Find your better nature in the Garden of Ireland
Carpathia Kilmolin, Enniskerry, Co Wicklow ASKING PRICE: €645,000 AGENT: Sherry Fitzgerald (01) 2866630 Spectacular scenery is what makes this Co Wicklow four-bed so special, writes Katy McGuinness
THE Sunday pilgrimage to Wicklow is part of growing up in Dublin, with the pre-roast climb of the Sugarloaf — at 501m it’s an ascent that can be managed by most, although it is not buggy-friendly — an outing that’s as popular now as it was back in the day when the mountain featured in the opening credits of Glenroe.
Its proximity to the capital makes Co Wicklow the preferred destination for suburban dwellers who want to get out into the countryside for a weekend blast of fresh air, but the geography can work the other way around. Imagine living in Wicklow — where you get a lot more house and land for your money than you do a few miles down the N11 in Dublin — and being surrounded by all that nature when you get up in the morning and come home in the evening, not to mention all weekend.
Carpathia, which lies within commuting distance of the city, and of the South County Dublin employment hubs in Cherrywood, Leopardstown and Sandyford, is a bright family home with four bedrooms located just three minutes’ drive from the picturesque village of Enniskerry.
From the side of the house there are spectacular 360-degree panoramic views that take in the surrounding farmland and everything from the Dublin Mountains to the Scalp and Dublin Bay, including the Little Sugarloaf, Rocky Valley, the Sugarloaf proper and Bray Head. It may be a cliché, but it’s hard to believe that somewhere like this exists so close to the capital.
Carpathia was, of the course, the first boat that came to the rescue of the Titanic when it sank after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912, named after the mountain range that spans Central and Eastern Europe.
Arthur Rostron was captain of the Cunard Line transatlantic passenger steamship built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson, which arrived two hours after the rival White Star Line’s ship had sunk. Carpathia rescued 705 survivors from the Titanic’s lifeboats; in recognition of his efforts, Rostron was knighted by King George V and awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by US President William Howard Taft. Sadly, Carpathia itself was sunk by a German U-boat off the Irish coast in 1918.
In total, Carpathia has almost 1200 sq. ft. of living space. As well as its four bedrooms (three doubles and one single, the master ensuite), Carpathia has a kitchen/dining room and living room, but it is the conservatory at the back of the house that the vendor says is the hub of the house, summer and winter. Hidden from the road, and opening out onto a wide terrace, the conservatory has been the venue for parties and family gatherings for as many as 200 guests during the years that she has lived here. “Sometimes,” she says, with the pride of the seasoned hostess, “there have been people here until dawn.”
Outside, a terraced garden of a third-acre makes the most of the spectacular views — it’s with good reason that Wicklow is known as the Garden of Ireland — and there is room to install a tennis court on the lower tier.
If tennis does not appeal, there is plenty of other sporting activity in the area — with golf at Powerscourt, and riding schools, pony clubs and hunts for those more interested in equestrian pursuits.
When it comes to getting out into nature, Carpathia is located within easy reach of Djouce Woods and the Wicklow Way walking route, while the Glen of the Downs Nature Reserve is an ornithologist’s paradise. The fine oak woods are home to over 20 species of birds including jays, tree-creepers, wrens, wood warblers, blackbirds and robins. The Glenroe Pet Farm is perennially popular with younger children, as are the gardens and waterfall at Powerscourt.
A handy bus stop right outside the gate of Carpathia makes independent travel for older children and teenagers practical — the 185 feeder service links to Enniskerry, Bray and the DART, while the 44 from Enniskerry goes through Dundrum and on to DCU. St Gerard’s is the nearest secondary school, and it also has a junior department.
Enniskerry village has schools, shops, cafes and pubs, and just down the road is the Avoca mothership at Kilmacanogue, where the food hall is now so well-stocked — there is a fishmonger, butcher and wine shop, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables and all manner of upmarket convenience food — that some well-heeled locals treat it as a supermarket.
The café and Fernhouse restaurant add to the eating options in the area, as do the Firehouse Bakery and Pigeonhouse restaurant in Delgany, co-located with the excellent Delgany Grocer.
Bray, meanwhile, is home to some great family restaurants including Box Burger and Platform Pizza, and the thriving Mermaid Arts Centre.