IMAGE On Tour: Where to stay in Connemara

From quaint fishing lodges to high-end five-star hotels, Connemara has it all. As one of Ireland’s most popular spots on the tourist map, the area is not short of great places to stay. But standards have gone up another notch again with recent additions to the area’s most exciting eco-luxury retreat.

Fernwood Farm, just outside Clifden, is home to Anne and Simon Ashe and their two children. “We started work building our own home here in 2013,” begins Anne, “back then it was just a five-acre site, but we could see the enormous potential that the location offered for guest accommodation.”

When the opportunity came up to buy 145 acres of adjacent land they jumped at it. As Simon was formerly the estate manager at Ballynahinch Castle for 16 years, he was ideally placed to take on a project this size. 

Simple luxury oasis

Located in the middle of a rare enclave of native woodland, next to a salt lake, Fernwood Farm offers a remote retreat just 3km from Clifden.

“Having travelled a good bit ourselves, we wanted to create an oasis of simple luxury, with eco-conscious, design-led spaces for solo travellers or couples to come and immerse themselves fully in this spectacular setting of bog, native woodland and salt lake shoreline.” 

And that is precisely what they’ve achieved. The couple launched The Studio on the estate in 2019 to test the concept and were soon encouraged by sell-out bookings to expand.

Working closely with architect Aidan Conway, founder of Marmar Architects, Anne and Simon next introduced The Dome, and then, most recently, The Stilt House, pictured here. Each space offers a different, but equally beguiling, design and aesthetic experience for the visitor, with flawless attention to design detail at every turn. 

Forest bathing

While a jaw-dropping Nordic-inspired sauna, complete with a giant round window overlooking the lake, a cold water plunge pool (fed by a nearby stream), a rope bridge and 2km of woodland walking trails add to the offering. 

“We’re very inspired by the simple, quality-driven design aesthetic of our Nordic neighbours,” says Anne. “I see Ireland as being aligned with these countries – with our ‘temperamental’ climate and long winter nights, the focus on our home environment is crucial as we spend a lot of time indoors.

“Although the weather can be relentless here,” continues Anne, a Connemara native, born and bred, “the mesmerising beauty of Connemara keeps me enthralled.

“Here, at Fernwood, it’s the native woodland that never ceases to amaze me. I feel very blessed to be able to observe, daily, the patterns of the forest: oak masts, native flower proliferation, and badger set expansion to name but a few…”

“The same pair of swans have been living in the lake since the day we moved in, every year they have between three and five baby cygnets. Currently, the male swan will only let me swim out to a certain point in the lake, then he gently guides me back to shore with some squawks so I won’t get near their nest. I could never imagine living anywhere else.”

To learn more or book a stay today, visit www.fernwood.eco.

5 more great places to stay, from local expert Cliodhna Prendergast

1. The Quay House in Clifden is beautifully theatrical in style, serving a superb breakfast.

2. Lough Inagh Lodge is a perfect spot for walkers, fishermen and Connemara lovers with a spectacular view overlooking Lough Inagh.

3. Foyles Hotel Clifden has good old-fashioned West of Ireland hospitality in Clifden town.

4. Sunnybank House is an upmarket spacious house for a large group to rent in its entirety with its own heated outdoor pool. 

5. The Angler’s Return in Toombeola is a charming guest house at the bottom of the Owenmore River with a very sweet garden.

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Photography by Cliodhna Prendergast.