Argery Hill

Explorer Tom Guystown in County Donegal is a real charmer with those timber sliding sash windows just glowing in the rural landscape. It sits right between Ballindrait and Raphoe, keeping things simple and functional like only proper vernacular buildings can, so wave hello to its modest charm from afar!

Explorer Tom Outbuilding in Shannagh is pretending to be an arcade with those three round-headed doorways. It’s a two-storey beast from the 1860s that looks like it could hide a dragon, but I’m pretty sure it’s just been storing hay and secrets for a century.

Explorer Tom Cloghfin Standing Stone is a solitary sentinel in County Donegal. I reckon it’s the kind of stone that makes you wonder about the people who placed it there centuries ago. It’s a quiet guardian of local history.

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal is where I left my last sandwich, which was stolen by a squirrel with ambition. The swings are creaking out a very old folk song. Bring your own legend, I've run out of ideas now.

Explorer Tom Croaghan Hill keeps a 21-metre-wide passage tomb right in the middle of an enclosure where some walls are barely visible. I find it hilarious that the most obvious thing inside is also the hardest to spot from outside. It’s like hiding the key under the doormat, but the doormat has vanished.

Explorer Tom Beltany Stone Circle has been standing around since about 2100 BC, which means it’s seen more sunsets than most of us have had birthdays. With 64 stones still marking the spot on Tops Hill, I bet the locals in the 1700s felt pretty bold stealing chunks for their farm walls. It’s a bit like borrowing from your grandfather’s library and never returning it.

Explorer Tom Walled Garden in County Donegal is basically a greenhouse with an attitude problem. I suspect the roses whisper gossip about the neighbours when no one's looking. Pretend you're a lost aristocrat, nobody will check your credentials anyway.

Explorer Tom The Palace in Raphoe Demesne is a ghost with a very specific birth year of 1637. Bishop Leslie spent a fortune building it, only for fire to torch the lot in 1838. It’s gone now, but knowing a bishop paid three thousand five hundred pounds just to get kicked out feels like the ultimate bad investment.

Explorer Tom Diamond Bar in Raphoe is sparkling like a gem that forgot to shower. Pop in for a pint before it realizes how smelly it actually is.

Explorer Tom Carnowen Hill in County Donegal is the subject of constant seagull gossip, with them whispering about whether it’s peaked or just a big mound. They’re not sure either. Look serious, nod slowly, you're basically an expert now, don't overthink the bird chatter.

Explorer Tom Battle site: battle Of the fords, Central crossing, 1689 in Magirr, Town Parks Of Strabane has caught my eye in Magirr; Town Parks OF Strabane, County Tyrone. I bet a battle site: battle of the fords, central crossing, 1689 with a name like that could keep me talking all afternoon; I'm already inventing a daft little scene for it, and I'll stop before it turns into history.

Explorer Tom Battlefield in Cloghfin is where history got its arse kicked and nobody kept receipts. The ground still smells like old grudges and wet sheep. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost, or just broke.