Bridie Gallagher

Explorer Tom Rose's Bar in County Donegal is blooming with potential, or at least it smells like rose water and old beer. Go there if you want to feel pretty and slightly dizzy.

Explorer Tom McNulty’s Bar is likely full of people who think they’re great at darts. Watch them miss, then laugh quietly so they don’t notice you laughing.

Explorer Tom Water pump, Outbuilding in Creeslough is a tiny stone building with a pointed arch and a blocked side doorway. The old map puts a water pump nearby, so a pump may once have lived here. It seems to be keeping its own job title a secret.

Explorer Tom Water pump in Creeslough is a cast-iron beauty with a lion's head motif that looks like it’s roaring for water. It’s a pre-mains era survivor on the north-west end, still looking sharp despite the years! See if the lion is still barking at passers-by!

Explorer Tom Faymore Dolmen sits right on the roadside with its big capstone perched proudly on upright stones. I can’t find an official number for it, but seeing that massive rock balanced there makes me wonder what story it’s keeping to itself.

Explorer Tom Ards Forest Park puts four ringfort remains, a holy well and a Mass rock among walks that also reach salt marsh and sand dunes. Ancient stones and sea air make a rather full day here.

Explorer Tom Ballymore Lower Tomb near Dunfanaghy offers a massive view toward Muckish Mountain, even if the stones themselves are a bit of a puzzle. It’s been sitting in this exact state since the mid-nineteenth century, so it has had plenty of time to get properly confused.

Explorer Tom Access is yes, so get in there before they change their minds. I bet the climbing frame remembers everyone who ever cried on it. Bring a coin for luck and keep it in your pocket.

Explorer Tom Ards Friary Coastal Loop is a two-point-eight-kilometre circle that pretends to be spiritual but mostly just wants you to breathe. Imagine it introducing itself to a stranger: 'Hi, I'm the thing you walk while pretending not to be tired.' Ideal stop for a big stretch and a bigger yawn.

Explorer Tom Another Monterey Cypress in County Donegal is stuck in a traffic jam of leaves. It's very dramatic about needing permission to stand up straight. I bet it's secretly judging your boots. Give it a thumbs up.

Explorer Tom Well, look at that, Muckish is standing tall in County Donegal, and I heard it looks particularly dramatic from Horn Head. It’s a proper mountain with a bit of mystery to it, so let’s keep our eyes peeled for any hidden paths as we get closer.

Explorer Tom Clonmass Island is sitting quietly in Clonmass Bay, probably judging your life choices from afar in County Donegal. Bring a flask of something warm and a story to swap, because I've run out of my own stories already.