mettupalayam and be in Ooty by evening.
	() Thanks

16th April 2010, 12:11	#34
PraveenM BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 125 Thanked: 32 Times	I recently did Chennai-Krishnagiri-Thoppur-Mettur-Athani-Sathy-Mettupalayam-Conoor We halted overnight at Krishnagiri, and it took 8.5 hours to cover the 500kms upto Mettupalaym including two 1/2 hr breaks. It was a peaceful drive albeit a bit bumpy for a hatchback like the Getz. Refulled at BP COCO bunk (same complex as A2B) at Thoppur just before the toll plaza. Mettupalayam Conoor took 1.5 hours including a 1/2hr wait at the signal outside lower coonoor.
	() Thanks

20th April 2010, 23:08	#35
psathya BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Chennai Posts: 80 Thanked: 11 Times	Hi - I drive the stretch to mettupalayam almost twice a week. I totally agree and recommend pypkmsrikanth Recommendation of "The best route to Ooty is the one I had suggested initially Chennai - Krishnagiri - Thoppur - Sathyamangalam - Mettupalayam - Kotagiri - Ooty". In case you are stuck enrounte You can try staying at my place melur meadows which is just outside mettupalayam. Sathya
	() Thanks

21st April 2010, 13:42	#36
rajushank84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,116 Thanked: 1,098 Times View My Garage	Just went to Ooty and came back. Not writing a travelogue because I didn't take much pics, spent time mostly with family so it will be a boring travelogue if I do write it. However I want to update on the routes, for whoever might be interested. 1. While going, I did Vellore - Krishnagiri - Thoppur - Salem - Avinashi - Mettupalayam - Coonoor - Ooty This route is excellent! I had traffic jams at Avinashi (1 hour) and near Coonoor (2 hrs - because of an accident). Stopped at A2B plaza Thoppur. Would definitely recommend this route. 2. Returned via Coonoor - Mettupalayam - Avinashi - Salem - Athur - Chinna Salem - Kallakurichi - Ulundurpet - Tindivanam - Chengalpet - Tambaram Would not recommend this route at all! The Salem to Ulundurpet stretch is nowhere near ready, and is a torture on the car. Would definitely advise anyone to avoid this road. Not many good hotels en route either. You have to keep watching out for the stretches where the re-laid road begins and ends, because there are a big and sharp surface level differences which could damage the rims if you take these at speed.
	() Thanks

26th April 2010, 11:56	#38
deetjohn Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Kochi Posts: 4,530 Thanked: 10,584 Times View My Garage	Sathy Route! I did Chennai - Mettupalayam this weekend. The road is excellent from Chennai to Thoppur as always. I was confused on which route to take from Thoppur i.e. the (Sathyamangalam) Sathy route or the Salem route. I do Bangalore - Cochin sometimes and knew the Salem route was in good condition and with no oncoming traffic. Took a risk in taking the unknown Sathy route and that decision turned out to be really rewarding! If you love to drive, this is the road to take. This is a two lane road and will take you some time to get used to vehicles coming from opp side after the Chennai - Thoppur roads. The Thoppur - Mettur stretch is bit rough as they have recently patched the roads but no potholes which is a big relief. The road is simply awesome to drive from Mettur onwards. It is scenic, smooth, well laid with good banking and winding between those big old trees on both sides. I did it in the afternoon and there was no traffic as well. You can easily cruise at 120 but be careful when crossing the small villages. And do take your foot off the pedal for those smooth jumps on the road. Fuel is not a problem but food is. I couldn't find any good family restaurants on the way. i.e. from Mettur to Mettupalayam. The entire drive will take a little over 8 hours. The route I took was Chennai - Krishnagiri - Dharmappuri - Thoppur - Mettur - Ammapettai - Athani - Sathyamangalam - Sirumugai - Mettupalayam.
	() Thanks

29th April 2010, 00:18	#40
neutralgrey BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 75 Thanked: 16 Times	Need Clarification on Route at Avinashi Hi Guys, I will be doing Chennai-Palakkad this weekend. Plan to do the Krishagiri-Thoppur-Salem route after reading your experiences on that stretch. I have a doubt though. If you look at the Google maps screen shot below of Avinashi. It shows a gap in NH47 (marked in a blue rectangle) and the route is kinda round about. Any idea whats the deal here? Or is it some glitch and is the road fine out there? Can anyone who has done this route recently provide some clarity on this? Please click on image for readability.
	() Thanks

29th April 2010, 06:36	#41
ampere Team-BHP Support Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,959 Thanked: 12,953 Times View My Garage	There is no break like that. Just go straight through NH47/NH7. No issues. Another similar example is look at Shoolagiri near Krishnagiri on NH7. Google map says NH7 is discontinuous!
	() Thanks

29th April 2010, 08:26	#42
rajushank84 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 1,116 Thanked: 1,098 Times View My Garage	Was there 2 weeks back and I can assure you there is no break in the road! In fact you can see for yourself in the satellite view at fully zoomed level. It seems to be a bug in google maps.
	() Thanks

13th May 2010, 15:35	#43
ddis_dude BHPian Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 75 Thanked: 19 Times	neutralgrey - everyone here is right - I asked this very same question in another thread and was given the very same answer! I went straight to Ooty though and took NH-15 at Chitode as was recommended here (great route and no problems anywhere). Lunch at Gobi was also better than expected. As someone said - google maps also says NH-7 is broken before K'giri - we've all been on that "broken" road dozens of times! Good luck and drive safe.
	() Thanks

14th May 2010, 10:41	#44
gajadonga Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 1,045 Thanked: 458 Times	If you want to avoid Thoppur-Mettur-Sathy route the best is as suggested by ddis_dude.From Thoppur-Salem-Chithode.From Chithode take the Gobi-Sathayamangalam route this is also good.Last time when I travelled 2months back the approach road from Chithode bypass towards Gobi from the highway was not ready so I had to turn into the Chithode town and then crossover to Gobi road. Last edited by gajadonga : 14th May 2010 at 10:44.
	() Thanks

13th July 2010, 15:51	#45
robimahanta Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: BLR/GAU Posts: 833 Thanked: 6,495 Times	Among all the routes talked upon which will be the most scenic and which one is the fastest, bear in mind that I'll be travelling from Salem Route 1: Salem-Chitode-Gobi-Satya-Mettupalayam-Conoor-Ooty Route 2 Salem-Mettur-Athani-Satya-Mettupalayam-Conoor-Ooty Route 3 Salem-Chithode-Avinashi-Annur-Mettupalayam-Conoor-Ooty I know that if I take the Mettupalayam-Kotagiri-Ooty route it will be scenic though a tad longer and steeper. But what about the route upto Mettupalayam?
	() Thanks