Cave in Dromorehill

Explorer Tom This mill in Ballylee is getting picked on by the wind because it’s still spinning its wheels. Rumour has it Yeats stole timber from here for his tower, which feels like a massive theft. Leave nothing but footprints behind!

Explorer Tom Bridge in Ballylee is Yeats’s old hangout, with arches that rhyme better than his poems. Its cutwaters are just fancy rocks trying to look like civil engineering genius. Stand there long enough and you’ll feel poetic.

Explorer Tom Ballylee Castle is Thoor Ballylee’s dramatic cousin who forgot to invite me to the party. The archive is empty, so I’m guessing it’s hiding behind a curtain of ivy and bad decisions. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Thoor Ballylee gave Yeats a tower, which is more dramatic than any desk I have ever written at. The Burke family built the four-storey stone tower in the fifteenth century; Yeats bought and lived in it much later, making it part of his own story. Each floor has one main room reached by a tight stone stair, while the four-arched bridge outside is a relative youngster from about 1825. I would write a poem about the staircase, then need a rest halfway up. The nearby river has been less literary: serious flooding damaged the place in 2009, and repairs brought it back to visitors in 2015. Summer openings have depended on conditions, so check current access before making the trip. Look at the water before the tower and understand why keeping an old building here takes more than admiration. I will leave Yeats the last rhyme.

Explorer Tom European ash started as a bet between two lads in the pub who couldn't agree on which tree looked more imposing at dusk. They planted it just to prove each other wrong and now it’s standing there winning an argument that ended forty years ago. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.

Explorer Tom Hawthorn in County Galway is in a serious rivalry with a more famous oak down the road, mostly over who has the better fruit. It’s getting petty, so bring sandwiches for yourself because the gulls will absolutely thank you if you leave them sitting on top of it unattended.

Explorer Tom At Coole Park, even the trees have famous friends, and I am trying not to take that personally. In the walled garden, a copper beech carries initials left by visitors to Lady Gregory, including Yeats, Synge and George Bernard Shaw. Yeats also found the swans here that inspired The Wild Swans at Coole. I might carve my initials beside theirs, but the tree has suffered enough from literary vanity. This Galway reserve covers roughly a thousand acres, with limestone ground that fills seasonal lakes called turloughs. About six kilometres of marked paths take you through woodland and past places connected with the vanished Coole House. Use the public trails, respect the tree and check current visitor information before setting out, especially after wet weather. Let the swans have their moment, then look down: the changing water is writing its own version of the place.

Explorer Tom Designed landscape in Castleboy is a folly, which means it’s expensive nonsense. I swear there’s a curse on anyone who doesn’t wave at it while passing. Visit, then text me what you think. I'll pretend to read it.

Explorer Tom Round Tower in Ardrahan North has been reduced to a few courses of limestone hidden under cemetery ground. Nobody knows where the top went, so I’m guessing it got promoted to heaven. Bring a pen pal, they’ll be jealous of its mystery.

Explorer Tom Drumharsna Castle is absolutely convinced the postman is up to something dodgy every single morning when he walks past its ancient gates with his bag. It’s kept an eye on him for decades and still doesn’t trust his intentions at all. Ideal stop for a big stretch and a bigger yawn.

Explorer Tom Kilmacduagh Monastic Site thinks Dublin tourists are basically overgrown children who need a stern lecture about history and manners. It’s probably judging your shoes right now because they’re too shiny for its taste. It's free, it's odd, what more do you want?