House of the Week: The views from Baltimore's Four Winds will blow you away
Four Winds, Baltimore, Co Cork
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Baltimore, West Cork |
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€985,000 |
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Size |
204 sq m (2196 sq ft) |
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Bedrooms |
6 |
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Bathrooms |
2 |
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BER |
D2 |
LONG before the Wild Atlantic Way became the money-spinning behemoth that we now know it as, the pretty fishing village of Baltimore knew how to pull a crowd.
No Fáilte Ireland advertising was necessary because of the power of word of mouth. The word was that Baltimore had it all: incredible vistas, a spectacular coastline, and, as one British writer controversially put it “one of the best and safest sailing grounds for small boats in the British Isles”.
This last attribute proved particularly attractive to the owners of Four Winds, who bought their detached Baltimore holiday home 41 years ago.
“We were looking for a holiday home and we drove down to Baltimore and there’s just something about the road into the village. As we drove in, I thought ‘oh this is the place’,” the owner says.
They viewed just two properties and chose Four Winds because of its breathtaking views, down over sparkling Baltimore Harbour and across towards the myriad islands and rocky islets of Carbery’s Hundred Isles.
“When you are in the sun lounge, it’s the view that you are looking at, it’s gorgeous,” the owner says.
Her seven children learned to navigate that harbour from a young age, through Baltimore’s popular summer sailing courses, for which demand has never waned.
“We were a big family and we spent our summers in Baltimore and all of the kids learned to sail,” the owner says.
The Von Trapp-size family wasn’t easy to accommodate so the owners knocked “a badly built extension” at Four Winds and hired Bowen Construction to build the replacement.
First impressions of the house are misleading. From the front, it looks like a standard bungalow with a large front porch, but it drops down to the rear, to a lower level, which houses three bedrooms and a bathroom.
At entry level, accommodation is spread over a wide area and includes three more bedrooms (including main with en suite) a bathroom, a sitting room, a galley kitchen, a living/dining room and, the pièce de résistance, an outdoor sun deck, “which frequently seats 15 people to eat”, the owner says.
The panorama from the deck is magnificent, extending to Mount Gabriel in the distance. The same view is available to whoever gets the main bedroom, which has sliding door access to the deck. The largest room, and the best indoor spot to enjoy the views, is the large living/dining room, which also has access to the 43 sq m sun deck.
While the views sold Four Winds to its current owners, they also loved its proximity to the village.
“It’s just a three or four minute walk, so you never had to worry about the kids walking home at night,” the owner says.
Her extended family spends a lot of time in Baltimore now and two sons have their own holiday homes locally.
Maeve McCarthy of Charles McCarthy Auctioneers, who is selling Four Winds, expects interest from Cork, Dublin and overseas - someone who wants their kids to have the same Baltimore experiences that they had.
The guide price for the 204 sq m homey with attached 15 sq m garage and parking out front is €985,000.
Ms McCarthy points out that the garage will come in handy for families looking to store kayaks and other sailing equipment. She adds that it’s a “multigenerational home”, suitable all year ‘round or as a bolthole.
Baltimore, a hub of hospitality with great pubs and restaurants, including two-Michelin-star Dede at the Custom House, is about an 80 minute drive from Cork Airport.
Expect to pay top dollar for the view, the location, and a generous amount of accommodation.
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