The gateway to Kumaon
Everything you came for
is uphill
Kathgodam is the terminus — 554 metres, on the Gaula, where the plains stop being flat. Everything you arrived from is south and west of here. Everything you came for is north, and the road there takes about twice as long as the distance suggests.
554 m · on the Gaula
arrive from the south‑west · leave to the north
Every destination at its true bearing from the hotel, at a distance proportional to the straight line. The pale sector to the south-west is where you arrive from; the teal one across north is where you are going. The needle swings from the station to Nainital.
The hill factor
Twice as far as it looks
On the plain, the road runs about as straight as the crow. The moment it starts climbing it runs more than twice as far. That is the whole argument for sleeping down here.
- On the plain
- 0.95–1.38× the straight line
- Into the hills
- 2.25–2.48×
- Nainital, 16.9 km away
- 37.9 km by road · 1 h 40
Destinations from The Mount Valley, with true bearing, straight-line distance, road distance, hill factor and driving time. Ordered south to north.
| Destination | Bearing | Crow | Road | Hill factor | Drive |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathgodam station | WSW | 0.4 km | 750 m | — | 11 min walk |
| Haldwani bus stand | 211.1° | 5.6 km | 5.3 km | 0.95× | 13 min |
| Pantnagar airport | 192.7° | 30.5 km | 32–35 km | 1.10× | 42–49 min |
| Jim Corbett · Ramnagar | 290.5° | 42.7 km | 58.9 km | 1.38× | 1 h 35 |
| Nainital | 329.5° | 16.9 km | 37.9 km | 2.25× | 1 h 40 |
| Mukteshwar | 23.7° | 25.4 km | 61.5 km | 2.42× | 2 h 40 |
| Kainchi Dham | N | 16.7 km | 38–43 km | 2.43× | 1 h 40 |
| Bhimtal | 11.3° | 9.5 km | 23.6 km | 2.48× | 1 h 05 |
Bearings and straight lines are measured from the hotel’s own position. Road distances and times are as published. The station’s ratio is left blank because it is meaningless over 750 metres.
Bearings, not sightlines
Every place north of here is behind that ridge
The roof
The one place you stand on the threshold
Guests name the rooftop terrace, again and again. Behind you is the plain you arrived across; in front is the wall you drive into at first light. It is the whole reason to stop here rather than push on.
- Elevation
- 554 m
- River
- The Gaula
Tomorrow
Sleep on the flat. Drive up rested.
The hotel will arrange the car. Say so the night before, and it can be waiting when you come down.