beara peninsula is a hikers heaven and the bothby is situated perfectly to enjoy the best of it: on the healy pass which is magnificent and easily walkable and all the circular trails that leave from pedals and boots a quaint post office about 3 kms from the bothby (very good coffee). the bothby itself is smack in the middle of walks though not marked as trails surrounded by majestic mountains, forests, rivers and lakes. truly magical! the accommodations are very comfortable a really large space (the pictures of the place does not do it justice) well equipped with all our our needs super clean with alot of thought invested in those small details that make a difference both aesthetically and practically. we felt very pampered. a fantastic library of books and good music delicious jams homemade by siobahn not to speak of the homemade bread cookies scones and eggs. eating from the plates and bowls and drinking from the cups that john makes by himself enhanced the feeling of home. the oven was very efficient in keeping us warm in the early morning when it was rainy and windy until the sun came out (as it most surprisingly did every day towards noon) and late nite (sunset about 10) a cosy fire before going to sleep in the large and comfy bed! have i forgotten the excellent super modern covered bar-b-que that allowed us to feast on the premisses (although there are some really good places to eat in the vicinity) .......the super shower (you just dont want to get out of the streaming hot water so soothing after a long days walk!) BUT the best part is john and siobahn themselves: so generous and warm. sensitive to all our needs. fun to talk to about anything and everything, full of passion for life and goodness (even johns cynical connemara humor is full of love). they shared all their bounty with us and we left with recipees and pottery (john gave raul a lesson in pottery -great teacher) and much more.with gentle sensitivity they somehow always knew to be there and yet to allow us the privacy and seclusion when we needed it. we are already planning to come back. dear siobahn and john thank you thank you thank you for an incredible experience!
a big hug
bella and raul