The Cottage

The Mud Fort

The Cottage, a charming, family place gives you wonderful insights into some of the finest elements of Kumaon craftsmanship. At the centre stage are antique carved wooden panels, doors and windows (unique to these hills) that owner has personally retrieved from the woodpiles left to rot by the local residents who were on a binge of "Modernization"
The Cottage is part of what used to be the Vergomount Estate. Till Independence , together with the main house, a Scotswoman and her daughter ran it as a hotel. Both Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda would halt here before the long haul up to Almora.
The eight acres of land around the cottage are a tangle of fruit bearing trees, seasonal flowers and sweet-scented shrubs. Avocado, pears, plums and peaches transport you to a Mediterranean wonderland of nectar-doped bees, songbirds, scented breezes and moonlit nights. Pace your drinks amidst the song of the crickets and the snap of the bonfire on cool, fragrant nights. Else haul yourself up to the nearby observatory to cruise the skyways. Explore the wooded hills peppered liberally with tiny shrines and ancient temples. Let your feet lead you to the tiny bungalow that used to belong to a direct descendant of Napoleon Bonaparte. The locals narrate how he fell in love with a native boy and stayed on.

Location

The Cottage is located in Jeolikote. It is just 15 kms before Nainital on the Kathgodam - Nainital Road.

Getting Here

By Air : Nearest airport: Pantnagar (56km/1 ¼ hrs)
Linked to Delhi by Jagson Airlines on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 
A taxi to Jeolikot costs Rs 600. 

By Rail Nearest railhead: Kathgodam (18 kms/30 mins) Taxi to Jeolikot is Rs 300.

By Road Jeolikot is 18 kms ahead of Kathgodam on NH-87. 

At Kathgodam, continue straight along NH-87 to Jeolikot via Ranibagh, on the way to Nainital. Once you turn left from Rampur for the last 1.5 hrs along the forested NH-87 via Rudrapur, you'll be accompanied by golden sun-flower fields, mango groves sighing and hundreds of monkeys.

The 9 p.m. deluxe bus from Delhi's ISBT Anand Vihar to Nainital stops at Jeolikot. 

After the Moradabad by-pass fly-over, take the largely forested road to Bazpur, which will take you to Haldwani via Kaladungi. From Haldwani (a large town which has joined up with Kathgodam), take the Nainital route to reach Jeolikot. Most Delhi motorists prefer this route.

Accommodation