Ashley Park House

Ashley Park House is set on the shore of Lough Ourna, a small artesian lake in County Tipperary said locally to have appeared overnight. The house dates to the mid-1700s, built on the site of an earlier dwelling recorded from 1640, and a ruined tower house still stands on an island in the lake. It is a listed monument. Fifty ensuite rooms are spread across the main house, the restored coach houses around a cobbled courtyard, and lodges set into the grounds. Six bedrooms sit in the main house itself, with views over the lake and gardens. The coach house rooms are each decorated differently, with French-inspired furnishings and large beds. Castle Lodge, by the main gate, has four rooms facing woodland; Lakeview Lodge, tucked near the side entrance, has five rooms and a shared living space, with the lake visible across a field of beech trees planted over 200 years ago. The grounds run to 76 acres of mature beech woodland, kept as a bird sanctuary for native and migratory wildfowl. A walled garden, laid out in quadrants, holds old apple varieties, a working vine-house and a gazebo built by two members of the family that owns the estate. Guests can walk the lakeside paths, row out to the island, or fish the lough, stocked with brown trout since 1994. Breakfast is served each morning in the main house.