The Studio

Rooms are generous, and predominantly white, enhancing the sense of light and openness.
The heart of the cottage is given over to a spacious and inclusive open-plan living area comprising Kitchen, Dining and sitting room, with a bedroom mezzanine above, and the rest at full height.

Designer touches—like Bellini leather dining chairs, contemporary white sofas, and a pellet-burning stove—add to the understated elegance. The stove ignites via remote control – handy!
There are stunning views through full height windows facing South and West with two sets of French doors opening onto a generous split level patio.
Views are of the ubiquitous sandy beaches and rugged mountains that define County Donegal.
Sympathetic use of materials from rustic stonework to glazed partition, and warm wooden floors.
Doors across the home are glazed, using frosted glass where appropriate, and electric black-out blinds, supplant curtains.

There is ample storage throughout, mostly white, and including a useful central open-shelving unit with quirky skeletal library ladder.

Utilities fit neatly into the garage space, adjoining the entrance lobby, which doubles as a table tennis room.

Sleeps up to 4 Adults & 2 children over the age of 10.

Left of the entrance lobby, an extension accommodates the expansive master bedroom, which enjoys incredible sunset views across the patio, and on occasion, reflections of the northern lights.
This section features underfloor heating in the entrance hall, bedroom, and adjoining luxury ensuite shower room.

Two spacious upstairs bedrooms are located either side of the open timber staircase, on a mezzanine-like balcony that spans the main cottage.
They share a family bathroom with shower, located at a return in the stairway.

A graveled driveway leads steeply up from the main road as it heads West across the peninsula.
The cottage is surrounded by acres of reclaimed moorland, indigenous wild flowers, and grassland – an ornithologists treat – skylarks, stone and whinchats, willow warblers, wagtails etc – the Merlin app is a delight to use here.
Less frequently seen are mountain hares, a fox and badgers. It is also the habitat for Irish lizards who enjoy the natural stone paving on the terrace and the stone walls of the building.
If you bring binoculars you can watch for salmon and sea trout jumping in the Lough below the house and also numerous sea birds.
Birds of prey, mostly Kites, are now more frequently seen circling from Slievetooey over the Lough.

Although not visible from the cottage, you will need to cross a narrow fenced road that services the many cottages on the peninsula and cross a stretch of boggy pasture to reach the seashore. It’s not suitable for swimming at this point, but it’s great for collecting mussels at low tide. A healthy walk across the head brings you to Trabane, the nearest swimming beach.

The spectacular views across tidal sands are of the conservation areas Slievetooey, Loughros Beg and Maghera beach and caves. Assaranca waterfall is immediately opposite.

Kitchen Appliances

• Electric oven
• 4-ring ceramic hob
• Tall Fridge-freezer
• Dishwasher
• Toaster
• Coffee machine
• Coffee grinder

Utility Appliances

• Washing machine
• Spin dryer
• Second Freezer
• Iron

Bedrooms

• Sizes – One double bed, one Super King-size 1.5m
• 2 single beds
• Hairdryer

Tech & Entertainment

• Wi-Fi Internet
• Flat-screen TVs
• Netflix, Apple TV, UK Freesat
• B&O Bluetooth speaker

Other

• Efficient photo-voltaic solar panels
• Underfloor heating in Master bedroom & ensuite
• Dyson electric fans
• All weather Table-tennis table in Garage
• Automatic pellet burning stove
• Fat Boy Hammock – return to garage at night – wind prone!

• Links golf in Donegal
• A cliff top hike at Sliabh Liag
• Dinner at Harvey’s Point
• Freshest fish dining experience at The Boathouse
• An Atlantic boat trip below the cliffs
• More golf in Donegal
• Enjoy some Guiness and oysters at the Olde Castle
• Learn to surf at Rossnowlagh

• Climb some sea stacks tour
• Fish for a Salmon tour
• Pop in to the Castle
• Gallop along Ballyganny Strand
• Seafood specials down at the Harbour
• Enjoy a round of Pitch&Putt in Ardara
• Go on a sea kayaking tour
• Tour a Whiskey Distillery

Festivals and Events in County Donegal

Ardara 5 km down the road, is the nearest village for shopping, charming pubs, cafes and restaurants, with an active traditional music scene in the local pubs – the Corner House, the Beehive and Nancy’s. The town is best known for its tweed and knitting production, but also renown for an unending chain of festivals.

Link for Local taxis and transport

The nearest large town is Donegal town which has a regular coach service 3/4 times a day to Dublin, Dublin airport, Derry, Sligo and Galway.
The large supermarkets, Aldi, Lidl and Supavalue are located here and Dunnes in Letterkenny deliver regularly.
Donegal is of course well known for its locally produced Donegal tweed and wool merchandise.
There is a castle which is well worth a visit and a famine graveyard.
Regular sea boat trips leave the harbour every day.

A 30 minute walk to Loughros point at the end of the peninsula brings the joy of a dramatic ocean sunset or thrill of giant crashing waves.
There are many, many beaches around the ragged Donegal coast, so you are never far from sand whether walking , cycling or driving. From the house you can walk, cycle or drive to the Trajan beach at the end of the Point. If you hike to the very end of the Point, you will see the stones from WW2 spelling out EIRE which were markers for the American Air Force flying into their base on Lough Erne. There are of course magnificent views of the cliffs of Slievetooey, the small islands off Rossbeg and numerous small tourist boats and fishing boats passing by.

It’s an easy cycle ride northwards to Portnoo (13km) which not only has a huge, magnificent, unspoilt beach, but backs onto a wild and picturesque Atlantic golf links, with a very good bar and restaurant open to the public.

While you’re over that way, the Kilclooney dolmen is one of the finest examples of a portal tomb to be found in Europe. Over 4,000 years old, it’s well worth the short boggy trek from the road

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To the South, don’t miss a trip through the beautiful Glengesh Pass on the way to the Slieve League sea cliffs. At 600 metres high, they are nearly three times higher than the more famous Cliffs of Moher. A narrow twisting precipitous road will take you to the best viewing point at Bunglass.

Killybegs, 20km from the house, is a sheltered fishing port on Donegal Bay. It is home to Irelands largest off-shore trawler fleet, also not surprisingly, some of the best fresh fish food to be found.

For anglers seeking scenery and unspoilt fly fishing, then look no further the Owenea River which enters Loughrosmore Bay at Ardara – one of the best salmon rivers in the county.

Ardara is on the edge of the second largest Irish speaking district in Ireland. Some 30,000 Irish speakers live in the Donegal Gaeltacht, or roughly 24.5% of the total Gaeltacht population.

Galway holds the limelight when it comes to oysters – but up here in Donegal we think we do better.. let us know what you think

Assaranca Waterfall   Courtesy Caroline Gallagher