Travelling around Ireland, south to north and everywhere in between, experiencing the incredible beauty of this country is something we never tire of, or take for granted. Forever on the look out for a unique getaway that brings a welcome opportunity to switch off, from the moment we spotted the spectacularly located Letteran Lodges on Instagram late last year, we just knew this was a place we had to add to our extensive “must visit” list.
Located at the foot of Slieve Gallion, just a short drive from Magherafelt Town, and approximately one hour from Belfast and Derry. There are two lodges to choose from, Peter’s Lodge (this is the one we stayed in), and Moore’s Lodge. Both lodges enjoy panoramic views, private hot-tub, fully fitted kitchen, rainfall shower, super comfortable king bed, smart tv and electric stove. If the design brief was stunning, cosy, comfort, it has been met and exceeded in spades.
We booked in after seeing a cancellation post on Instagram and proprietor, Ryan Donnelly made everything from initial booking enquiry to checking in extremely simple and smooth. Ryan greeted us in what is essentially the entrance yard to his family home and explained that he would drive ahead of us, leading us to our lodge.
A steep, steep, did we mention steep?, but short incline later and we were outside Peter’s Lodge. Parking just opposite our tiny home for the night, the sight of this luxury apex lodge with its roof appearing to almost pierce the sky, we immeditaley knew we had choosen well. Ryan showed us in and explained the workings of the fire, the hot-tub and very importantly, details on getting takeaway food delivered. You can of course cook as this is a fully serviced self catering accommodation, but for us the lure of a cheeky takeaway was too good to pass.
Ryan is a truly affable guy, impossible not to instantly warm to his energy and enthusiasm for what he has built, telling us this is his families land and that with the support of his parents they designed and built the lodges on unoccupied land with views that are just too beautiful not to be shared and enjoyed.
Impeccable exterior and interior design with no detail left to chance made our stay here extremely comfortable, enjoyable and memorable.
You can of course head to the local town of Magherafelt for food and drinks but why anyone would want to leave the cosy luxury of the lodge at all is beyond comprehension. We packed a bottled of wine and snacks – Ryan had advised when we were booking that it is possible to get food delivered from the local Chinese and just to make sure we had cash as they don’t take cards.
The little dining set-up is beyond cute, the perfect little table for two looking out across a vista of the lights from the surrounding area. A Chinese takeaway never tasted so good.
As previously mentioned the lodge is fully geared towards self catering. We gladly welcomed the addition of has an espresso machine, cereal, milk, tea, orange juice and pastries that were provided for breakfast.
One of our great loves, is photography and drone videography in particular is something we have both become mildly obsessed with. We relish an opportunity to capture the essence of the places we visit. Unfortunately the weather went against us on this trip, but that’s okay because we will just have to book another stay and let us assure you, to experience the beauty of Letteran Lodges again will be no penance.
A stay in Letteran Lodges is a totally mind cleanse. There is something astoundingly reviving about being immersed in the rugged countryside and feeling all wild and adventurous sans the Bear Gryllis requirement to actually get, too wild!
Letteran Lodges
52 Letteran Rd,
Magherafelt
BT45 7UB
WRITTEN BY KEITH MAHON & OLIVIA BYRNE