Do all little girls (and many boys) dream of owning a pony?

At Crannog in Co Wicklow it could be a dream come true. Alongside this very nice 358sq m (3,852 sq ft) five bedroom detached house comes a paddock, stable and tack room. The owners built the house themselves in 2000, extending in 2009 as the family grew.

“It was hard work,” the owner says, remembering how they lived with her parents on their farm while waiting for planning permission, and then helping out on the build. “But we were young, and we had the energy.”

Now they’re selling because the family are grown up, but say they will be heartbroken to leave their large spacious home.

“The space has been amazing. Six of us have lived here without tripping over each other, maybe that’s the secret to a happy family?” the owner says.

The house combines lovely open airy spaces, with cosier spots, and everything has been done to a very high standard, including walnut timber flooring, and Italian porcelain tiling.

Two of the bedrooms, including the main, are on the ground floor, alongside generous reception spaces and a gym. The three other bedrooms (all en suite) are upstairs, plus a pool room, TV room and study.

“I can smell the sea from here,” the owner says, adding that apart from the house itself, what she’ll miss most is “the village, the neighbours, the walk up to the local pub: The Bridge Inn, where they do lovely food; and the fact that there’s always something going on.”

Getting to Dublin is about an hour by car, or a short drive to Greystones for the Dart.

David Cantwell, who is handling the sale for Hooke & MacDonald, for €875,000, adds that the property offers “substantial space inside and out. It’s close to Dublin, close to the beach, and of a really high quality”.

Judge for yourself, and soon you could be hearing the clip clop of little hooves.