Co Kerry: €2mKells House and Gardens is famous for ferns and plants which flourish in a Kerry micro-climate. Kevin O'Connor is captivated

Taking the grand, majestic but precipitous route from Glenbeigh, passing the old railway viaduct and the vast dramatic vista of Dingle and the Blasket Islands you come to Kells Bay.

From the main road on a balmy September morning, Kells Bay is surrounded by the steep but vertiginous slopes of Conac na Dobhar, with tall elegant oaks and pines bordering the shoreline, red and blue fishing boats tied up at the stone pier and the undulating sea a mixture of azure and green.

And tucked amidst this sublime setting is the historic Kells House and Gardens.

Kells House is a substantial property nestling amidst 40 acres of glorious gardens and has access to the bay and a small sandy beach. The main house has four bedrooms and three bathrooms, three reception rooms, a large conservatory, kitchen and utility room. The guest wing incorporates three apartments with a total of five bedrooms and four bathrooms. There is a large potting shed and several outbuildings, which have huge potential.

This truly special property is for sale by private treaty through HOK with a guide of €2 million.

Shopping, dining and schools are all available in Cahirciveen and Killorglin, and a multitude of activities include some of Kerry's finest mountain walks.

There is trout fishing on Lough Coomasaharn and the Behy River, and pony trekking and golf are available nearby. Kells Bay beach adjoins the property, and the beach at Rossbeigh, a 6.5 km stretch of golden strand, is just a short drive away.

The house is approached by a sweeping driveway bordered by large abundant tree ferns, tall conifers and eucalyptus trees which gives one the first impression of the magnitude of these gardens. The house is not on a grand scale but has the elements of a solid early 19th century country house. Some changes have been made over the years, especially by the present owners who incorporated the guest apartments.

The kitchen is modest in its layout with plain functional kitchen units and standard appliances, but the inviting warmth and glow of an Aga takes the chill out of the morning.

Towards the back of the kitchen is a tall and spacious utility room. Through a narrow hallway is the main staircase which curves to the upper landing, with a toilet underneath.

Off the hall is the long diningroom with a splendid chandelier, the sittingroom, which has a fine white period marble mantelpiece and the library. Doors from the library lead in to the conservatory. Each of these reception rooms has glass panel doors to the terrace garden views and glimpses of the ocean beyond.

There are four double bedrooms, three en suite, off the upper landing, all needing updating but with incredible views across the tips of the trees to Kells Bay and An Blaiscaid Mór on the horizon.

There is an intriguing set of stairs off a small hallway which takes you to a self-contained apartment in the belltower: this is a beguiling space with glorious views. It can also be approached from a back entrance, with stone steps and its own secret garden lush with ferns, cloaked in moss and enveloped in the soothing sound of the river cascading from the mountains surrounding the house. The two other guest apartments, one with one bedroom, the other with two, are in a wing attached to the main house. Both have fitted kitchens and shower rooms.

The house is somewhat rambling but has a charming quality and endless possibilities. What makes the property truly unique is its location, its history and the important gardens.

They were begun by the Blennerhasset family who started cultivating and enlarging the gardens in the latter half of the 19th century.

Aubrey Fennell, well-known tree specialist and a member of the Irish Tree Society, says that Kells House has the largest collection of tree ferns in both Britain and Ireland and the garden is noted for its vast collection of southern hemisphere plants which thrive in the micro-climate of Kells Bay.

Tree ferns were imported from New Zealand and Australia into Europe as ships' ballast. However, gardeners soon discovered that they would flourish in sheltered frost-free places. They are the quintessence of the gardens here in Kells, with some two acres abundant with specimen tree ferns.

There is so much in this garden that overcomes the senses, from the dappled leaves of ferns, the smooth rusted branches of the myrtle, the waxy leaves of the countless camellias, rustling royal bamboos and countless species of rhododendron. The gardens have been tended and replanted by the Vogel family who have been here for over 30 years and have operated a successful nursery in a section of the garden close to the main house.

This piece of Arcadia on the south-west coast of Kerry is indeed unique and captivating.