Henry’s Cottage
Cottage now available for booking by BCC members and other clubs.
Belfast Climbing Club maintain a cottage in Attical, Co. Down, in the heart of the Mournes. The cottage belonging to Dr Henry McKee. It is a classic Mournes-style stone walled cottage, originally built more than 100 years ago and refurbished by Henry in the 1990s. The club and Henry refurbished the cottage in 2019-2020.
Location
Sandy Brae, Attical – at the bottom of the Windy gap, near Eagle and Pigeon Rock Mountains.
The cottage
The house has two stories. The main house is open plan both upstairs and downstairs. An extension has a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Upstairs is a large communal area which holds heat well. There are a number of fireplaces for heat, and a Stanley stove and an electric cooker with rings. There is an immersion heater and an electric shower.
The kitchen is fully equipped.
The cottage has sleeping space for approx. 15 people, (or more if you want to be cosy) and there is also room outside to camp.
book COLLECTION
The cottage is home to the extensive mountaineering book collection of the late Alfie Conn, a prolific climber and member of the Colmcille Climbers and passed away in 2021. The books were very generously donated by his club.
The books include guidebooks of every vintage covering Ireland, the UK and Europe as well as instructional books and classic mountaineering and adventure literature. There is also an extensive collection of maps.
Visitors are welcome to borrow and use guidebooks for the duration of their stay but we ask that anyone seeking to borrow any books longer term seek permission from BCC before taking them with them.
booking
Please fill in the booking form here.
(If you have issues with the Google form, please fill in either Docx, ODT, or pdf and email to cottage@belfastclimbingclub.co.uk)
Visitors are expected to contribute to the upkeep of the cottage.
The cottage will be available to BCC members and members of other MI/BMC/other NGB-affiliated clubs (for now). Other visitors will be at the discretion of the BCC committee.
Once the cottage is ready the following proposed minimum contribution (per person per night) will apply:
Belfast Climbing Club - £5
Irish Mountaineering Club - £5
Dublin Climbers and Mountaineers - £5
Colmcille Climbers -£5
Other MI/BMC etc. Clubs Members - £10
Features
There are Alpine-style bunk beds for c. 8 people in the end room. Please bring your own sleeping mat and bedding. There are cushions, a folding bed, and a sofa upstairs that you can use (this is the warmest room anyway).
The cottage has only one toilet (no toilet roll or sanitary products down toilet please). Feel free to water the grass. We can also arrange portable toilet hire.
The order of departure should be considered when parking outside. Please do not block the lane. There is room for one or possibly two cars at the top of the lane. If needs be it is possible to park 300 m further along the Sandy Brae.
There is no central heating – but there are plenty of fireplaces (and plug sockets). There is one electric heater in the end bedroom.
Contact the club with any queries. cottage@belfastclimbingclub.co.uk
