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The ultimate family weekend away in Monaghan
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IMAGE staffer Sophie Power and her husband, Darragh, take their five-year-old twins, Arthur and George, and two-year-old Molly, on a road trip to Monaghan in the Peugeot 5008 to visit their grandparents and stop off in all their favourite family-friendly spots.
We try to make the trip up to Monaghan every four to six weeks if we can. Forget fancy foreign holidays; this is the trip the kids are truly most excited by. You should see the expression on their faces when we say we’re heading up to see Nana and Gaga. That’s why we try to stay at least two nights. Getting to spend that kind of quality time with their grandparents is just so important. And, I won’t lie, the fact that they are jumping on top of someone else’s bed at 6.30am does have an appeal too!
Darragh’s parents live just outside Monaghan town, in the house his dad grew up in and then Darragh and his sister grew up in, so that makes it extra special. Every room has so many stories and memories – the kids love hearing them all, asking about who is who in every picture, and feeling their family roots here. It’s also surrounded by rolling fields and ancient trees, so they can just run loose, which for my ‘energetic’ five-year-old twin boys is just magic. It’s like releasing a pressure valve, for us all.
The drive usually doesn’t take us more than two hours, which is great; we try to make it in one go but, if we need to, we’ll stop off in West Street in Castleblayney for emergency caffeine and a sugar injection to keep us going. It’s a really nice café and lifestyle store with lovely brands to browse if you have time.
The flexible seating in the new seven-seater Peugeot 5008 is a game-changer for us and really helps to manage longer journeys. You can fit all three booster seats in the second row if you need to, which makes the most of the already giant bootspace – with room for kids’ bikes as well as weekend bags.
But then you can also mix up the seating configuration easily. Sometimes the boys will sit together in the two seats at the back, and Molly and I can sit in the second row together if she needs a bit of distraction in between endless games of eye spy. To be able to change things up mid-journey if emotions are running high can be a huge help.
Mind you, we can usually distract them effectively when we need to with the car’s slick interior lighting feature; the kids love picking which ‘mood colour’ they want – shifting from blue to yellow and back again. It’s become their favourite in-car entertainment. Next to the 10-speaker Focal Acoustic sound system, where they take turns asking Siri to play their favourite songs on repeat.
And thankfully, no matter how distracting they are, getting lost is not something we need to worry about with the Peugeot 5008’s state-of-the-art satellite navigation – a lifesaver on winding country roads. Plus, the extensive driver assistance features, which provide peace of mind; knowing the car has our safety covered is incredibly reassuring.
As soon as we arrive and they’ve pounced on Nana and Gaga – we usually have just enough time for a cup of tea before they have us out the door again to visit their favourite local spots.
Favourite spots
Castle Leslie Estate
Castle Leslie Estate is only a 15-minute drive from my in-laws’ house, so it is a firm favourite destination. The grounds here are absolutely spectacular, with bluebell meadows, woodland walks, fields of horses grazing, and birds and butterflies galore. Afternoon tea, served in the Castle or The Lodge, really feels special, but for a more casual bite, you can’t go wrong with lunch or tea and scones in Conor’s Bar & Lounge. The equestrian centre is a particular hit with our kids, who love meeting the horses, mainly because the staff are so welcoming and accommodating and will show the kids how to feed the horses and give them a little pet.
Rossmore Forest Park
Rossmore Forest Park is always a highlight for us. It has the most incredible, and aesthetically pleasing, playground I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to quite a few at this stage). We can spend hours there, with the kids playing while we grab coffee and hot chocolate from the nearby café. There are some really gorgeous woodland walks to choose from and plenty of appeal for adult visitors too, with the ruins of Rossmore Castle, the walled garden, fish hatchery and reservoir to visit. Whatever you do, don’t miss the avenue of yew trees which runs for approximately 500 metres from the walled garden.
Glaslough Village
Just outside the gates of Castle Leslie is Glaslough Village, which is bursting with lots of brilliant spots. For the grown-ups, you have the small but mighty Wrights Bar, which offers a really cosy, traditional ‘snug’ Irish pub atmosphere, with seating outdoors in good weather; a great place to enjoy a proper pint and maybe a little jive while you are at it. Ambledown Cottage is a really unique and charming little spot, serving up great woodfired pizza in a really characterful BYOB setting. Pocono Café is also good for a light lunch for all the family, serving up delicious gelato ice cream. The Glaslough Chocolate Shop is a gem – it looks like something out of a movie, it’s so pretty and perfect, but it’s the real deal. Opened in 2013 by chocolatier Trish Murphy-Thom, who uses only natural ingredients to make an ever-changing array of handmade chocolates.
I also have to give a shout-out to Darragh’s uncle and aunt, Joe and Joan Mallon, both artists, who have an art studio, The Mallon Studio, in the village that you can visit. Joe is a ceramic artist and Joan is a painter; it’s always fun visiting their cottage to see what they’ve been working on and to pick up little trinkets.
Monaghan town
If you’re heading into Monaghan town, The Batch Loaf is an award-winning restaurant that is a great place for a celebratory family meal or Saturday night dinner with friends – if the monkfish is on the menu, don’t miss it. The Squealing Pig is another popular spot for fun drinks and casual food. And for the best chicken goujon roll around it has to be Mallon’s Food Hall, of course, alongside all their delicious specialty meats; we always have a full freezer when we go home.
Suitably exhausted after such a jam-packed weekend, our trick is to feed and bathe the kids, change them into their PJs, and then into the car in the early evening for the long drive home. That way, it’s just a straight scoop from car seat to bed once we get home, leaving a few precious hours for Darragh and me to unwind.
Photography by Dan Dunne
The new Peugeot 5008 is a practical yet stylish 7-seater family car to suit every need, available in hybrid or fully electric. To discover it for yourself, visit peugeot.ie.
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