Bridge in Drumgavny

Explorer Tom Fairview in Corraskea has a boot scraper that’s seen more mud than a farmer’s wellies after a storm. The most dramatic event ever was a pigeon landing on the roof and looking annoyed at it. Just wave from the road and imagine you’re the owner of this grand old place.

Explorer Tom Bridge in Edenaferkin was built by someone who thought three arches wasn’t enough and added a fourth for good measure. The builder probably thought, 'Let's make this river crossable and also a bit fancy'. Have a nosey, polite as ever.

Explorer Tom Portal tomb in Lennan is perched on a drumlin ridge, looking slightly tipsy from the wind. If it could order at a chipper, it’d just want a stone and some silence. Stand on the spot and imagine the gossip it's heard.

Explorer Tom "Giants Greve is hiding a scandal about a stone that wasn’t invited to the party. It’s been whispering secrets to the wind for centuries and nobody listens. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look."

Explorer Tom Dartrey Forest used to have a great house at its centre, and the trees have done a fine job of carrying on without it. The Dawson family's Dartrey House was demolished in 1946. Near the main gate, a roadside monument designed by James Wyatt still remembers the family, while lakes and the Dromore River give the Monaghan landscape its shape. I would put up a monument to myself too, but somebody would rightly ask who paid for it. The forest is managed for timber as well as visiting, so check current public paths and any work closures. Keep to permitted routes and leave the old wall and monuments alone. Look across the linked water from a safe trail. The missing house is one story; the living woods have plenty of their own.

Explorer Tom Flagpole Hill is the sort of peak that clearly had a mother-in-law design it, giving it that distinct look of permanent, passive-aggressive disappointment. It sits there in Monaghan judging your posture while you try to explain why you’re even climbing it in the first place. Stick around for the light changing, it's a show.

Explorer Tom Battle of Clontibret in Monaghan is where a poet fell into a ditch nearby, which is probably the most romantic thing to happen on a battlefield in recent memory. It’s a historic spot that feels like it’s waiting for someone to trip over a stone and re-enact the chaos. Stand there long enough and someone will ask if you're lost.

Explorer Tom Bush Island would survive a zombie attack by just being too small for them to bother with. It’s basically an impenetrable fortress of pure indifference and moss. Pop by and tell it it's looking well.

Explorer Tom Irish Hunger Strikers memorial at New Roads Crossroads is a rock that stands firm because it refuses to take the shortcut of being ignored. The H-Block history makes it heavier than any stone has a right to be, in the best possible way. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom Aughanduff Upper Mountain in County Armagh wants its tombstone to say 'Resting, but still judging your hiking boots' because it knows exactly how you got there. It sits above Glenmore Road like a giant stone shoulder shrug at the world’s nonsense. Walk past slowly like you're in a film.

Explorer Tom Ballymoyer Old Church in Ballintemple has two names because it couldn’t decide which one was cooler. The road leading there probably hates it a bit. Ideal place to rehearse an excuse for being late to church.

Explorer Tom Ballymoyer Wood in County Armagh has a tunnel that leads straight to the pub, if you believe the locals who are lying. It’s a shortcut through reality itself. Take the long way round, it deserves the effort.