A Kodaikanal Guide — from a house by the lake

We have been coming here every summer since 1947. What follows is a Kodaikanal guide written from our verandah - what to do, where to walk, what to eat - and a short note on the heritage bungalows of the lake. If you stay with us, this is the kind of itinerary we would suggest over breakfast on your first morning.

THE LAKE CIRCUIT
The walk around Kodaikanal Lake is about five kilometres. Most guests take it slowly in the morning, before the buses arrive at the boat club. From our gate it is two minutes to the water; you can do the whole loop without crossing a road. Pedal-boats and rowboats are available at the boat house if you would rather see the lake from it.

COAKER'S WALK
Forty minutes' walk from the bungalow, or ten minutes by car. The path runs along the cliff edge and on a clear morning you can see the plains. Best between six and eight in the morning. The benches at the far end are where the older guests find their seat.

BRYANT PARK
Two minutes from our gate. Founded in 1908. The annual horticultural show in May is worth timing a stay around.

PILLAR ROCKS, GUNA CAVE, PINE FOREST
A half day. You will need a car. Pillar Rocks is the one for the photograph; Pine Forest, planted in the 1880s, is the one for the walk.

BERIJAM LAKE
A full day, with permits - your driver will know. The road climbs into the Palani Hills sanctuary; you may see bison from the car.

WHERE TO EAT IN TOWN
We cook all meals at the bungalow, so this is short. For a coffee in town, Pastry Corner on Anna Salai is a long-running favourite. For chocolates, Cocoa Mountain. The Tuesday morning market at Coaker's is where our cook still goes for vegetables.

HERITAGE STAYS IN KODAIKANAL - A SHORT SURVEY
Kodaikanal was settled by American missionaries in 1845 and built up through the late nineteenth century as a summer hill station for the British and the Scots. Several of the bungalows from that period still stand, mostly along Lake Road and the side roads above the lake. A few have been opened to guests in recent years:

— The Carlton Hotel sits at the western end of the lake. The current building is newer than the original Carlton (founded 1894), but the location is the same.
— Greenlands is an older property on the southern slopes, with views across the lake. Best known for its terraced garden.
— Villa Retreat keeps the original colonial character of its house intact and has a long view down the valley.
— The Dunnottar Bungalow, our home, was built in the 19th century and passed to our family in 1947, when its previous owner - a Scotsman known as Lord Chamberlain - sold it and left for the United Kingdom with two suitcases. We are on Lake Road, on the water itself.

If you would like to stay in one of the heritage bungalows on the lake, you can take all of The Dunnottar (five bedrooms, up to sixteen guests) or just the North or South wing.

GETTING HERE
Madurai is the nearest airport — about three and a half hours by road, climbing into the hills from Kodai Road. The train station is at Kodai Road; from there it is two hours by taxi. The road up has thirty-seven hairpin bends. Most guests arrive in the afternoon and ask us not to plan anything for the first evening.

BEST TIME TO VISIT
April to June is summer, and the lake is at its busiest. July to September is the monsoon - the lake is full, the lawns are deep green, and the afternoon showers come between three and four. October is post-monsoon: clear skies, cool nights. December and January are winter, with bonfires after dinner. February is when we put the garden in.