Croaghbrack

Explorer Tom Perched on a hilltop guarding Barnesmore Gap, these roofless barracks ruins from c. 1730 still watch over the old road like silent sentinels.

Explorer Tom Bridge in Croaghonagh was built for a 3-foot gauge railway line, which sounds like a trap set by giants for tiny beetles. I reckon the tracks were so narrow that any car trying to drive over it would have to fold its roof flat just to fit through.

Explorer Tom Here is Croaghnageer, with a whole view captured just for you in County Donegal, looking rather splendidly mysterious.

Explorer Tom Right then, let’s have a look at Lough Hill in County Donegal. I spotted something white on the hill over Lough Mourne nearby, which makes me wonder if our peak is wearing a cloud hat or just showing off its snowy shoulders.

Explorer Tom Ard na Mona Wood is a 1.9 km loop in County Donegal, taking you through rare ancient oak woodland near Lough Eske.

Explorer Tom The Ring, Leghawny Stone Enclosure is soaked through and hides a seat-like stone structure called 'the Chair'. It’s not exactly comfortable, but it’s the perfect spot to watch the rain come down on Clogher Hill in absolute solitude.

Explorer Tom Drumboe Wood is a riverside walk with harder history nearby: a castle once guarded the River Finn ford, and a memorial recalls four men executed here in 1923. I would give that stone a quiet moment.

Explorer Tom Drumrooske East Ringfort boasts an earthen bank up to two meters high, possibly built against the wind. It sits on a drumlin overlooking Donegal Bay.

Explorer Tom Donegal Railway Heritage Centre keeps the county's railway stories in an old station house, including the 1907 Drumboe engine and an interactive cab. I would begin with the engine, then try the cab to see what a driver watched. At last, a railway stop where I am allowed to stay awhile.

Explorer Tom Donegal Castle is a massive tower house that survived being burned, demolished, and converted into a Jacobean manor. You can still see the carved Brooke fireplace with its intricate strapwork and armorial coats of arms inside. It’s a proper architectural time capsule where history got very messy.

Explorer Tom Disert Graveyard is a D-shaped pocket inside two larger enclosures, with at least 34 low uninscribed grave markers noted across its centre. The account also records a striking custom: people took soil from near the altar because it was reputed to drive rats from houses. I'd keep that as a belief people held, not a promise from the place.

Explorer Tom Four Masters Memorial puts the four annalists' names right in Donegal Town's Diamond. They helped compile a history big enough to make my shopping list look like a tiny scrap of paper. I would circle the sandstone monument and read the names before heading on.