Above average hobby farm bound to press all the right buttons

THIS is the real thing, a farmhouse with 25 acres and a milk quota, which, by the nature of its location and price, probably won’t be picked up by locals, but by second-home buyers.

Robin Hill, Old Court, is a mile from Lough Ine, Europe’s largest inland saltwater lake, and four miles from the pretty village of Baltimore in west Cork.

The main house is a typical farmhouse and has been extended at the rear to provide enough space for five bedrooms and a number of living rooms and the sale includes a range of farm buildings.

Set back from a minor country road, the property is at the end of a long driveway and has a good shelter belt of trees; it also has rolling, countryside views. However, at €950,000 it may be a bit stiff for the general market, but the price does include the value of land and quota. Take those values - roughly €400,000 - and you have a property that’s just a bit above the average.

And while selling off the land might defray the cost somewhat, there is a cohort of buyers who will be more than interested in a hobby farm purchase.

The selling agent for this property is Skibbereen auctioneer Charles McCarthy, who describes it as very private, with land surrounding the main dwelling and sloping gently southwards.

The farm is laid out in paddocks and the residence comes with mature beds and herbaceous borders.

Close to good beaches and on the Ilen river, this property is only four miles from the market town of Skibbereen and has lots of amenities on its doorstep, including two sailing schools, award-winning restaurants and a thriving artistic community.