[TurboGuy]

Loop Drive: Bangalore > Mysore > Masinagudi > Ooty > Kotagiri > Mettupalayam > Avinashi > Bangalore

Disclaimer
This ain’t a typical travelogue but a quick report on the loop drive by four friends who were bored of the lockdown and travel restrictions that the pandemic had resulted in.

The planning and the cars
Lucky we, the planning was limited to the route and food & beverages alone as it was a loop drive without any overnight stay that too with an all male group.

I drove home a Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI MT (Review: Skoda Rapid Monte Carlo 1.0L TSI – A Little Beast!) barely 2 months ago and Treadmark picked up one of the last BS4 units of a Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI DSG just before the lockdown but what we missed all these months were the road trips. Apparently, these were the chosen machines for the drive.

Treadmark's black monster


My little beast (Picture Credit: @theshotishot)

We roped in two more friends and all set for the drive. We decided to pack breakfast and lunch along with snacks, fruits and drinking water/tea/coffee and to be back home for dinner. However, if at all we get late for dinner, we ensured we’ve got something for quick bites.

The loop
We decided to assemble at Electronic City and worked out the route we follow:

Bangalore (Ecity) > NICE Road > Mysore Rd > Mysore > Gundlupet (refuel at Shell) > Bandipur > Theppakkadu > Masinagudi > Ooty (some offbeat drive along the hills) > Kotagiri > Mettuppalayam > Avinashi > Salem > Bangalore.

Travel Pass, Safety Measures
We’ve registered on the TN epass portal and secured passes required to visit the Nilgiris. You get a text message to download the epass as soon as you register. We printed couple of copies and had the soft copies saved on our mobile phones as well.

All of us carried personal hygiene kit with sanitiser, hand rub and masks. We also strictly followed social distancing.

02:00hrs, 3 December, 2020
All four of us assembled at the Ecity toll plaza and quickly headed to NICE Road entry point.

02:15hrs NICE road entry point

The men and the machines.

That’s me, Treadmark, Renju and Soban.

We started off from the NICE road toll plaza and soon off to chaotic Mysore road where the 6 laning of the road is in progress with many unmarked barricades and speed breakers. Be cautious if you drive on this stretch during night. However, the traffic was minimal as expected being the wee hours on a weekday. We didn’t drive along the Mysore Ring Road, instead drove through the city as Gmap suggested this being faster. The city looked stunning in the pre-dawn hours with it’s wide and clean roads.

Our first pit stop was at the Shell fuel station in Gundlupet. The Rapid got it’s tank full and we headed to Bandipur. It was Treadmark’s Octy that lead the way all along the Mysore Rd and further towards Bandipur which made my job much easier as Rapid’s projector headlights are such a shame.

05:45hrs Bandipur
We reached the Bandipur checkpost where the vehicle movements are restricted from dusk to dawn. There were over a dozen trucks and cars waiting and many more trailing us.

06:00hrs Gate opens at Bandipur
The gate opened at sharp 6 O'clock and we started our drive along the reserve forest hoping for some sighting. It started with herds of deer and we were hoping for more, unfortunately no surprises.

06:30hrs Mudumalai Checkpost, TN
This is where the authorities verify your travel pass and let you in. There wasn't much delay and we completed the process within 10mins. Travellers without epasses were sent back by the officials, perhaps they should quickly drive to a place towards the KA side where you get access to 4G, get the registration done and come back!

We drove further ahead and spotted some Indian Gaurs, sadly couldn’t click any snap. Herds of deer were aplenty all along, however no luck with the big cats. As planned earlier we’ve taken diversion towards Masinagudi as soon as we reached Theppakkadu.

07:00hrs Masinagudi
We had our next pit stop at Masinagudi and the hot black coffee we packed made us so refreshed on a cold winter morning.

The black beauty and the open stretch full of twists, turns and steep inclines in the lush green backdrop, what else do you need?

The drive along the 36 hairpin bend was fun. Octy easily climbed those steep inclines in D mode itself. Rapid TSI tackled them well too. However, the long clutch travel is a downside if you stop and start along a steep incline. I find it tough with my driving style as I’ve the habit of keeping my heel on the floor while releasing clutch. However, if you don’t rest your feet on the floor, you easily get the biting point and it pulls nicely.

07:45hrs Ooty
The thrill of driving along the Kalhatty ghat and we are in the south’s top rated hill station. We wanted to drive along not so touristy places and had something off-beat in our mind. Thus, we turned right from the RTO checkpost where the climb from Masinagudi diverts toward Ooty town and Pykara.

08:30hrs A beautiful lake, drizzle, mist and the breakfast

The Gudalur-Ooty highway is rough with many potholes and patches. However, the offbeat paths (at least where we drove) are still well laid and we loved the twisty roads that lead us to Glenmorgan.

Beautiful lake around, sadly the visibility is poor as it was too foggy.

The perfect place for breakfast.

Now, as the drizzle stopped we made this short clip of Octy by the lake.

Skoda Octavia 2.0 TDI DSG - The black monster!

A few more pictures to follow.

There's a beautiful lake behind us, blame the weather for not seeing it


For a comparison, here's the lake on a clear sunny day. The following 2 pictures were clicked during my last visit (end of Feb '20) just before the pandemic hit this part of the world.

Now, back to the foggy days.

The visibility turned poorer and poorer as the day progressed. We waited for the weather to improve and started the next leg of our drive as the visibility turned better around 10.30.

12:00 noon In and around Kotagiri

It was raining all along the Ooty - Kotagiri stretch and we neither couldn’t stop nor get on to some off the beaten paths as the visibility turned poor with thick fog. However, we simply loved driving in rain/fog at a slow pace.

As the rain stopped, we took a short snacks break as well.

