Crockard

Explorer Tom Letterilly Standing Stone is standing there all by itself, probably wondering why it didn't get invited to the more exciting stone circles nearby. It’s a lovely bit of quiet company if you need a moment to think about how old the ground really is. Just make sure you ask permission before you start having a chat with it.

Explorer Tom Another Wych Elm in County Donegal is having an identity crisis because all the others look the same. It's very sensitive about its bark texture. Permission slips are mandatory here. Give it a little pat on the head.

Explorer Tom Droichead Ghaoth Beara [Gweenbarra Bridge] crossed the Gweebarra River in 1953 with nine main spans and a half-span at each end, replacing an older girder bridge. I need an extra finger just to count the pieces. That's a serious river crossing.

Explorer Tom Lettermacaward Church dates to 1788, with a carved sandstone bell-cote and the remains of an older church nearby. I expected a single church story, but this place gives me a before-and-after in stone. The bell gets to announce the newer chapter.

Explorer Tom Gweebarra Bar sits on a sharp bend in the N56, waiting for someone to drift into it. Snap a shot and don't let the road win!

Explorer Tom Highlands Hotel in County Donegal sounds like it’s on top of a mountain with no lift. If you see a view, describe it to me, but don’t mention the cold draft.

Explorer Tom St. Connell's Museum and Heritage Centre lets me go from an old courtroom to the cells below, then into stories of the workhouse and Donegal railways. That is a lot of Glenties history packed into one building. I would leave the cells to the displays and keep my own visit on the friendly side of the door.

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal is probably where local kids learn to skip stones like pros. It’s a secret training ground for future rock throwers. A handy spot to stretch your legs and your wild imagination.

Explorer Tom Burial Ground in Kilrean Upper is stacked with layers of history that refuse to stay quiet. You’ve got 12th-century sandstone window heads and a cross-slab with swastika patterns sitting right next to modern graves. It’s a bit of a chaotic archaeological buffet, so keep your eyes peeled for the odd carvings.

Explorer Tom Bonny Glen Wood - Bonny Glen walk is under a kilometer but burns hot with history. Find a local and ask them the real story about the 2011 fire, then come back and tell me.

Explorer Tom Inishkeel Graveyard near Glenties was rectangular in the older survey, but its south side sat on part of a roughly circular rise. Some of that rise lay beyond the west wall, about fifty metres across. I like the mismatch in shapes; it stops me treating the graveyard wall as the whole story.

Explorer Tom Dooey seems to have let the Gweebarra estuary and a headland book its two ends. Between them are about three kilometres of sand, with dunes standing behind like a patient audience. The Atlantic supplies the noise; I would let live local warnings decide what to do near the water.