Hostel with options

IT’S a gentle irony that the second wave of hippies to West Cork should choose the Coole Mountain area in which to live.

This remote valley behind Dunmanway has been a sort of counter-culture capital, but there has been a dwindling in the number of ‘crusties’ in recent years.

A quiet and ultra low density area, it doesn’t have the high prices associated with the coast and it is probably why it became so popular in the first place.

In the Coole Mountain area Shiplake Hostel has been trading for a number of years and is a well known spot, but now its German owners are about to sell up.

The subtly alternative hostel is now on the market with Caroline Maslin of Sherry FitzGerald for offers in the region of €400,000.

A delightful property, the sale includes three houses and three distinctive, gypsy caravans.

Run as a hostel, (bunk beds figure prominently), this could continue as a nice little earner, or it could revert to a full-time, or retirement home.

Generally, the property is in good condition, says Ms Maslin, but it would need work to convert one, or all of the cottages to a family home.

They are in good condition, she says, and structurally sound with new roofs and windows.

The two acre site is laid out in pleasure gardens and raised beds, and includes fruit trees and a herb and vegetable garden.

Considering the package involved, it’s good value for the guide price and does a good trade as a hostel.

Shiplake Hostel could offer a nice, downsizing option for jaded urbanites.

However, it could also suit someone looking to run a business from home.