You step back into a gentler age when you stay at one of Ireland’s oldest coaching inns, where the River Vartry flows past lovingly tended gardens and a wildflower meadow. It has been in the Hunter and Galletlie families since 1825. After the bicycle was invented, people would cycle out here from Dublin. Past guests who have fallen for Hunter’s old-world charms and chintz have included Oliver Hardy, Paul Simon, Liza Minelli. The late Arthur Miller would come with son-in-law Daniel Day-Lewis for tea by the fire. ‘The leather-bound guestbook, dating from 1895, is worth the trip in itself,’ noted Steven Spielberg. At tables set with crisp white linen, you can dine on dishes such as chicken liver pâté, roasts, stews, crumbles, with home-grown vegetables and fruit. A one-off and a gem.