Shearwater - distinctive and comfortable town house

Shearwater is a quiet four bed roomed Victorian town house furnished and equipped to a high standard, with each room having its own distinctive character.

The house is close to family-friendly activities, nightlife, public transport, and shops. Its cosy and clean and you're just a minutes walk from the seafront or the town centre. My place is good for families (with kids), larger groups, artists and ecologists and some furry friends ( i.e. pets). Unlimited fibre broadband provided (55mb) free.
Shearwater is a quiet four bed roomed Victorian town house within a minutes walking distance of the coast and the centre of town, with its restaurants, pubs and attractions. The accommodation is furnished and equipped to a high standard and each room has its own distinctive character. A number of original artworks, many by local artists, add to the contemporary feel of the house.
From the open plan sitting / dining room French doors lead to a sheltered secure garden with a decking area, outdoor furniture, a hammock, BBQ and shed to store bikes, sailing equipment etc.
All the beds, including a king size and a double, have quality M&S mattresses and bedding. A high chair, carry cot, mattress, sheets and changing mat are available for wee tots.
For your convenience, towels and a welcome pack with tea, coffee, milk and locally produced bread and cake, and maybe a surprise or two for children, await your arrival.
We've noticed that many people that stay at Shearwater are coffee aficionados so for 2018 we've added a Nespresso machine to the kitchen equipment. You can either bring your own capsules or go a bit greener and use the re-fillable capsules that we provide.
Speaking of greener, we're going for environmental accreditation in 2018 under the aegis of Green Tourism. (In fact, stop press, we've just gained their Bronze Award so we'll be going for Silver next.) We're already treading lightly to an extent but we could do more, so we'll be setting ourselves some green 'targets' for the year ahead. More below.

Guest access

The whole house and garden is yours but please treat it with respect.

Interaction with guests

We live 'just down the road' in a coastal village called Groomsport (which is well worth visiting for coastal walks etc) so are happy to help with advice and recommendations, and respond promptly should there be any problems.
We'll meet you when you arrive and explain the various workings; your safety, the house is protected by a fairly sophisticated fire alarm system which needs to be explained briefly.
If you are interested in the wildlife side of things then we are happy to provide guided walks to suit your particular interest and needs. So this could be birdwatching, coastal plants, seaweeds and ecology, foraging etc or for young families, outdoor art and eco activities. Do please get in touch if your interested.

Other things to note

We know that our individual efforts to reduce our impact on the planet may seem ineffectual but collectively, slowly but surely, we do make a difference; we’ve got to make a difference. As part of our commitment we’ve joined Green Tourism and are hoping to achieve certification during 2018. As part of our quest to reduce our environmental impact we are already doing quite a bit but here's some examples of what we aiming to do:
- switch all paper based products to quality recycled alternatives
- buy in eco - friendly soaps, detergents and bleaches
- further expand our local interest library covering the ecology, geology and history of Northern Ireland
- dot a few indoor plants around the house
- start an optional 'visitor giving' scheme. Northern Ireland has one of the lowest percentages of woodland cover in Europe. If you'd like to donate £10 to the work of the NI Woodland Trust we will double it
- use Fair Trade / local produce in the welcome hamper / beverages
- link up and share knowledge and experience with other green business locally
- developing our eco workshops / experiences as a extra service
- creating a bit of an 'art house' by adding more local artists work and nature based images to add interest and colour to the house