An idyllic and restful stay is guaranteed at one of these spots …
Whenever I walk around Hillsborough Forest Park, Co Down and see its “Lake of Shining Waters” (Anne of Green Gables fans will understand) my shoulders drop and relax. Maybe it’s my inner Pisces, or maybe it’s the Blue Mind Theory. The term, coined by marine biologist Dr Wallace Nichols, suggests that being in or near water positively affects our minds and bodies. Many people now actively seek Blue Mind experiences when they travel.
Lost Cottage in Glenbeigh, Co Kerry is a self-catering hideaway, ideal for watching the dramatic cloudscapes over Caragh Lake. Remote and pet-friendly, it comes with lots of little luxuries – welcome hamper, well-stocked larder and cookbooks.
One friend is just back from L’Abbaye de Talloires, a former Benedictine monastery overlooking Lake Annecy in the French Alps. Paul Cézanne painted Le Lac Bleu while staying there, one of many creatives inspired by its light. Less ritzy than hotels on Lake Como, L’Abbaye is unfussy, old world chic at its best, and every room has a view.
“Total bliss” is how another friend described a birthday weekend at Cameron House, on the banks of Loch Lomond, Scotland. Guests can stay in the restored 17thcentury baronial manor (with interiors by Glaswegian designers Timorous Beasties), or in the contemporary Lomond Wing. Gliding over the loch in a seaplane, playing the championship golf course, or enjoying the views from its rooftop infinity pool, are some activities on offer.
I can already hear the lapping lake water beckoning me to the Victorian Currarevagh House on the shores of Lough Corrib in Connemara. Peace comes dropping slow there …
SEE MORE: Lovely Lakeside Retreats In Ireland
