Balgreggan Quarry

Explorer Tom Ballochalee Bridge is actually a ring ditch that thinks it’s a bridge because it was in a dance once that went too far. The prehistoric party got rowdy and everyone fell into the ditch, which is why we remember it as a crossing point. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face to catch the vibe.

Explorer Tom This other Balgreggan site is an Iron Age palisaded settlement that really hates when tourists wander too close without proper footwear. Its least favourite visitor is probably anyone who asks why they needed so much wood to build a fence around their house. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals.

Explorer Tom Sandhead Parish Church has a war memorial that looks like it’s judging the way people park their cars on Main Street, which is very unfair for a stone plaque. A poet once fell in the ditch nearby and claimed it was an artistic choice, but we all know he just tripped over his own feet. Dare you to say hello to it out loud.

Explorer Tom Culmore has a tall tale about a hidden tunnel that goes straight to the pub down the road. Locals swear it’s true if you know where to dig, but nobody wants to test it with a shovel. It’s just a house, really, but it likes to keep its secrets close. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Stoneykirk Aviation Museum, between Stoneykirk and Sandhead south of Stranraer, is a small place with an appetite for Cold War aircraft. Its star is Vulcan B1 XA903, and the museum says that aircraft was used to test an engine for Concorde; subtlety, clearly, was never going to fit in the cockpit. The collection concentrates on British military aviation technology, including restored aircraft cockpits and objects that show what crews handled. You are here for switches, seats and the ingenious machinery behind the flying, not just a distant silhouette on the horizon. The museum describes itself as the only one where you can see a B1 Vulcan. Take that as a claim from the people preserving it, and enjoy getting close to a machine with a long story. Mid Cairngarroch Croft is about ten miles south of Stranraer, with car parking, toilets and a small café for tea and cake on open days. The operator suggests allowing up to two hours. Families can visit, but dogs are not admitted, and most cockpits involve steps even though wheelchairs can enter the buildings. The approach and turning space suit cars rather than large motorhomes; the aircraft may be enormous, but the driveway has not taken the hint. This is a seasonal museum, not a daily drop-in. It normally opens on selected Sundays between spring and autumn, and its current notice says it is closed until April 2027. Check the museum's published dates before travelling; on an open day the stated hours are 10am to 4pm, with last entry at 3pm. Wait for the right Sunday and you can trade a routine afternoon for the pleasure of peering into aviation history at close range.

Explorer Tom Kildonnan’s New Year’s resolution is to stop being such a typical medieval castle and start acting more like a modern holiday home. It’s been trying to shake off its old reputation for centuries but keeps slipping back into its stone shell every January. I bet it wants to install a jacuzzi in the moat but nobody believes it can do it. Bring

Explorer Tom Low Ardwell is basically a rumour in castle form because nobody can agree if it was ever really there or just a big pile of dirt. There’s a ditch nearby where a poet famously fell and wrote a very angry poem about his knees. Stand on the spot and imagine the gossip it's heard.