Hippy dream comes to life as a haven in woodland

Judy Murphy finds an eco-conscious guesthouse and equestrian centre hidden in a Galway forest

Taking a small right-hand turn down a byway on the road from Loughrea to Woodford, about eight miles outside Loughrea, there is little to indicate the hive of activity that lies down this narrow, leafy boreen.

With barely room for one car, it looks like a glorified byroad, leading nowhere except to an area of forest. And eventually that is where it ends up. But before that there’s a real surprise, because a short distance down, on the right hand side is a  nine-bedroom boutique guesthouse and equestrian centre, with a certified organic restaurant and gardens, which opened last November and is offering a sustainable approach to tourism, local and international.

The Three Towers in Kylebrack West, Loughrea, is owned and run by mother and daughter team, Ester and Merel Zyderlaan. It is Moroccan in style and full of personality – “hippy chic”, laughs Ester, who is the driving force behind the centre and who ensured that all the fixtures and furniture have come from ecologically sound sources. Some of the furniture, like the massive teak table in the living area was reclaimed from floorboards in the family’s original house, other items like the comfy chairs in the bedroom, were sourced from markets in Amsterdam and carefully restored by this resourceful Dutch woman.

The centre is the realisation of a dream that sometimes must have seemed like a nightmare, especially as there was a period when Ester had to stop work for four years as the bank refused to release any money for the development. But her belief in the project – plus a grant from Galway Rural Development – saw it completed and she is justifiably proud of what is going one in the Three Towers.

When Esther and her family first arrived in Ireland from Holland in 1978, their aim was to live the “hippy dream’”.

They bought seven acres in Kylebrack West and lived in a camper van while their house was being built. They bought goats and cows and made cheese, which they sold in the market in Galway.

These days, a lot has changed. The cows and sheep are gone, replaced by about 30 horses and ponies, as well as the eco-friendly guesthouse and restaurant, while there’s a conference centre and spacious garden that can cater for events from weddings to conferences in singular style.

Ester is still a hippy at heart but she is also an astute business woman with a keen awareness of environmental issues and this is reflected in the ethos of the Three Towers. “A workaholic” is how she describes herself.

The Three Towers developed from an equestrian centre which Ester set up in the mid 1980s to take advantage of its hinterland of the Sliabh Aughty Mountains – the property, which has been extended to 16 from the original seven acres – is surrounded on three sides by more than 50 miles of woodland and river trails. `

The equestrian centre is accredited by both the Association of Irish Riding Establishments, the British Horse Society and Bord Fáilte and caters for riders of all ages and ability. There’s an all-weather sand arena, a full set of jumps, a diverse cross-country course and any amount of trails through the forest and local countryside. That makes it an attractive destination for young riding clubs, Ester explains.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.