Enniscoe House

Find ‘an otherworldly air of genteel shabbiness’ and ‘a somewhat Enid Blyton approach to things’ at this ‘countryside hideaway’, gazing down ‘a sweep of fields’ to the lakeshore. Said to be the last great house of North Mayo, the faded-pink Georgian mansion is owned by ‘accommodating’ hostess Susan Kellett and her ‘chatty, affable’ son, DJ. ‘They’re genuinely kind people,’ say Guide inspectors in 2016, who were plied with ‘an excellent tea, with home-made blackcurrant jam, by an earthy fire’. ‘Curio upon curio catches the eye in the enormous sitting rooms’; bedrooms are up a grand elliptical staircase. ‘Our high-ceilinged Major’s Room had wonderfully comfortable beds; lots of seating space; splendid views through huge windows. It was chilly our first night, despite the many heaters; in the glorious bathroom were mislabelled shower taps.’ At dinner, Susan Kellett’s ‘well-cooked kitchen-garden fare’ is ‘delightfully retro’: ‘tomato and foraged wild garlic soup; flavoursome stuffed peppers; tasty baked salmon’. ‘Breakfast was wonderful: a generous buffet, the best mushrooms I’ve ever eaten, porridge to die for; even home-baked vegan soda bread, and a jug of almond milk.’