[ranjitp1]

Originally Posted by Ho0ligaN

What is the exact distance to Coimbatore by the ooty route? also suggest pit stops enroute for breakfast and lunch.

Blr-Mysore 150kms

Mysore-Bandipur-70kms

Bandipur-Masinagudi 70kms

Masinagudi-Ooty 40kms

Ooty-Cbe 85kms

Good stops: Plenty of restaurants on the BLR-Mysore ( Kamat Lokaruchi) and CCD outlets at Gundulpet,Mandya.If you are driving into Mysore town you could try the famous Mysore Mylari hotel.

Pugmarks at Bandipur is another eating place.

[Ho0ligaN]

Is bandipur to masinagudi 70km? Bangalore to Coimbatore via ooty is 400+ km?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Ho0ligaN

Is bandipur to masinagudi 70km? Bangalore to Coimbatore via ooty is 400+ km?

Oh yes! Its about 320 to Ooty via Masinagudi (from Bangalore) and another 80 from there to CBE. Thats why I mentioned, take the Chamarajnagar route (Kanakpura road/NH209 and Dimbam Ghats). That should be around 300 and also give you good scenery all over.

Its just that you wont find places to eat and hence need to carry something along with you.

[INNOWAGON_CL]

Originally Posted by ampere

Oh yes! Its about 320 to Ooty via Masinagudi (from Bangalore) and another 80 from there to CBE. Thats why I mentioned, take the Chamarajnagar route (Kanakpura road/NH209 and Dimbam Ghats). That should be around 300 and also give you good scenery all over.

Its just that you wont find places to eat and hence need to carry something along with you.

I agree that Chamarajnagar route is good and can be used.

Recently I had travelled from Coimbatore to Mysore on 9th May 2010 and after a three halt went to Bangalore on 13th May and thereafter to Mumbai by road on 14th/15th May 2010.

Since it was from the opposite direction towards Mysore I had Ondipudur, Trichy Road, Coimbatore at 10.15 am. From Hope College signal on Avinashi Road took the route towards Airport and turned left to take the Kalapatti Road to join NH 209 towards Annur- Satyamangalam - Asanur - Punjur - Chamrajnagar- thereafter left NH 209 to take SH 57 towards Kavalandi to reach Nanjangud and join NH 212 and proceeded towards and reached Mysore at 01.20pm.

Had taken a break of 30 mins enroute for light refereshments at Chamrajnagar.

The route is motorable and enjoyable. The good news that many parts of this stretch are newly laid and we could cruise at 80kmph speed (in our Innova car) on the newly made up roads.

Fortunately, on those places were we found the road was bad, (Bad roads are those with cracks, and potholes, which was about 25-30kms in total) we were lucky - as we hardly found any vehicles on opposite side of the road and could negotiate the same and travel between 60-70kmph speed because the road was good of the other side of road.

The scenic beauty is something which words are insufficient to describe particularly the Bannari Dimbam stretch towards Asanur with the 27 hair pin bends.

I guess we may be able to cover the distance between Nanjangud - Chamrajnagar -Coimbatore in 2 hours time

[Fordy]

Guys need help on this.

Which route to take for a first timer to COimbatore from Bangalore? How is the road condition? Please can you specify the distances and major junctions? Thanks in advance.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Fordy

Guys need help on this.

Which route to take for a first timer to COimbatore from Bangalore? How is the road condition? Please can you specify the distances and major junctions? Thanks in advance.

Just following GQ. NH7/NH47. Bangalore-Salem-CBE.
You will face some trouble beyond Avinashi, but should be OK. Doable in 5 to 5.5 hours. (~330Km of 4L bliss)

[ranjitp1]

+1 if you are going to the ooty road side of CBE,then would recco that your divert off after Avinashi and go via Annur,will help you escape the mess after avinashi

[kala]

Originally Posted by INNOWAGON_CL

I agree that Chamarajnagar route is good and can be used.
...

I guess we may be able to cover the distance between Nanjangud - Chamrajnagar -Coimbatore in 2 hours time

Yesterday I drove from Malavalli to Bangalore on NH-209 (As part of an attempt to avoid the the crazy evening traffic on the Mysore-Bangalore highway), and the condition of this road is excellent except for the bottleneck at Kanakapura (about 2-3 kms). Wonder how good the Malavalli-Kollegal-Chamarajnagar section of NH-209 is. If it is anywhere near the condition of the Kanakapura-Malavalli stretch , it would be a much better alternative than using the Bangalore-Mysore-Nanjangud-Chamarajnagar route because it helps avoid heavy traffic on the latter.

