Autumn breaks: West Waterford is just the ticket for a dreamy escape

Plus, it's definitely time to plan your Halloween activities — and maybe even your Christmas and spring 2022 breaks

Vipp at the dog-friendly Salterbridge Lodge

We’re really falling for those fall activities these days, huh? It seems if we haven’t ordered pumpkin in our spiced latte, we’re off picking them in family-friendly patches, getting lost in corn mazes, baking apple pies or heading out on a leaf-peeping road-trip. Ireland may not quite match up to New England when it comes to the profusion of fall foliage (a lack of maples and an abundance of soggy rain are key factors at play here) but there are pockets of the country which make for particularly awesome autumn escapes. The Blackwater Valley in Co. Waterford is one of my favourite regions of the country as the leaves turn, so this week, I headed to the unheralded rustic refuge of Cappoquin for a weekend of seasonal tree hugging.

West Waterford has some dreamy options to stay in autumn. Dromana House, located outside Villierstown is one of my favourite self-catering options for larger groups in Ireland (see dromanahouse.ie) but for more intimate Country Living vibes, I checked into Salterbridge Gatelodge — a glorious regency property located at the entrance to the estate of the same name. The lodge, under the care of the Irish Landmark Trust, has been sensitively restored to its heyday, — you could imagine period drama behind each of its sash windows. An octagonal entrance hall welcomes me inside, with doorways leading to an inviting period bedroom, a cosy sitting room featuring wood-burning stove and a writing bureau, while a charming rustic kitchen is stocked with every aesthetic and practical necessity from gorgeous willow pattern crockery to a lemon zester. All in all, it’s the perfect spot to rustle up some freshly procured pheasant (or a few staples from SuperValu in Cappoquin).