The Cottages, Co. Meath
Seabank, Laytown/Bettystown, Co. Meath
It was a very excited little gang that pulled up to the tall wooden gates
just outside the village of Bettystown a short drive from the centre of Dublin.
The automated gates opened to
reveal the postcard perfect scene and our eyes were immediately drawn through the
pretty thatched arch to the sandy beach and lapping waves just a stones throw
away. As the gates closed behind
us busy Dublin and the outside world felt a million miles away!
We received such a warm and friendly
welcome from Liz who chatted with the boys and talked about the history of the
cottages as she showed us to our home for the next few days. Once inside she
made us a very welcome pot of tea which we enjoyed with the jam and homemade
scones she had laid out for us in the kitchen.
The location is stunning! ‘The
cottages’ are a collection of 300 year old thatched
fisherman’s cottages tastefully
converted into self-catering accommodation set in a beautiful garden complete
with picnic tables, swings and thatched play houses packed with children’s toys,
books, and beach essentials.
The Child
Friendly Cottages
The six whitewashed cottages are of
various sizes, sleeping between 2 and 6 people. Along with the home of Roger
and Liz the complex of cottages is gated with a gate leading out onto the road
at the top and a gate at the bottom leading onto the lovely long sandy beach. Both
gates are opened with a code and make for a secure
and safe location to let the kids run about and explore which in turn makes for
a very relaxed mum and dad!
We were in the largest of the cottages Thatcher’s Rest which
is in an absolutely stunning position on the edge of the little complex nearest
to the sea. Thatcher’s rest really makes the most of its position with a window
wrapping around the whole of the curved gable end, you could lose days sitting
on the comfy window seat taking in the panoramic view of the sea just a few
meters away. Inside it is beautifully decorated in a traditional cottage style
giving a cosy warm feel. The kitchen, living room and dining area are large and
open plan with a traditional fire place and two very comfy sofas. Despite the
traditional interior Thatcher’s Rest has all the mod cons of a luxury holiday
destination from wi-fi connection to large flat screen telly to under floor
heating and everything you could ever need in the kitchen. There is also a
laundry room complete with washing machine and tumble dryer which was a godsend
with a nine week old baby.
There are three
large bedrooms two of which are en-suite with a bath and a very good shower. Our
boys (four and three) shared the twin room and were delighted with the fact
that they had their own bathroom and French doors onto the garden. We were in
the master bedroom with en-suite bathroom, walk-in wardrobe (joy!) and a vast
queen sized bed.
Things for Families to Do and
Visit in the Area
After allowing us to settle in Liz
returned and talked us through many of the local child friendly attractions and
nice places to eat in the area. There were certainly plenty of
nearby attractions to choose from…however it was on with the wetsuits and down to the beach with
body boards at eight o'clock on the first morning of our holiday and the
children (and us) had a ball splashing in the waves and building sand castles.
It turned out that we began and ended each day of our holiday on the beautiful
beach playing, collecting shells and finding crabs.
We did manage to tear
ourselves away from the beach and cottage eventually and spent a fun packed morning at Newgrange farm which is a
family run open farm situated right next door to the Neolithic necropolis Bru
Na Boinne, or as farmer David called it ‘the
tooth fairy’s castle’ much to the wonderment of all the children. The boys had the opportunity to hold a tiny
chick, feed a pet lamb, ride around on little tractors and much, much more.
Liz had directed us to a few places
with good adventure playgrounds. We particularly enjoyed the one in the grounds
of Malahide Castle. Amazingly it is free to go into the grounds and playground. The boys’ eyes lit up when they saw the fantastic
climbing frames and spent ages playing and climbing and generally having a
whale of a time. As
we drove back up the coast we stopped in the village of Skerries which was very
pretty and full of nice little shops and cafes - the perfect spot for an ice-cream.
On our last full day we went to the
newly opened ‘Tayto Park’ which is a potato themed park with lots of different
animals to see including a herd of Buffalo, brilliant climbing frames and much
more. We particularly enjoyed having an ice cream in the tree house tea shop
where the boys could play high up in the branches of an oak tree while we
sipped tea and enjoyed the view.
The area is great, beautiful, historic and full of pretty seaside
villages, sandy beaches and places to visit to keep the whole family entertained. Spending
time in beautiful Thatcher’s rest with its jaw dropping view and watching the
boys run around the gardens and playing in the waves is something we will never
forget.
Thank you to The Pritchard family who kindly reviewed The Cottages on behalf of Away with the Kids.