As for my Mysore-Bangalore alternate route attempt, I don't think I saved much of time - basically because the route is about 20 kms longer, and the first 40 kms or so of the road (Mysore to Bannur and about 10 kms past Bannur) isn't that great and there is a lot of indisciplined two wheeler traffic on that rather narrow road. Managed to cover the distance from the Mysore ring road start (about 3-4 kms south of Mysore) to Konanakunte on Kanakapura road in about 2.5 hours.

[mjothi]

Originally Posted by kala

Yesterday I drove from Malavalli to Bangalore on NH-209 (As part of an attempt to avoid the the crazy evening traffic on the Mysore-Bangalore highway), and the condition of this road is excellent except for the bottleneck at Kanakapura (about 2-3 kms). Wonder how good the Malavalli-Kollegal-Chamarajnagar section of NH-209 is. If it is anywhere near the condition of the Kanakapura-Malavalli stretch , it would be a much better alternative than using the Bangalore-Mysore-Nanjangud-Chamarajnagar route because it helps avoid heavy traffic on the latter.

Yes. I too was pissed off the moment we entered the Kanakapura town. Crossing the town is a big hazzle. Its a huge relief when you cross the bus stand and reach the other side of the road.

But the roads from Bangalore to this portion is very nice.

[mkh]

Originally Posted by ampere

Just following GQ. NH7/NH47. Bangalore-Salem-CBE.
You will face some trouble beyond Avinashi, but should be OK. Doable in 5 to 5.5 hours. (~330Km of 4L bliss)

Just got a sudden need to travel tomorrow morning to CBE from BLR.
I guess the best route is to go from BLR- SALEM and then CBE?
Have gone via other route sometime back. What is GQ btw?
Anyone who is awake now and can reply will be of great help.
How do you know where to go from salem?

[ampere]

Originally Posted by mkh

Just got a sudden need to travel tomorrow morning to CBE from BLR.
I guess the best route is to go from BLR- SALEM and then CBE?
Have gone via other route sometime back. What is GQ btw?
Anyone who is awake now and can reply will be of great help.
How do you know where to go from salem?

GQ stands for Golden Quadrilateral.
Once you reach Salem do not enter the city. Keep on the highway. Automatically you will boards for Madurai and CBE.

[mkh]

Originally Posted by ampere

GQ stands for Golden Quadrilateral.
Once you reach Salem do not enter the city. Keep on the highway. Automatically you will boards for Madurai and CBE.

Cool- came back today
Started Monday morning at about 5 AM, reached Salem in 2.5 hours at about 7:30AM and stopped for 20 mins
The road from there is a super stretch and reached Avinashi at about 9:00 AM, after that single lane for about 60kms and reached CBE at 10:30 AM
Return:
The stretch from CBE to Salem after avinashi is FULL OF IDIOTS coming in wht wrong lane. I wish i could do something about these folks, makes me think again- are we not the WORST citizens of the road in the world.
Again time taken was about 5.5 hours, very nice roads.

[sbraj]

Originally Posted by mkh

The stretch from CBE to Salem after avinashi is FULL OF IDIOTS coming in wht wrong lane.

Yes, they tend to believe in this philosophy. I keep to the middle lane or the left lane. Inner most lane is far too dangerous on this stretch with these morons driving suicidally.

[coolclouds]

Is the four lane work is 100% completed between Salem & Sankagiri?

[im_srini]

Originally Posted by coolclouds

Is the four lane work is 100% completed between Salem & Sankagiri?

Drove down to CBE & back this weekend. Yes, the Salem to Sankagiri stretch is complete. All 4-laning work on this stretch (MAS - CBE) is complete. The only issue is ~20 Kms from Avinashi, where the 4-laning ends. Of course, you can turn off at Avinashi towards Annur & continue on towards Ganapthy.

Took the Sathy-Road (NH209) yesterday evening while returning to Chennai, the previously brilliant road surface appears to have been patched rather poorly. Moreover, there was too much commercial traffic (read, slow-moving trucks) for my liking.