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"Avish"is the Irish name for our townland and it translates as "rocky hill" or "rough mountain pasture". As anyone who tries running or cycling up the lane will know, the Avish Hill is one of the highest in the area ... and the views all around are a real feast for the eyes.
The cottage is just a ten-minute drive from Derry, but well away from the main roads. It's very peaceful and secluded, and set in its own grounds with private farmyard, woodland and garden. Guests are welcome to wander about and explore. You can sit out on the terrace in the summer and admire the views of the Sperrins and the Donegal hills, pick some fruit, say hello to Buster the pony or (weather permitting!) have a barbecue in the south-facing patio garden next to the kitchen, which we've planted with herbs, cottage flowers, climbing roses and honeysuckle. In springtime, there's a backdrop of daffodils, primroses, wood anenomes and bluebells and later on, fushsia tumbles over the dry stone walls and the lanes are lined with eglantine roses, honeysuckle and brambles. We've planted gooseberry and blackcurrent bushes, rhubarb and strawberries for your use and enjoyment. There's a spiral herb garden and a raised vegetable garden planted out in the summer with lettuce and courgettes for those who like to cook. The farm buildings around the courtyard have also been restored. The old barn hosts a washing line and log store and in the summer of 2017, we converted one of the sheds into a games room for children for that odd rainy day... There is also plenty of open parking space in the yard.
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