Sitting at the bay window in Shelduck in Winter, with it's mesmerizing vista, you can easily imagine you're on the prow of an ocean-going boat, surrounded by the rolling waves. Add cosy chairs, candles flickering, glowing stove and snug blankets, and you've got the most amazing hideaway.
Our brief retreat to Shelduck started down the private path from the cottage to the beach for our party, ranging in age from 80 to 40, for a windy walk on the strand, laughing and squealing as the wind caught us and sent woolly hats tumbling up the dunes, followed by a seafood lunch in the hotel's "Dunes".
Shelduck is just above a house we used to spend summer holidays in as children, so we knew the area well, checking out old haunts in Clonakilty and finding new favourite shops and enterprises in the town, particularly the Friday morning market for lunch.
Had the weather been kinder, we could have used the surfboard provided by Sam (to pose for pics!), And we will return when the temperatures rise, as it is the most ideal location for the waves. We did sit out at the secret garden, well rugged up, to get a little winter sun, imagining how brilliant it would be in summertime.
Rather than going out for a birthday dinner, we battened down the hatches & had a fab 3-course takeaway meal from Kirby's restaurant in Clonakilty while the gales and waves provided background noise as we relaxed.
You will arrive to this beach house in it's spellbinding spot to find generous gifts of wine, chocolate & many treats in the fully stocked kitchen. After checking out the view numerous times from the windows and congratulating yourself yet again on getting this amazing booking, you make the most of your time in inchydoney & it's surrounds, before falling asleep at night to the roaring of waves & wind in cosy beds with soft linen.
Sam and family are simply superlative hosts, and you would be very fortunate to stay in Shelduck Cottage. If you do, you won't want to leave!