Cavan fever: Holiday in a woodland cabin in the lakeland county
'You could be anywhere!'
In Ireland, those four words often seem to be our reflex reaction to any scenario when the country presents itself in such stone-splitting summer splendour, that you could be possibly anywhere at all in the world — but home. “Sure ‘tis like the South of France, Mary!” would be such an example, uttered no doubt several times this week over Sauvignon Blanc in Kinsale. And I can be a little guilty of it too.
This week, as I arrived at Cabü, the latest woodland resort to hit Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, I may have been truly transported to Sweden, Vermont or even Nova Scotia. But it would actually transpire that I was about to enjoy one of my most impressive ever staycations in the unassuming yet stunning County Cavan.
Given our dearth of native woodland in Ireland (we’ve almost the lowest coverage in Europe), cabin culture has never quite been part of our national staycation psyche. But following in the much-fanfared footsteps of Center Parcs in Longford, which just announced ambitious expansion plans this week, fellow English outfit Cabü spotted a tourism niche in the Cavan market and opened their design-led woodland estate in the heart of the county’s lakelands last summer.
Though their striking aesthetic may look straight from the Swedish forest, Cabü’s collection of 28 log cabins and lake houses were actually fashioned from existing lodges, fortuitously created by the OPW as showhouses to highlight the might of Irish lumber. After serving as a short-lived holiday village in the noughties, a luxury revamp and some clever cosmetic touches later, has yielded a jaw-droppingly gorgeous cabin resort.
Checking in with a couple of travel writer friends and my madra, Vipp, I was staying in one of Cabü’s three bedroom boathouses, which featured a spacious deck spilling out upon the tree-shrouded Lough Oughter. Interiors were straight from the 'Cabin Porn' coffee table book which sat nonchalantly upon the living-room ottoman; the well-stocked kitchen was Pinterest board perfection, that designer living room was sink-in cozy (though perhaps a squeeze at full six person occupancy) while the bedrooms were luxury hotel quality comfy — even the downstairs bunk room which Vipp and I bagged for handy outdoor accessibility.
We kept looking for glitches like contestants on Four in a Bed but this was a world-class, functional set-up wooing with a wow-factor that didn't get old.
In terms of vibe, Cabü was largely occupied by a friendly crop of families, many dog-owning, during our visit, with a few couples also joining the rustic romanticism of it all. The estate seemed to swallow up the residents well and it was a largely serene, unpretentious setting, and much lower on the celebrity Insta-shoot atmosphere I’d seen quite a bit online during its launch.
Sure, serenity may have been bucked by a Northern Irish group offering a late-night S Club 7 singalong (perhaps not what you or the surrounding fauna want to hear around midnight) but the site felt blissfully relaxing on the whole.
That unplugged vibe is no doubt curated by Cabü’s pleasing (but clever) car-free strategy, in that you unload your gear and then park up 200m from your cabin, so you could be easily inclined to stay — and spend — on site, were there not so much to discover beyond it.
When it comes to facilities, Cabü has a boutique general store selling everything from local steaks to chic cabin furnishings while most social life here centres around the park’s sitooterie — a lantern-lit open-air gazebo with pelt-softened furnishings, private fires to toast s’mores and games such as giant Connect Four or ping pong for friendly competition.
Staff here are excellent; you can order drinks from them via the store bar and there’s also a gorgeous smattering of tree canopied hot-tubs and saunas, where you can be delivered a glass of bubbles in the bubbles. The resort’s restaurant remains closed so for the most part, you’re in prime BBQ country.
Cabü, however, is of course only as good as its backdrop. The estate sits right on the shores of meandering Lough Oughter, one of Cavan’s 365 lakes and an all-round freshwater fantasyland. Along with kayaking with Vipp and plunging off the jetty for morning dips, our highlight was availing of Cabü’s private boat hire and setting off for elusive Cloughoughter Castle.
The 13th-century keep tower sits upon a tiny island sequestered a few kilometres down the lake and landing upon it was an absolute trip. Not least as it was all our maiden voyage on a motor boat — but after our second failed landing and some rope assistance from a Polish family out kayaking, we were finally on terra firma.
Criticisms of Cabü were few and largely cosmetic: one of the upstairs bedrooms has a blindless skylight, meaning whoever is hunkering down there is going to be flooded with natural light from about 4am. Perhaps more tangible is that while the décor of Cabü is seriously impressive, there is a cookie-cutter curated feel to the finish.
I feel some added localised touches, like perhaps some Cavan lakelands art prints or even some retro Coillte kitsch, would compliment the grounding sense of the experience. After all, Cabü is a woodland wonderland and one of the best accommodations I’ve enjoyed in Ireland. But while staying here you could be anywhere, sometimes, you just really want to feel like you’re in Cavan.
Cabü offers one-, two- and three-bedroom cabins with the best current rates sitting at €268 per night for a two-bedroom cabin (sleeps four, minimum stays apply).
Guests receive a complimentary 30-minute dip in the hot tub and sauna, boat hire at Cabü is €80 for three hours (seats four) while kayaking and paddle boarding costs €20 (€10 for children).
Cabü is booking up fast for summer but don’t overlook it as an autumn or winter escape either; it has some serious all-season appeal.
Cavan has a wealth of attractions to experience both right next to Cabü and beyond it. Killykeen Forest Park offers labyrinthine forest trails while the adjoining Killeshandra Greenway is a great add-on for cyclists and walkers.
Elsewhere, and straddling the border with neighbouring Fermanagh, is the massively popular Cuilcagh Mountain 'Stairway to Heaven' walk, while the Cavan Burren is an unspoiled natural haven — just this week, Fáilte Ireland announced a new multi-million observation deck for the Shannon Pot, the source of the mighty river, so get there now before the masses!
If you’d like a night away from the BBQ, book a spot in gastro-pubs like the Derragarra Inn the Oak Room restaurant in Cavan Town, or for a gourmet getaway, Neven Maguire’s MacNean Restaurant in Blacklion.
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