Log cabin in the frame

YOU won’t stumble across a more peaceful spot to live than this River Bride-side retreat.

The rest of the world is a short drive away from this Lismore hide-away, but once you drop down the last section of winding boreen, you are pretty much on your own in this west Waterford piece of heaven. Well, almost.

This is a spot found back in the 1990s by writer Maureen Fox and her husband, musician and organist Jan van Putten. They bought an old thatched cottage and land here at Bridane, living the good and hard-graft life, but back in 1999 decided to make life ‘simpler’ - they went for less land right next door to the thatched farm cottage, and opted for a brand new log cabin imported from Finland.

Invariably, though, they ended up cultivating their latest surroundings, so that it now is on two acres of wildflower meadow, pond and highly productive, hummingly happy organic vegetable and flower patch.

Restless, energetic and inventive souls, they are off again - this time to live in France, and the log cabin called Mir (the Russian for peace) is up for sale. Handing the inquiries are Donal O’Driscoll of Remax in Cork city, with Padraig Farrell of Remax Results in Dublin west (see www.remaxresults.com), who give a €395,000-plus price guide for this bucolic slice of heaven.

They rightly point up the absolute privacy and tranquillity, the south facing aspect over the Bride river four miles from Lismore, and the spread of options here for any new owner.

Buyers may come from retirees, those trading down, those looking for a second/weekend/holiday home, or from overseas. And, the fact the log cabin is tucked to one side of the two-acres means that a site might possibly be hived off by less energetic souls, without impinging too much on the privacy aspect, they suggest.

The cabin itself, fashioned from slow-growing hardy Arctic timbers, is snug as a bug and warm as toast thanks to a highly productive solid fuel stove in the living room.

Accommodation ‘embraces’ an open living room, a kitchen-dining area, utility, hall, large landing which could easily convert to further bedroom space, and two main bedrooms, one with en suite and a door to a handsome balcony with lazy, southerly river vista.

In all, there’s a surprisingly 1,400 sq ft of space calculated, but in reality Mir takes in a whole lot more - the gardens, pond, pergola, sheds, greenhouses all open up a whole lot more space. And, it is all within a very short drive to Lismore and the Blackwater, while Cork and Waterford cities are around 40 miles or less than an hour’s drive each, with airports and ports at each, and access to the sea and beaches at Youghal, Ardmore, Ring, Dungarvan and Bunmahon.