" Superb – we have thoroughly enjoyed our stay "
" Delightful cottage and many thanks for warm welcome – 24 owls visible … "
" I'd like to stay longer – there are many books I (would) still like to read "
" It was a pleasure to stay here. Loved Owl Cottage. It's not easy to go "
" Our stay was absolutely perfect "
" Had a lovely time in a lovely cosy house "
" An idyllic, country retreat with beautiful views and plenty of wildlife and peace "
" Lovely and well-equipped cottage "
" Thank you – I really chilled! "
" What an excellently kept cottage "
" The cottage was beautiful "
" A delightful holiday spent in this enchanting cottage "
" What a wonderful place to unwind and relax "
" Your premises are far better than any other self-catering establishments we stayed in during our stay in Ireland "
In a 'Weekender' piece in The Irish Garden (May 2003, Vol. 12, no. 4), Mary Davies contrasted Owl Cottage with her own Wicklow cottage.
" Waking up here in the mountains on a sunny morning, with the fresh air stirring the curtains by my open window, is one of the great delights of country weekends. This traditional old house, true to type, had a door and windows only on the front wall until the extension that houses the kitchen and bathroom was added. The three windows are small and set deeply into the thick walls and the rooms, though cosy, are rather dark; the inclination, which suits me well, is to spend most daylight hours out-of-doors.
Although I have given thought to adding more windows, perhaps on the gable ends, my neighbours have always discouraged me. The thick walls are made of large stones and rubble, not a simple matter to break through. And the character of the house, both inside and out, would be changed. So I am confined to a view of the front yard and the border by the road, backed by the trees of the old oak wood. It is a pretty view, but not an extensive one.
Up on the east coast of County Antrim though, I stayed in a house very different from my own. Once a single-storey building with four small rooms, this cottage had long since been enlarged and transformed into a truly comfortable retreat. A steep, narrow staircase led up to two snug bedrooms, one on either side, under a roof of wooden shingles. In one room the casement window looked across the pretty garden and the road, a close-up view not so different from the one here in the mountains. But there the resemblance ended, for beyond the road and fields lay a wide expanse of sea.
From this window at night the darkness was absolute. But the second bedroom had a different view; stooping at its low, dormer window, it was possible to look southwards towards Belfast Lough and even further to a faint line of twinkling lights on a distant shore. And there were lighthouses – almost invisible by day, by night each made its presence felt as its beams swept the sky. Downstairs the rooms had windows on three sides and the morning light streamed in through curtains sprigged with flowers. The open door and birdsong invited a peaceful breakfast in the sunshine. It was hard to leave.
Seen from the returning train, the hedgerows were white with blackthorn blossom, so thick that it looked like snow. And the oak wood had changed in my absence, for a green haze of new leaves was brightening the bare branches. When the new foliage is fully unfurled the winter's damage will become truly noticeable; I shall benefit from the extra morning sun on the windows, even while I regret the loss of the great oak across the road. "
Copyright Mary Davies
