enchanting irish cottages in the beautiful county meath
Our Irish adventure began at ‘The cottages’, six stunning 300 year old, award winning Irish Cottages, situated between Bettystown and Laytown in County Meath. In the perfect location, just a 25 minute drive from Dublin Airport and set in private grounds with the most fantastic views over the Irish Sea. All of the cottages have beautiful thatched roofs (yes – just like the movies) decorated with a traditional Irish, cosy feel and fantastically equipped, surrounded by perfectly kept, organic flower gardens.
The Grounds
On arrival we were greeted by the lovely Liz; ready to take all of our luggage for us, a proper Irish welcome; complete with homemade scones with jam and butter. We stayed in little Orchard cottage, it had such a warm feeling, the wood burner, soft cosy bedding and my favourite part; the large bay window seat where I would sit and enjoy my morning coffee, taking in the sea view. The grounds are kept immaculately, perfectly trimmed and preened, an abundance of wonderful florals and decorative features. There is a sweet, winding path surrounded by apple trees which leads to a children’s play area, some quaint little steps leading up to a bench on the hill top where you can get a fantastic view of the beach. At the bottom of the garden is a private gate leading right on to the beach – could it be any more perfect?
Dublin
Walking along the beach to Bettystown, just a 5 minute stroll you will find a gorgeous cafe called Relish which serves some fantastic food. In Bettystown you will also find lots of shops including a Tesco to pick up all of your essentials. Staying so close to the City, we took a day trip in to Dublin to explore the charming capital. Dublin did not disappoint, the beautiful, urban cobbled streets, an abundance of traditional Irish pubs offering live music and a cold pint of Guinness (Thomas’s favourite.) We dined at a wonderful little restaurant called The Woollen Mills, overlooking the stunning Ha‘Penny bridge – fantastic food and service with a great view of the City. We loved exploring and discovering all of the fabulous independent shops, the historic architecture and soaking in that old Irish spirit. One thing that we can confirm is that the people of Ireland are brilliant and friendly, perhaps because they have grown up in a culture that is so laid back and relaxed. We all felt very happy when we were on the emerald Isle, the live music and gallons of Guinness may have also contributed!
Skerries
The lovely Liz at The Cottages had recommended we visit Skerries, a picturesque seaside village just North of Dublin. We booked ourselves in to The Blue Bar, a casual, lively restaurant overlooking the harbour. We can recommend The Blue Bar for a lovely meal, especially if you like seafood, the monkfish in particular was delicious! In Skerries you can hire paddle board and kayaks, you can even do a sunset kayak which looked like a gorgeous activity with the kids, had we have known we would have come prepared – one for next time! Back at the cottages we sat in our lovely patio area playing cards and reminiscing on old family tales, we had Olivia’s mum with us which really added to the character of our trip and some family time at The Cottages was so wonderful.
Malahide
The next day we visited Malahide, another recommendation by Liz, it was extremely helpful to have her help in planning our trip. Malahide castle is absolutely spectacular, set on the most incredible grounds. You can visit Malahide castle grounds for free but you do have to pay if you’d like to do the castle tour or fairy walk. The fairy walk was brilliant and we also found an amazing butterfly house – full to the brim of beautiful butterflies, little Harry even managed to hold a big blue one which was a gorgeous moment. The grounds also host a brilliant shop selling all sorts of fine foods and delicacies. We got ourselves a picnic along with a few goodies to go. Sitting in front of the castle with some homemade sausages rolls and flapjacks made a superb afternoon. We spent another homely evening at the cottages, the children played on the treehouse and little bikes provided, we felt extremely safe with the private gated grounds. We had purchased some pizzas bases and sauces from Malahide so cooked them up and dined al fresco, another beautiful and perfect evening at The Cottages.
Our last morning at The Cottages, I made myself a fresh coffee, sat in my favourite spot in the large bay window and just sat quietly taking in the view. It is difficult to describe just how special of a place this is, so calming and enchanting, like a true fairytale. If you are visiting Ireland, this place is a MUST – for a wonderful, cosy and very special Irish experience.
