Blackstairs Courtyard Cottage, South Co Carlow

Self-contained stone cottage attached to our 200 year-old farm-house. Double-height living room with excellent piano, wood-burning stove, small sunny kitchen, upstairs gallery with double bed and full bathroom off it, south-facing French windows to terrace and gardens. Gay-friendly, and a very peaceful, beautiful place, between the Blackstairs Mountains and the River Barrow. Two nights minimum stay. Not suitable for children or pets. We follow Airbnb’s five-step enhanced cleaning process. The space Blackstairs Courtyard is located in a quiet and beautiful part of the Barrow valley beside the Blackstairs Mountains. Imaginatively planted, the courtyard is surrounded by orchard, gardens and meadow, with views of the Blackstairs Mountains and Brandon Hill. It’s an enchanting and very peaceful place, and we welcome guests for self-catering holiday breaks (two nights minimum stay); we provide breakfast for your first morning. There is an excellent piano in the cottage, which you are welcome to play, and an iPod speaker with a mini-jack connection for phones and mp3 players. There are games, books and a DVD player. There is WiFi, although the signal is rather weak, as so often in rural Ireland. Guest access The cottage is self-contained; it's attached to our house, but has its own entrance. We will be at home by arrangement to greet you and help you settle in. Other things to note We are in beautiful countryside between the River Barrow and the Blackstairs Mountains, 6km from the nearest village, so a car is essential. For your first breakfast, we provide eggs (from our own hens, when laying), granola, fruit, organic yoghourt and milk, home-made bread, butter and jam, and tea and coffee, for you to prepare as and when you want. Your kitchen, though small, is fully equipped for self-catering. You can eat outside on your own part of the terrace with a view of the mountains, or borrow a deckchair to laze in the orchard or the Stone Garden, a small walled garden for your private use, with a barbecue and fire-pit. Please feel free to enjoy the hectare of gardens, orchard and meadow. We have a cat in the main house but no animal is ever allowed in your cottage.