In mature gardens and 50 acres of pasture on the edge of the village, Louise and John Mathers’s creeper-clad Georgian mansion is an elegant home from home.

A short stroll from the world’s oldest distillery, there are peat fires, cosy nooks, a ‘secret’ library and well-considered bedrooms at this amiable 17th-century coaching inn on the Causeway Coastal Route.

B&B guests find a fascinating collection of books and memorabilia behind the bright red door of Eugene and Gerardine Kielt’s elegant villa, a literary haven for Seamus Heaney fans.