Corcreggan Mill Hostel

Dear Brendan and Angelique,

We just completed our 2 week journey through Ireland. We stayed at the Mill for 1 night (28 September).

We stayed at a different location each night and the accommodation varied from B&B to expensive hotels. We never booked ahead and we never planned where to sleep. We simply drove to a (preferably small) town that looked interesting and beautiful and knocked on the door for a bed for the night.

Needless to say we didn’t have any extraordinary expectations of either the town Dunfanaghy or the Corcreggan Mill Hostel. We saw it in our travel guide, but drove through the town a few times without seeing it. We then explored the Horn Head while trying to find the Hostel. We were amazed by the beautiful scenery that just goes on for kilometres, around each bend something new to take your breath away. I think it was around then that I was determined to spend the night in the town. We eventually found the Mill...

The house immediately impressed me with its gorgeous wooden floors. The more we saw as Angelique showed us the room options, the more I liked it. It felt very homely especially after staying in a different room for more than a week. The bright colours in the room brightened up the day and the prospect of a fireplace and kitchen facilities (although these are normal things) was so welcome after only having a bed in a small space for a while. We bought some groceries and I made supper which we enjoyed next to the fireplace with a bottle of wine. Very relaxing!

We also had a great night out in one of the local pubs while we made friends with some of the local musicians. One of the only pubs where locals actually spoke to us, made us feel part of the crowed and just treated us like locals too!!!

I must say that the 1 night at the Mill was our favourite night in the whole of Ireland. It was a combination of a few great things: the house, the rolling landscapes with lake and ocean view, the pub etc. But most of all I think it was the ability to feel at home far from home – and for that I want to thank you for the great effort you put into the place – we surely think it is a great place to stay.

I visited your website tonight and was surprised to read about the sailing options. It’s a pity that we didn’t know about this earlier – I would have really enjoyed a day trip. I was introduced to sailing while studying in the Netherlands, we went sailing on the lakes a few times. I will not call myself a competent sailor, but definitely passionate about it and planning to take it on more seriously as a hobby. We have a large dam close by (the Vaaldam) and I hope to buy a small sailing boat one day to pursue this dream.

Thanks again
Erika (and Charl) from South Africa