Looking out on the Lough

HEAVY breathing phone calls have been par for the course for estate agent Christy Ryan these past few weeks – they’ve been mobile calls, made to him, by walkers doing the promenade around Cork’s Lough.

“You can hear the wind whistling in the background when the calls are made, and you know they’ve just stopped by my sign and are making the call immediately,” says the selling agent of Lucerne. It is a bit of a rare bird in its own right, right on the city’s hugely popular waterfowl sanctuary, and busy walking spot. Footfall here would challenge Patrick Street for activity level.

Not that Mr Ryan is complaining, mind, not all of those many, many phonecalls are idly made, as he’s had more than 30 people already through this market offering.

Forget Switzerland’s Lake Lucerne, that’s only a drop in the canton for a true Corkman or woman – for them, the Lough’s the only place to be.

This Lucerne is at Lough Villas, on Cork city’s southside, a cul-e sac of about 10 detached and semi-detached houses on a low rising hill leading up to the Lough church, with a further terrace of homes just further in along.

Lough Villas could be called a hidden oasis, only it isn’t really hidden, many of the walkers doing the c. one-mile circuit of the Lough gaze up longingly at these grand stand pads, separated from the walk by a high stone wall, and 100’ length of individual private gardens. It is sort of like those great Sunday’s Well houses down to the River Lee – only affordable. These are primely set, princely set homes, and they don’t often come up for sale.

Christy Ryan seeks offers around €360,000 for the 1,600 sq ft four-bed home of quiet quality, albeit dated. He has Lucerne under early offer, at €330,000, and says lots of people are bringing builders back to see what might need attention or how they might best upgrade it.

“€100,000 would do an awful lot for the place,” says Mr Ryan, and indeed it would. Even though paths seem to be dipping a bit away from the outside walls, the house’s structure appears straight and true to the naked eye, and the back of the house is a bit of a mish-mash right now, with good garage and enclosed car port linked to the rear by a lean-to and small yard. It is great space, though, and just needs a bit of focus.

But, in a way Lucerne has all of its ornaments up on the mantlepiece: this place is about the south-facing front, the day-long sun, the near and distant vistas, the bird life, the tranquillity – and the location.

It is a short walk to UCC, to the Bons and even the CUH and city centre are within a 20 minute hoof.

There’s reserved parking for each house in a row across the access lane, which opens through a fairly narrow entrance to the Lough Road.

Lucerne has a great open, airy and bright feel and its best rooms are all to the front for the views: first job will be to open the front pair of reception rooms to a new terrace, kick back and enjoy your domain.