Pretty cottage renovation on scenic Ring of Kerry

THE trains might have run their course down to Glenbeigh in Co Kerry, but Railway Cottage, on the Ring of Kerry, has made its way back to rude health, and now back onto the property market, too.

With its distinctive (ie, love it or loathe it) ‘rough’ plaster exterior, it has been deliberately redone to feature an old-world look, but with modern comforts. A holiday home, and, betimes, a holiday rental, it is new to market with agents, Coyne and Culloty, in Killarney, who seek offers around €235,000.

Two miles from the glorious miles of beach at Rossbeigh, it dates to the region’s railway era, the late 1800s, and this particular, upgraded cottage backs into a wooded, rising hill at Glenbeigh Woods, with the rocky River Beha nearby.

The area is ripe for walks, hikes, canoeing, river fishing, surfing, swimming, sea angling, and golf — hence (perhaps), the golf-ball, dimple-like look of this cottage’s exterior.

The scenic branch line through Glenbeigh, between Farranfore and Valentia, closed in 1961, though a few buildings survive (the station’s original signal box is a one-bed rental holiday home, for example).

Tanya Coyne says this four-bed house has been fairly recently “tastefully renovated, with a keen sympathy for retaining the old-world charm and authenticity of the original cottage.”

Decorative levels inside are good, with a newly-fitted kitchen with Rangemaster stove and a Belfast sink. There’s also an open fire here, in stone surround, with hefty timber mantle (an old rail sleeper?) and the fireplace’s similar look features in the large lounge, with a solid fuel stove set on a high plinth here.

Three of the four bedrooms are doubles, there are bathrooms on each of the two levels, and some feature Velux windows open up the scenic views.

It has got all mod cons, such as central heating, an alarm, internet access and cable TV.