A location for a perfect retreat from the noise of a busy life to rest, explore, study in peace.
The room: A large 16 sq m / 172 sq ft lockable room with comfortable king-sized bed, sofa, en-suite AND additional private bathroom.
Share the kitchen, lounge and garden with me. Space includes a study/work area and a balcony overlooking Lough Mask to the east, for sunrises and natural all-day light. Ample parking.
Yet still within reach of towns, national parks and the Wild Atlantic Way.
The space
Offered on a self-catering basis.
The house faces directly east, so you can enjoy sublime sunrises overlooking Lough Mask as the house is located on the sides of the Partry mountains, at the end of a small cul-de-sac on a very private road only 3 mins drive to Tourmakeady village centre for basic supplies. Even when not sunny, the weather still provides many a beautiful scene.
It is incredibly peaceful and tranquil here. A location for a perfect retreat from the noise of a busy life to rest, write, create, explore, study in peace.
99% of the time all you will hear is myself pottering around the house (and I'm quite a quiet person* who lives alone) and the sounds of birdsong. No traffic passes by.
As is said - "You come to Mayo for the weather, not the sun", but when it is sunny (in summer this is far more frequent that legend may tell you), the house is not overlooked by anything or anyone - good natural light from sunrise to dusk and no-one looking into the windows.
You can enjoy a wide vista of Lough Mask from the large lounge window, and the same plus the mountains to the south from the small upper floor balcony. I have seen a variety of wildlife just outside my windows including hare, pheasant and the occasional deer along with a range of birds, native lizards and frogs.
Wifi is via unlimited 4G which is good enough for streaming services, video calling - I work from home with it. Your own 4G provider will probably work inside and definitely outside. You might even get 5G if lucky.
There is ample parking space for any size of vehicles - bring US sized RV if you want! There is limited storage for bikes but 2 may be possible. Kayaks and boats not under cover, but plenty of outdoor space and it is very safe here.
The local area is popular with road cyclists ("shut up legs" signs dotted around summits!), kayakers and fishing (the local lake is good for trout) if any of these are your thing.
*I'm naturally a quiet person in his 50s now, and do enjoy good conversation on occasion but naturally it's not required. Sharing of stories and experiences can be good. Plus, I am a professional coach by trade and tend to work from home, and have goals towards semi-self-sufficiency. I am quite well travelled, having lived in South Korea (6 months), Toronto (8 months), SW China (12 months), and was born, bred and lived in various parts of England most of my life. I love learning.
Guest access
The guest room:
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Spacious, airy, lockable ground floor room (>16 sq m / 172 sq ft) with private en-suite bathroom with shower-over electric heated shower so hot water is always on tap. Recently decorated, soft wooden floor, it houses a memory foam topped, King Size bed which has barely been used but has been described as very comfortable by friends. There's a "small" Tetrad sofa, plus a tallboy for storage. The large wardrobe you see in the photos is actually an antique linen press stuffed full of blankets and assorted bedding.
The room enjoys sun from sunrise to well into the afternoon with its 3 sides with windows. I might be able to fit a small desk in there if required but you will have access to the majority of the house, including an upper floor room with glass topped desk & Herman Miller office chair and a small balcony.
The rest of the house (shared):
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Included in the price is access to all the house bar my own bedroom and office.
We will share the remaining spaces, with shared fridge (I can accommodate vegetarian dietary needs). Although listed as a self-catering stay, you can use the available spices, teas and coffee (either ground, or beans with a small electric grinder to enjoy a good strong brew on demand), plus some basics like milk and butter.
I may on occasion make home-made "brown" Irish soda bread and shortbread, pancakes etc to share.
Other features:
• Massage chair
• Small, varied library of books - ranging from gardening to classic literature and art, to self-development, to fantasy fiction such as Tolkien, CS Lewis etc
• A handful of jigsaw puzzles
• Real, open fire for wood burning only
• Lake view from small balcony
• Supply of spices, coffee beans inc grinder
• Potentially home-made brown soda bread, shortbread, pancakes
• Huge "garden" space (it's a bit wild)
• Freestanding hammock use
• 2.5 bathrooms to use
You can use the real wood burning open fireplace, and firm massage chair if wanted.
During your stay
As I tend to work from home, I will be available most of the time anyway, but even when out for my own shopping and walks in the local area I am as most of us are these days attached to my phone. There may infrequent occasions where I don't get signal, but usually this isn't a problem.
Other things to note
Please do be mindful that this is my home, and it is by no means a minimalist home, or a 5* star hotel. I keep it clean, but it is lived in and may be a little less pristine than a self-catering style tiny home / cabin.
I am not a fan of smart devices, so there are few if any privacy concerns - no cameras monitoring indoors or outdoors, no wildlife cameras, no voice assistant devices at all (eg Alexa, G Nest, Apple etc) and although there is a "smart" TV, there is no built-in camera and I usually actively turn off any features which may automatically send privacy data offsite.
Please also be aware that as I am occasionally decorating and making improvements when guests are NOT staying here, there are a couple of "quirks" to living in a semi-rustic, rural area:
• Water is supplied from a private deep bored well and as such is discoloured due to high Iron and Manganese content. I do need to install whole-house filters at some point as although the water is fine for all my daily needs, it is but the discolouration is noticeable in in baths - barely noticeable otherwise (showers, hand washing, dish washing etc). I have lived here well enough for the past couple of years. Bathing is safe but a bit different to what you may be used to. It is NOT safe to drink. I have been getting refills of freely available natural spring water from a local spring which is used by a small number of locals from miles around - I will ensure there's enough supply of crystal clear, natural spring water available for everyone. It's probably healthier than usual tap water, but you are welcome to buy your own bottled water if you prefer
• Septic tank - I use "eco", septic tank friendly detergents. Please do not use too many chemicals as it kills the effectiveness of the waste water facilities. I can supply a range of detergents and naturally there is plenty of toilet paper. Please don't flush anything else (eg cotton buds)
- If you are a returning guest, good news is I fixed the guest ensuite plumbing issues so everything flows well now :)
