Weekend at Tillicoultry. Lindula Sri Lanka

At an altitude of  1280m, the Tillicoultry bungalow is located at a very picturesque setting. That, together with the chill in the air and the company is already making this weekend quite welcoming.

The Tillicoultry bungalow is located in Lindula, in the Nuwara Eliya district.  This colonial-styled estate bungalow has five large rooms, with a large garden that overlooks the Horana Plantation tea fields.

There is enough space for the 13 of us to have a good time!

From Tillicoultry, with just over an hour of driving, we visit the Grand Hotel in Nuwara Eliya. Dressed up to the nines, this National Heritage Property looks fabulous.

In 1819, Sir Edward Barnes, adjutant to the Duke of Wellington at Waterloo arrived, at the shores of this tropical island, as the fifth Governor of Ceylon. During an Elephant game hunting party led by Dr John Davy, news of this “City of Light’s” 36F climate reached Sir Edward Barnes. His intrigue led him to visit the province, and his enchantment with the beauty of it led him to commission the roadway to reach Nuwara Eliya, making it more accessible to residents of the island. Gradually converting this charming misty mountain village, to a model British village.

It was a mere two years later, in 1828 that he fell deeply in love with the beauty, culture and serenity of this island nation and began building his holiday home – Barnes Hall. This holiday home has now become the regal mansion known as The Grand Hotel, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka.

After a good lunch, we explore this once beautiful town. However, I am not impressed by the ugly facades of some of the newer hotels that have completely spoiled the quaintness of this town, and prefer to sit down and feast on some fresh strawberries and ice cream, a must when visiting this town.

Closer to Tillicoultry is the Dell Mountain range which was on the bucket list. We drive up through winding roads and past tea fields to get as close as we can and walk up a short distance to the Dell Tower (1860m) hoping to get a good view of the Adam’s Peak.

Alas, our views are totally obstructed by clouds and all we could do was imagine what might have been!

Estate bungalows have a special kind of old-world charm. Built by British planters, many of these abodes have maintained their colonial-styles and are now run by the owning plantation companies. Tillicoultry is one of them.

For more information:

Tillicoultry Bungalow
Tillicoultry Estate
Lindula.
Tel: 0702128765, 0702128678