Irie Guy Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 Further planning for the Panic weekend in Ottawa. I see most mapping programs are recommending that we drive all the way down to catch the 401 and then take the 401 across to head back up to Ottawa. Yes the Highway maybe faster, but will it really save me time??? It seems kind of a roundabout way. Whats Hwy 7 like its been years. We'll be travelling through the night if that makes any difference. Want to keep the car time to a minimum as the wee ones have never really been in the car longer than 3 - 4 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 in the summer we usually go from ottawa to southampton area for a weekend - the 401 is much faster in my experience. we go (from ottawa) 416 - 401 - 410 - Hurontario (through orangeville) - 10 (to owen sound) and then over. so reversing that should do the trick. highway 7 is sloooooooooooooow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irie Guy Posted May 2, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 AD what's your normal average time for this trip. Southampton is just up the road (12 minutes) so it will give me something to gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freak By Night Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 For a scenic route that is not too long, (although somewhat slower than the 401 route) go to Orillia, then to Minden Mills -> Bancroft, then to Renfrew. Drive through Renfrew and hook up with Hwy 17 eastbound to Ottawa. Take a look on the map and you'll see it's pretty much a straight line.Do not take hwy 7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Wooly Mammoth Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I drive to Toronto prolly 5 times a year. From Ottawa to Toronto we always take Highway 7 to Highway 37 (near Tweed). Highway 37 to the 401 (at Belleville) and then the 401 to Toronto. (for Toronto to Ottawa we do the reverse: 401>37>7>417.) This route takes the same amount of time as taking the 416 to the 401. Speeds are a bit slower, but the distance is a bit shorter which makes up for it. And it's a much nicer drive. The 401 b/w Kingston and Brockville is a speed trap as is the 416 (and it's really easy to speed on the 416). Taking Highway 7 west of Tweed really slows things down though. You definitely want to take the 401 for that stretch. That all being said, You're not coming from Toronto, so this may not be as relevant for you. But, if you are doing the 401 route, I'd highly recommend taking the 37 and 7, rather than the 401 the whole way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bradm Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 I drive to Toronto prolly 5 times a year. From Ottawa to Toronto we always take Highway 7 to Highway 37 (near Tweed). Highway 37 to the 401 (at Belleville) and then the 401 to Toronto. (for Toronto to Ottawa we do the reverse: 401>37>7>417.)This is the same route that the (Voyageur express) bus takes from Ottawa to Toronto. I figure that if there were a better (shorter in time, easier on fuel, etc.) route, the bus would take it.Aloha,Brad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted May 2, 2008 Report Share Posted May 2, 2008 explain why the bus takes bloody forever to go anywhere then.i drive from sw-ontario to ottawa and vice versa probably 5-8 times per year as well, and have never got a speeding ticket on the 416 or 401. i'm sure if irie guy is concerned about his little ones in the car, he's not gonna be driving too far above the limit anyways...highway 7 through tweed and down to belleville saves about 40 km of distance, but speed limits are lower and roads are 2 lane most of the waypick your poison, there are benefits to both routes. of course your mileage may vary, hehe.the one thing we all agree on - highway 7 is brutal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaggyBalls Posted May 3, 2008 Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 okay irie guy - from bruce beach...get to Guelph...go through lucknow, wingham, and Elmira (and hamlets along the way)Get on the 6 and either get off around algonquin/brockville and go through North Agusta and Merrickville, or just drive to the 416 and head into the city.Made it from merrickville to the cottage in 5 hours and change one time. Definitely the best route we've found.the speeding limit on the 401 is really 115. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irie Guy Posted May 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 Lots of advice here cheers. Thinking we will do the 401 416 route on the way in as I will be travelling in the dark and I dont really need to pay any mind to the directions, set the cruise to 110, turn on the Sirius and just go. On the way home maybe we'll take a slightly more scenic route as that will be during the day on Monday. Yours Truly, I appreciate the help but I have no idea what you are talking about with those directions. Get to Guelph and go on the 6??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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