Cottage is a hidden treasure overlooking the harbour

Rose Martin says Glenmore’s snug seaside setting makes it a perfect buy

GLENMORE Strand is at the end of the garden and the sea can be viewed from every window of Glenmore Cottage.

The seaside hamlet is a little huddle of houses, looking over the wide reaches of Cork Harbour.

It’s a hidden valley on the fringes of Cuskinny marsh, 10 minutes from Cobh and 20 minutes from Cork city.

At dusk, Aghada and East Ferry twinkle in the distance and the stillness and shelter of the woodlands makes this a magical place.

Yes, it’s winter - and no time to sell a house - but this cottage would look good at any time of year. In fact, the bareness of winter and the chill outside sets off the cosiness and warmth of the interior.

With its snug setting at the end of a wooded valley and the picture-perfect location looking out to sea, this is the kind of house that charms and sings of home.

Bought eight years ago as a three-room single-storey cottage, (there are a lot in this old estate country), the house has been transformed by its owners.

It started off as a little love nest, but now that two have become three the family is moving back to its west Waterford roots. Hence the sale of the property through Liz Hannon of English Auctioneers, Cobh.

And what the buyer gets is a substantially enlarged house with two reception rooms, a great kitchen, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

But the list hardly does justice to the layout. Following the contours of the site, the couple’s architect designed an extension that not only blends seamlessly with the original, but - hard to believe - gives three storeys in the new extension.

The effect is an interior that drops and rises and it not only creates interest, it underlines the cottagey nature of the property.

The main entrance is at the centre of the two wings and leads onto an open hallway and directly onto the kitchen.

Fitted in a mellow cherry design by David Kiely Kitchens, this is literally the hub of the home, with rooms fanning east and west and a staircase rising to the upper floors.

Along the hallway and up a step is the deep red dining room and lounge, a generous room of 22’ by 13’ with a cast iron and painted white fireplace at one end and a dining table at the other, overlooking the sea.

This is a perfect Christmas room with its warm tone and high old ceilings, and could take a huge tree.

Running towards the back of the house is a large bathroom (once a bedroom) and behind it the house’s third bedroom, a good double room.

The end of this wing is full-stopped by a fitted utility overlooking the rear garden.

Back again to the kitchen, which has a granite island at its centre, and steps lead down to the second, reception room.

This soft, coffee and cream room is a delight: generously proportioned at 17’ by 15’, its corner windows frame the sea views and soft white couches create an elegant and restful feel.

The bespoke double doors lead onto a lower terrace and to the gardens, which are bounded by a little stream, face south and west. All very lyrical.

Up the country cream stairs is the master suite, again with those signature corner windows, set with stand-alone furniture. The en suite is a step above average because it includes a roll top bath, separate shower cubicle and a marble vanity unit and at the risk of repetition, it too has sea views.

Up another turn of the stairs is the final bedroom, another double room with quirky touches and windows facing the strand.

Glenmore Cottage stands on a level site of a third of an acre and the access drive dips from the road onto a good parking area. Closer to the house, the shelter of the two wings provides an upper terrace, with steps to the lower patio and gardens.

Well-planted and mature, this is a perfect buy and Liz Hannon is looking for offers in the region of €585,000 for the seaside love nest.