The cottage

A home away from home on the North Antrim Coast

Cozy at the Causeway was originally a one-storey cottage built at the beginning of the 20^th century. Over time residents have added to the building, until we have the house you see today.

Our little countryside hideaway is the perfect spot to enjoy the Northern Irish wildlife. The birds and butterflies especially love our garden, with robins, blackbirds, wrens, coal tits and thrushes all nesting in the local trees and hedgerows.

At the bottom of the front garden you’ll find our firepit area hidden away. You can laze away the afternoon, or get the fire going and enjoy a little moon bathing.

From the back garden patio during the day you can also watch the buzzards soar overhead and if you’re lucky spot one of the local Irish hares that like to munch on the long grass. Our closest neighbours are the cows that sometimes frequent the fields that border our property. They do like to chew the fence on occasion, but they are very friendly.

So to the house itself. On the ground floor you’ll find our sun porch, a large living room with a woodburner, a country-style kitchen, a shower room, utility room and chill-out space.

The sun porch is not just a place to dump your boots and coats after a long walk in the open air, it’s also the perfect spot to sit and read a book, as the late afternoon sun bathes you in its light.

The living room has front and back aspects, so you can enjoy the view at any time of the day. We know you’re not here to watch the telly, so our TV just has Freeview. But there is a DVD player, and feel free to bring your own Amazon or Chromecast stick should you want to.

There’s also a stocked bookcase, a comprehensive DVD collection (hidden inside the blue footstool in the porch), and some boardgames to help you pass the evenings in front of the fire.

We leave firelighters, kindling and coffee logs enough for two fires. After that, you can easily pick up a bag of wood in the village or at the petrol station on the Ballybogey Road.

The kitchen is well stocked, with a dishwasher, microwave, tea, coffee, pasta, rice and breakfast oats all provided, so please help yourself to what you find in the cupboards. All the cleaning products – should you want to use them – are under the sink. You can also in the food bin here. The main bin (with a blue lid) and recycling bin (with a green lid) are in the cupboard opposite the dishwasher.

We can supply a high chair and children’s plates, cups and cutlery for the little ones. There is also a travel cot and baby bath available on request.

And should you be bringing a four-legged friend, we’ll supply a dog bed, treats and bowls. We know you’ll probably bring your own, but they are there in case you need them.

In the utility, you’ll find our washing machine, dryer, boiler and a supply of beach towels. We provide enough washing liquid to get you started. The cottage is old and works on a low-pressure water system. We’ll have the hot water set to constant during your stay and the tank reheats in around 15 minutes.

We love our downstairs shower and find the shower room super useful when we arrive back from the beach, especially when our feet are sandy. To turn it on, just press the button. The light will flash as it reaches the set temperature. If you want to change the water over to the overhead drencher, just press down the lower half of the button again and don’t lift your finger until it changes.

Our chill-out room is set up to give visitors a bit of quiet space. On the other side of the house from the living room, there’s a day bed to lounge on and read a book and there’s also a live-edge desk. So if you do need to do a bit of work, you can.

Upstairs you’ll find the three main bedrooms and the bathroom. Both of the doubles look out across the garden at the front of the property.

Each bedroom has a mirror, wardrobe for storage, hand and bath towels provided, and a linen bag on the back of the door.

We have one twin room, which is perfect for friends sharing or for children wanting their own space. It has a view of the back fields, with the little church at Billy in the distance.

Our upstairs bathroom also looks out over the back fields. After a long day walking, we recommend lighting the candles in the bathroom and relaxing in a warm bath. We supply bath salts to help with any aches and pains.