A modern five-bedroom country house on ten acres of gardens and paddocks on the edge of the Boyne Valley near Navan goes to auction on July 31st. Local auctioneer Raymond Potterton is quoting in excess of £550,000 (€698,355) for Mount Carmel, a spacious family home at Donaghmore, which is likely to be of particular interest to families involved in equestrian sports.

The two-storey house stands in the centre of the land, a nice distance off the Navan-Slane road. The location will be further enhanced when the road is shortly dropped down into the valley, taking it further away from the house.

The extensive gardens wrapped around the house will undoubtedly be a strong selling point. The generous planting of shrubs and trees when the house was built over 20 years ago has meant that the grounds are now mature, colourful and exceptionally private. There are paddocks on three sides and a lane running along one boundary which may allow one, if not more, houses to be built in place of a number of old cut-stone houses on the land.

There are three loose boxes and a tack room in a yard behind the house where the present owners bred a number of notable thoroughbreds, including Bailiwick Frontier, winner of a Group 2 race, and Viguee who also scored a number of successes.

Mount Carmel has around 3,000 sq ft of floor space, including three bright reception rooms, one of them stepping down to a spacious cedar-wood conservatory which is obviously much used. From here there are double doors leading out to a private patio.

The second reception room on the opposite side of the entrance hall is more suited to a TV room or family room. The diningroom at the back of the house has a particularly large mahogany table which can easily seat twelve.

There is an excellent kitchen, kept bright by two windows, and a range of oak wall and floor units. Behind it there is a handy utility room and a separate bathroom and shower.

There are four double bedrooms off the main stairs and a fifth bedroom reached by a second stairs which could also be used as a study or office.

For those who like to keep an eye on the weighing scales, there is a built-in sauna at the back of the house together with a shower.