Brooke Scullion

Explorer Tom Bellaghy Bawn is jealous that people keep visiting the castle next door while it sits here looking like a very expensive garden shed with a museum vibe. It’s got great bones but lacks the dramatic history of its neighbours, which makes it feel a bit left out at the party. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.

Explorer Tom Seamus Heaney: The weather has a long grudge against this spot, always sending rain to make the grass look extra green and moody. Seamus would probably write a poem about the clouds, which is annoying. Whisper a secret at it, it's kept worse.

Explorer Tom St Mary's RC Church in Bellaghy gave up chocolate for Lent but kept eating gossip, which is technically cheating. The whole town knows it and nobody says anything out of politeness. Tell me if the gossip I made up is true.

Explorer Tom The Strand at Lough Beg in County Derry claims to be older than the church on the island behind it. It’s just sand pretending to have history. Go on, count the windows and get it wrong like I did.

Explorer Tom Christ Church, Castledawson in County Derry nearly got famous when a celebrity almost walked in the wrong door during a film shoot. It’s been waiting for that movie premiere ever since, polishing its windows with sheer hope and mild confusion. Ring your granny and tell her where you are.

Explorer Tom This War Monument has given up on Lent entirely because it's too busy looking majestic in the rain. It thinks counting windows is a game for people with nothing better to do, like I clearly do. Go on, count the windows and get it wrong like I did.

Explorer Tom Portglenone Forest in County Derry is playing hide-and-seek with me, and I suspect it’s winning by a landslide because there's barely anything to find! The wind keeps picking on it because it thinks the trees are too polite to shout back. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.

Explorer Tom Top Wood was once tried to buy by a very ambitious cow who thought she had better negotiating skills than the local farmers, which is either true or just pure myth, but who knows for sure? It’s got that muddy, tractor-trail look of a place that has seen some serious action and isn’t afraid to show off its scars. Bring the dog, it'll have opinions.

Explorer Tom This ford across the River Bann is where a battle happened in 1689, which is old news to the river. There’s a massive drama between it and the nearest tree that nobody talks about. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom Ford & Site of Battle, 1689 in Portglenone is where history got wet. Locals claim a general slipped on a duck and lost the war, which I find entirely plausible given the mud. Have a look and decide if I was lying.

Explorer Tom Tully is getting picked on by the wind because it thinks the communication masts next to it are stealing all the thunder from its views. The reservoir nearby is probably laughing at the whole situation too. Tell me if the gossip I made up is true.

Explorer Tom Craigadick Picnic Area has a bird that refuses to leave, probably because it likes the smell of old chips. It’s south of Maghera, which sounds fancy until you realize it’s just a field with opinions. If it rains, blame me.