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10kms less in distance; can avoid long queue in two toll booths (long weekend traffic); less traffic though its two lane... these are the reasons tempting me to take Omalur route always.

Thanks for the information, I will be taking this route while returning to Bangalore.

I too will be travelling to Cochin from Bangalore on thursday night. planning to start from BGL around 11 PM. Thinking of starting in the night to avoid traffic and heat. secondly, we will be travelling with our 5 month old baby. if we travel in the night mostly the baby will be asleep and will be less disturbed.

i have 2 routes in mind on which i would like to get the frequent / recent travellers advise.

Route 1 - Hosur - Salem - Coimbatore - Palghat - Trichur - Cochin.
Likes - Know the route very well.
- Good roads till Salem (i prefer using NH7 4 lane rather than the Bhavani route)
Dislikes - Heavy traffic
- 4lane ends at Salem (need info on the current road condition till Coimbatore)
- NH47 will be jampacked as always.

Route 2 - Hosur - Salem - Karur - Dindigul - Theni - Munnar - Cochin
Likes - 4lane till Dindigul (as learnt from this very thread). Hence better average speed expected.
- None specific other than this. Have never taken this route before.
Dislike - There is considerable difference in distance (548 vs 647)
- Road conditions after Dindigul not known.

Please suggest which is a better option and also the road condition on both routes other than the 4 lane part.

Hi,
Pls advice the entry and exit points at omalur and sankari side .

tx

4-lane ends near Avinashi, about 50 km before Coimbatore.

I have planned to start by 3 am on Friday so as to reach Kochi in the afternoon. I will be taking NH 7/47 route.

Going via Munnar is definitely not a good option. I would like to recommend you with Route - 1. You will get 4L until Perumanallur (15 kms before Avanashi).

I will also be travelling in this route on Friday morning (Salem-Guruvayoor). I am planning to take Perundurai-Kangeyam-Palladam-Sulur and touch the Coimbatore Bypass. I can avoid the 4L conversion between Perumanallur and Coimbatore. This will increase 19 Kms from the normal route that goes thru Avanashi.

Route 1 is recommended. You get 4 lane roads for about 300 KMs from Silkboard. This route will be shorter and faster than route 2.

@Zenist - I would suggest not to consider the Munnar option when you are traveling at night with family and small kid. There are deserted stretches and you won't find places open in the night (not even in the day) for any assistance. Stick to the Salem Coimbatore route

1) Option 1 is the best to reach Cochin.
2) Till 23kms prior to Avinashi - you have super 4 lane road.
3) Then till you reach L&T bypass at Coimbtore, you have 'Work in progress / Two lane' road. (Heavy local traffic).
4) Once you take L&T bypass, road till thrissur is two lane & in good condition.
5) Then, thrissur to Cochin is good road again.

If you start early from Bangalore (At 4 AM), you can reach Coimbtore by 9.30 / 10 AM (Including one break). Post thrissur have lunch and hit Cochin by 2PM. :)

Thank you all for the suggestion. Since everyone recommends option 1, i'd stick to it.

just one more question - is there any good petrol pump in and around Hosur which accepts card payment? please: i plan to top up fuel after i cross into TN.

All the BP COCO pumps accept credit cards,the the pump attached to the A2B after Hosur accepts cards.Just be sure to carry some spare cash as at times,you would hear excuses like machine not working/line dead.There is no ATM at the pump.

A Lakshmi Vilas Bank ATM is functional apart from A2B at BP COCO retail outlet Ghar Dhaba at Chinnar, located between Hosur and Krishnagiri toll plaza.

I travelled the Bangalore --> Dindigul --> Theni --> Kumili --> Chry route last Saturday. It is a nice route except for 25-30 kms of bad roads. This section of bad road is near the ghats at TN-Kerala border.

Overall it was a good trip and the drive is very very scenic. Bangalore (Bellandur) to
Changanacherry is 620 kms and can be covered in 12 hrs via this route. Speeds of 130+ kmph is easily acheivable till Dindigul. Further to that the average speed reduces to 80 kmph and drops to 25 kmph in the ghat section. Road is winding and bad here. Again, from Vandiperiyar onwards, we can drive at an average speed of 55-60 kmph.


Problems we faced:
(1) Kumili check post is quite arrow and police were stopping and checking couple of
trucks which resulted in blocked traffic on both sides of the road. We lost around 20 mins there. Worse could happen at Walayar check post too. Since we were travelling on the next day of Vishu festival, many private vehicles returning from Sabarimala were seen on the road.

(2) People were feeling motion sickeness because of winding climb up and then down again. This would not be a problem in the Palakad-Thrissur route.

(3) You many not find many eateries and petrol pumps after Dindigul till Vandiperiyar. A little bit of planning will help.

(4) I assume break-down support facilities will be poor as well. Not sure though on this
point.

Thanks ranjit. surely will carry cash too. its just that i like to use the card for expenses as much as possible and keep the cash in hand while travelling.

As J.Ravi mentioned, you do have a Lakshmi Vilas Bank ATM at the pump where A2B is located.