Writing for life

A few weeks ago we spent a wonderful weekend at what has to be one of the most enchanting houses in the whole of West Cork, perhaps the entire country. Nestled on its own little island between a fork in the Glengarriff River, this thatched former hunting lodge of the Earl of Bantry is like something straight out of a childhood fantasy.

Set in three acres of beautifully tended gardens, surrounded by mature trees that blend seamlessly with nearby native woodland, the fairytale house sits gently in this idyllic rural landscape. As we drove over the little wooden bridge onto the island I had to pinch myself to make sure what I was seeing was real. This was Glengarriff Lodge… and it was absolutely breathtaking.

I entered a competition on the internet in February, then promptly forgot about it – until I answered the phone in late March to learn I’d won the prize of a weekend in Glengarriff Lodge in April. Fantastic!

Weekends away for us, when they happen at all, tend to involve the tent, predictably soggy Irish weather and making the best of bare-bones facilities. It generally means roughing it. It’s all good family fun: getting close to nature… but sometimes a bit too close for comfort. Glengarriff Lodge, on the other hand, was a real treat; this was getting close to nature, but with modern luxury and convenience on tap. It was wonderful.

The girls were in their element, playing hide and seek in the huge gardens, throwing stones in the river, racing sticks under any of the three bridges that connected the island to the mainland, and generally making the most of the space and freedom. We spent happy hours strolling along the river bank, and exploring the wonderful forest walks nearby. I tried teaching the twins to skim stones across a pool at the foot of the garden, and even found time to do a spot of fly fishing.

But enough about the great outdoors… here we had a great indoors too. The house, which was lovingly restored by the Callender family in 2006, is beautifully finished. It has four bedrooms, three of them en-suite, and will sleep eight adults comfortably. The kitchen is modern and well equipped, and the house is warm, comfortable and perfectly proportioned. Everything you could want, and more, is there.

For all the luxury, high spec finishes, fantastic gardens, idyllic scenery and picturesque beauty, by Sunday afternoon the girls were starting to miss home. “It’s lovely,” said one of the twins in a considered tone, “but we have to take our shoes off when we come in the house, and none of our toys are here.”

While the girls we’re yearning for their toys, and the familiarity of home, we were wishing the weekend could last longer. When you’re away from home, you forget the myriad household chores and other jobs that constantly vie for your attention. You can truly switch off and unwind, and switching off is something that Glengarriff Lodge makes incredibly easy.

Curled up on the sofa in front of a roaring log fire, glass of red wine in one hand, a good book in the other, and all of the children fast asleep, I couldn’t help thinking that this was perhaps the most perfect synergy between a building and its environment that I’d ever encountered. At Glengarriff Lodge the whole really is more than the sum of its parts.