Perfect shelter for a quick bite and hot coffee.

14:30hrs Late lunch by the BPCL Ghar CoCo outlet

We were running late for the lunch (thanks to the rain) and as we climbed down the hills and hit the plains, the sun is now back shining and we quickly pulled over to the BPCL Ghar CoCo outlet on the NH544 (Perundurai is around 25km further ahead towards Salem). This place turned out to be the perfect place to open up our packed lunch as the place was free of crowd. We spent almost an hour here for the lunch and refreshments followed by the Octy to get her tank filled as well.

15:30hrs Stomach full and beautiful TN highways

The meal we had was indeed heavy and which obviously doesn’t seem welcoming when you are on a long highway ride. Well, we hit the toll roads again and both the TDI and TSI loved the tarmac which was still wet.

Keep rolling

Rapid as seen from the Octy

18:30hrs Final pit stop at Krishnagiri Toll Plaza

We took another coffee/snacks break as soon as we exited Krishnagiri toll plaza. The coffee was still hot and the caffeine intake energised the men and we were ready for the final leg of our drive back to our homes. Traffic was moderate to high along this final leg as expected.

20:30hrs Bidding adieu until we meet again for the next drive

To our surprise, a long queue of cars and trucks awaited us at Attibele toll plaza. Finally, we exited the plaza after getting stuck there for half an hour. Now, as we reached Electronic City it’s time for us to bid adieu as two of us live around this part of the city. All of us were back to our respective homes by 9 for dinner. End of the day, we thoroughly enjoyed the loop drive and the weather though the fog/rain played spoilsport as we couldn’t drive along a few more off the beaten paths which we had in our to do list.

This sums up the loop.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[4WheelPilot]

Originally Posted by TurboGuy

Loop Drive: Bangalore > Mysore > Masinagudi > Ooty > Kotagiri > Mettupalayam > Avinashi > Bangalore

We drove further ahead and spotted some Indian Gaurs, sadly couldn’t click any snap. Herds of deer were aplenty all along, however no luck with the big cats. As planned earlier we’ve taken diversion towards Masinagudi as soon as we reached Theppakkadu.

TDI & TSI engines, contrasting colours, nippy weather and an awesome loop drive which has straights, twisties, ghats - what else do you need?
I have been wanting to do the same trip for quite a while.

I have travelled through Bandipur, Mudumalai and recently Nallamalai tiger reserve but the big cats have always been elusive to spot during the drive

[sachin_cs]

Arguably the best cars south of 40L in Indian Automotive scene. It surely was a pleasure to read this lovely travelogue buddy. Keep posting pictures of the red beauty, I just can't get enough of it. And one question- The front bumper skirts are a factory fit or your own D-I-Y stuff?

Originally Posted by TurboGuy

Attachment 2096634

Is it just me or others also feel that Skoda did a better job in designing the side profile of Rapid, it feels more cohesive and I don't want to use the word but fluidic

[Geo_Ipe]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

Is it just me or others also feel that Skoda did a better job in designing the side profile of Rapid, it feels more cohesive and I don't want to use the word but fluidic

I think the Black shade on the Octavia is masking the side profile quite a bit and the Red on the Rapid is making it look quite stunning!

[ike]

Good pictures, the Octavia looks great in black and is nicely contrasted by the red rapid. I too did Thrissur - kotagiri Ooty - Mysore and came back via Sathyamangalam. I was not allowed to take the Masinagudi route and was diverted to gudalur by the cops. I was lucky enough to spot quite a few elephants in mudhumalai though.

[Rangy62]

A note of caution. Please do not stop on highways for pictures of wildlife. We may knowledgeable and keep safe distances as not to invade the space of the animals. I have seen a lot of people crowding around and using flashes on their mobiles. This has resulted in a few mock charges by elephants. Also Karnataka forest department is now installing cameras along to check for these kind lapses.

[TurboGuy]

Originally Posted by sachin_cs

And one question- The front bumper skirts are a factory fit or your own D-I-Y stuff?

They're OEM front spoilers. I've sourced them from ASC. Apparently, the new Montecarlos get a few cosmetic updates and these front spoilers along with the side skirts are among them.

Originally Posted by Geo_Ipe

I think the Black shade on the Octavia is masking the side profile quite a bit and the Red on the Rapid is making it look quite stunning!

Exactly, the black is a stunner from any angle. I think, she looks best in an urban backdrop.

Originally Posted by ike

I was not allowed to take the Masinagudi route and was diverted to gudalur by the cops.

Yeah, downhill drive is restricted to TN-43 vehicles alone unless you've a booking at one of the resorts in Masinagudi as told by cops.

[Capt.Arun]

Your thread just took me back home!
I am from Ooty and presently at sea.
Next time should time permit, while at Glenmorgan, visit the police check post, provide credentials and request permission to visit the winch site and the catchment. It's a site to relish!

[sanyog26]

@TurboGuy- Excellent write-up and such a wonderful & fun-filled loop drive in some of the best mean machines from Skoda.

From your Feb 2020 pics, I can gather that you probably drove a VW Polo then and have now apparently upgraded to a Rapid. Same is the case with me, having driven a Polo for almost a decade, it was logical for me to remain with this brand/it's sister brand and I have myself upgraded to a Skoda Rapid TSI (albeit Rider variant). Due to this pandemic situation, haven't been able to drive much in the last 5.5 months since I got my Rapid home. But certainly looking forward to future long drives in my Rapid.

Not to miss the stunning Octavia in your pics. I hope to upgrade to this mean machine in the next 8-10 years, if budget allows. VW/Skoda cars are so addictive. You drive them once, it's difficult to chose any other brand thereafter..

Anyhow, wishing you many more happy miles with your Rapid..