Kausani
Perched high on a forest-covered ridge, this tiny, sleepy village has lovely panoramic views of distant snow-capped peaks, mountain-fresh air and a relaxed atmosphere. Mahatma Gandhi found Kausani an inspirational place to write his Bhagavad Gita treatise Anasakti Yoga in 1929, and there is still an ashram devoted to him here. Baijnath village, 19 km north, has an intriguing complex of 12th-century sikhara-style temples in a lovely location shaded by trees, with other shrines in the nearby old village.