There is little as spectacular as the sunny southeast in the summer. Driving through Wicklow, into north Wexford and down through the heart of the latter presents some wonderful views.

With tillage ground set, silage well underway and the cattle out to grass, Wexford was awash with activity when Irish Country Living visited last week. The destination was the south of the county at Taghmon, where the 160-acre Ballingale House and Farm was just put on the market.

The term ‘model farm’ was used to describe the holding and it is just that. There is little you can fault about this property. The house is in very good condition but a purchaser may want to put their own stamp on it. The yard area and land are also kept in super condition.

Spacious, clean and functional, the holding is maintained well. There are a selection of good sheds for storage and livestock. There is an ease of access to the lands. The lands are laid out perfectly, with all the bells and whistles. All in all, it is a terrific holding. Goffs Property of Kildare is handling the sale with a guide of €1.7m.

The house

The house is a four-bed one-story residence. Homely and family oriented, it is ready to use. The house is spacious and full of light. While just one story, it is a large home. The garden surrounding the house has been recently renovated and it is great condition, adding to the aesthetics of the property.

The farmyard

From here, the property is as well laid out and presented as well as any you will come across. An excellently maintained pathway takes you from the gardens and house to the farmyard. Either side are well-grazed smaller paddocks that can be used as ‘hospital fields’ for sucklers that have just calved, for example.

The pathway leads you up to the yard area, where a three-bay slatted shed, kitted out with rubber mats, stands in front of you. At the end of this is a bull pen. On your right are a selection of stables, four in decent condition and the remaining four in need of refurbishment. Again, the area is large and spacious in front of these buildings. It must also be noted that it is very clean.

As you walk on through the yard area, a large round roof three-span shed with two leans-tos is on your left. A second walkway leads to the main larger yard area. Here there is an eight-bay slatted shed, a cattle crush, handling area and a holding paddock. In front of this is an extraordinarily large open area that would have a variety of uses, including storage. The cleanliness of these areas is a sight to behold.

The lands

From the yard, a central roadway leads to the larger of the six divisions that the land is split into. Again, the layout cannot be faulted. The fencing has been recently improved and the fields all have a good water supply. It is organised in divisions that are subdivided into manageable paddocks. Growth here is very strong, considering little fertiliser was applied this year. In all, there is 160 acres of land. This could be used for just about any agricultural purpose, with the exception of 10 heavier acres at the rear of the property.

The guide

The guide for the holding is €1.7m and it is only offered in the entire. Auctioneer handling the sale is Richard Brophy of Goffs Property. It is being sold via private treaty by a local man who is retiring.