Brick Sculpture

Explorer Tom Antrim Gardens is currently in a heated dispute with the fairies over who gets to park their tiny carriages by the fountain, and nobody wants to lose face. The flowers are taking sides, which makes the whole thing even more awkward. If it rains, blame me.

Explorer Tom Coastal Zone museum is probably telling the new development next door that it should have stuck to being a beach. It’s got all the drama of a tide pool in a glass case. Stop the car, it’s worth the hazard lights.

Explorer Tom Trocadero in Portrush has been serving up nostalgia since the 1880s. It looks like it hasn't changed a bit, which is either charming or suspicious depending on your mood. Best seen with a hangover and a sausage roll that tastes like history.

Explorer Tom Holy Trinity Parish Church in Antrim has an imaginary twin across the sea that keeps sending it terrible postcards. It’s been waiting for a reply since the nineteenth century and is getting desperate. Have a wander and a wonder at its dramatic silence.

Explorer Tom The Town Hall builder was definitely thinking about lunch while he laid that foundation, because the whole thing looks slightly lopsided from certain angles. I bet he slipped on a banana peel right in the middle of construction and never corrected it. Bring your own legend, I've run out for today.

Explorer Tom The rabbits here have formed a committee to discuss why West Strand is so aggressively flat, and honestly, I think they’re onto something. They say it feels like a giant’s ironing board that forgot how to relax. Tell your mates you found it first.

Explorer Tom Ballyreagh Castle is a promontory fort that thinks it’s a beach club for ghosts. A fox took charge once and never gave the keys back. Bring a pen pal, they'll be jealous of your ghostly friends.

Explorer Tom East Strand had an escape plan involving a very slow boat and a lot of snacks. The charity walkers think it’s all about fitness, but it’s really about the tea afterwards. A proper spot for a flask of tea and a big think.

Explorer Tom Little Skerries has very strong opinions on modern buildings and thinks they’re all a bit tacky. It stands there looking down its nose at the port, judging the yachts and the tourists alike. It’s basically a rock with a superiority complex and excellent posture. Perfect place to be dramatically windswept.

Explorer Tom The Large Skerries have a long-standing grudge against the weather for making them look like broken teeth. They are volcanic rocks trying very hard to be mysterious while getting battered by the Atlantic wind. It’s a battle of stone versus salt that never really ends. If anyone asks, Tom sent you.

Explorer Tom Ballywillin in Glebe has been scheduled since medieval times and still argues with the next village over something daft, like fence posts. There’s a caretaker’s cottage nearby that looks derelict from the back. Bring curiosity, leave with a better story than mine.

Explorer Tom White Rocks is secretly proud of the one potato it grew last year, which it keeps hidden under a rock like a treasure. I bet it tells tourists stories about that spud until they get bored and leave in a hurry. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face to match the vibe.