Castlecove comes calling

Trish Dromey finds a house on the Ring of Kerry within minutes of the beach and Caherdaniel

This south Kerry property has the setting and scenery to attract a buyer seeking a holiday home, and the style and space to appeal to a family in search of a home.

Selling agents DNG Timothy O’Sullivan say that holiday home buyers aren’t as rare as you might expect in the current climate and that this four bed house at Skehanagh, Castlecove has everything they usually look for.

The main selling point is the location on the Ring of Kerry, within a few minutes walk from White Strand which is a safe sandy beach. It’s near four other beaches, is 10 miles from Sneem, just two from Caherdaniel and has stunning views of the McGillycuddy Reeks. It also overlooks Staigue Fort Valley, Coad Mountain and Eagles Hill, says auctioneer Tadhg O’Sullivan.

Built as a family home five or six years ago, the property has 195 sq metres of modern, well-kept accommodation. The fact that both the owners are artists and photographers comes through in the design and décor which is stylish, bright and modern.

The main living areas are open plan, Scandinavian-style with larch flooring, white walls and white painted ceiling beams. The large sitting room has a log burning stove and bay window at the front with valley and mountain views. The kitchen with pale grey units, a Waterford dual fuel cooker and stone flooring with under floor heating, has equally scenic views.

Other accommodation at this level includes a dining room and three bedrooms, including one which is currently used as an office and one with a good sized en suite. Next to the kitchen is the utility room which has an unexpected feature, an entrance to a cellar. This was designed for storage and extends to the full size of the property. On the first floor there’s an additional 60 sq metres of space with three Velux windows. This has an extra large carpeted bedroom, a bathroom and some more storage space.

Features in the house include a pressurised water system and oil fired central heating. The property’s B3 energy rating is something which will be of interest to both holiday homebuyers and home-hunting families.

The house sits close to the centre of a three quarter of an acre site. Set against a backdrop of green hills, the exterior is grey, with splashes of pillarbox red on the windowsills and doors. A stone flag patio has been strategically situated at the side of the house to offer views of the rugged Kerry landscape. The gardens are filled with shrubs, plants, some containers and hanging baskets and also have a stone pond.

Mr O’Sullivan says this house has lots to offer families but will also tick all the right boxes for a holidaymaker. “This part of Kerry is always popular with holiday home buyers. In recent times we have had viewers from Russia, Australia, England and Dubai as well as from Ireland and we have sold more than half a dozen properties as holiday bases in the last six months.”

The colourful photographs of the property, the garden and the local beaches can be seen on houseforesaleireland.ie a website set up by the owners.

VERDICT: Marvellous setting, stylish property.