Where the Mournes Sweep to the Sea

It’s the beginning of May, beautiful spring weather and as I start to write a little about our accommodation, at the moment we find ourselves in the midst of extraordinary times. Covid19 has drastically changed our way of life, whether you are a front-line NHS worker in your PPE, an extra busy essential worker, working from home, or home-schooling , or whether you are ‘just’ #stayhomestaysafe, it has impacted all our lives.

But in many of the positive thoughts shared, there is a common thread….we have found a renewed love and appreciation for the little things in life: the sound of the birdsong, the green spaces we have, the fresh air, and having the time and quietness to take it all in.

Indeed as I type this, the new number 1 song is playing – “Its’ times like this we learn to love again” – and that is so very true of where we live. We have re-learned to appreciate and be very thankful for our home in this wonderful, scenic location with walks directly up the hills from our doorstep, the sea just below us, and we are looking forward to sharing it with you once again.

‘Where the Mournes sweep to the sea’ is situated in exactly that location. The mountain side stretches up behind us, the Irish sea and views to the Isle of Man lay out in front.

And with #stayathome, we have fully appreciated how lucky we are to live in such a location. We have revisited the lovely walks, gentle or challenging from our doorstep. Through our land you have access on to the Quarry Track. Recently we hiked up to Carr’s Face quarry following the old rail track.

And to the top of Slievenagarragh, that’s our house!

We have enjoyed the Coastal path, accessible via the stile and grass laneway 100metres south of our laneway.

Bryan and I have always loved to travel, to see new places, new adventures and importantly meet and chat to new people.

It was after a 4 month-long trip to Namibia, volunteering with the youth organisation Raleigh International, that the seed was planted for the next adventure. We had the opportunity to build a new house on this site….and after 18 months of caravan living on-site with 3 teenage children, a dog and a cat, we moved in in 2007.

Fast-forward 8 years, the children had left home and we were ready for the new and fun adventure of hosting guests! And we found we loved it….. loved meeting people, loved the chat and craic, loved sharing our special part of the world, loved giving tips of where to see, where to hike…..and most important …loved providing space where guests to could feel at ease and home.

Now, since our first guests in 2015, we have had over 630 couples or families stay with us. You can read their reviews on our Airbnb listings… (we are delighted with our 5* and super-host status! )

We have 2 double ensuite rooms in the house, spacious and very private. The double downstairs has views out to the sea, and the room upstairs has velux windows out to the sea and views out to Slieve Donard.

What has proved very popular for guests from home and abroad is our self-catering Loft space. It can be very tricky to find suitable self-catering accommodation for a couple, without having to rent a bigger cottage. Our Loft has its own entrance, has a kitchen area, sofa, double bed, and a bathroom with shower.

You can find more photos and details on our feature page on Trek NI and links to our Airbnb listings.

We have a love of nature, we love spending time walking, and working outdoors. I love my garden and making jam from our own rhubarb and apples which you might get to try on your stay with us. We look forward to meeting you!

Find out more about Where the Mournes Sweep to the Sea here.

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