Dragonfly Cottage-Uk39919

Dragonfly Cottage is the smaller of a pair of conversions sharing the same grounds in the north of the island, built for two and sitting at the quiet end of them, where a pond lies behind reeds and ferns.

It is the same low white building under a slate roof, warm-lit at dusk, with its own entrance off the gravel and a charging point for an electric car beside it.

One room under the rafters

The cottage is essentially a single open space with a roof light set between the beams. A cream sofa sits on a rug, a small oak table for two stands under the window, and a cushioned seat is built into a second window recess for reading. The kitchen runs along one wall in sage-green units with a wooden worktop, ceramic sink and brass tap, oven, hob and microwave, with a dishwasher and washing machine below.

The bedroom, and a bathroom worth the trip

There is one bedroom, an extra-large double under a gold quilted throw with an armchair by the window. The bathroom is the unexpected part: a full-height walk-in shower lined in split stone tiles, a brass rainfall head, a heated rail and brass fittings on the basin.

Decking above the water

A timber deck at the side holds a pair of reclining chairs facing out over a rail towards the water. Beyond it the grounds run to rough meadow with a rope swing hung from an oak, and swans and ducks work the pond.

The Curragh, and Ramsey beyond

This is the Curragh, the low wet ground inland from Ballaugh, which explains the birdlife. The nearest town is Ramsey, on the north-east coast, with its harbour, promenade and shops.

Suited to

Two people who want to be left alone. One bedroom, one open room, a deck and a pond: a retreat rather than a base, and quiet enough that you notice the birds.