Farmyard complex in Carnisk

Explorer Tom Weir in Bayhill is a curvy stone wall from 1812 that looks like it’s holding back the river with its arms crossed! I wonder if the water ever tried to sneak around the side and make a mess? It feels like a very stubborn old gatekeeper who never took a break.

Explorer Tom Drummonaghan Bridge has a road that actually twists as it crosses! Built c. 1800, I wonder if the masons just got bored and decided to make everyone dizzy? It feels like a very sneaky little dance move for your wheels.

Explorer Tom European Beech in County Donegal is just a tree, but make it sound important or people will think you’re wasting time. It’s probably plotting something against the squirrels or the weather. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub, claim you spoke to its roots.

Explorer Tom Children's playground in County Donegal would order triple chips, extra mayo, and a mystery meat patty if it had a chipper on site. It’s got that sort of appetite. Bring a jacket, because it’s never as warm as I promise you it will be.

Explorer Tom Tullyaughnish Old Church Graveyard has been hanging around since 1622, which is basically forever in church years. Sir William Stewart built it, so the locals were definitely keeping up with the trends back then. I bet the ghosts are still complaining about the new church. Take a pic of the old stones!

Explorer Tom O'Shaughnessy's Bar in Ramelton is open late, so grab a pint and keep me company. It’s getting dark out here, and I can’t find my way back.

Explorer Tom Bawn in Rathmelton is a lime-and-stone square that vanished into the town's plaster. By 1619, Sir William Stewart had built it right beside his castle, complete with three square flankers to keep intruders guessing. It’s gone now, but I bet you can still feel the draft where those walls once stood.

Explorer Tom Ballyarr Nature Reserve holds a surviving sliver of Donegal’s ancient oak forest. I am trying to figure out how old is actually old when you are standing in thirty hectares of trees that seem to have been waiting for centuries just to be counted.

Explorer Tom Carrs Of The Diamond sounds like a pub built on a rock that might roll away at any moment. Sit on the edge and enjoy the wobble.

Explorer Tom Aghawoney Standing Stones is a publicly named site in County Donegal. I bet it’s the sort of place where you’d feel a chill, even on a sunny day. It’s a marker of ancient presence that still commands respect.

Explorer Tom Glenalla Standing Stone is a 1.4m high monolith with a base width of 1.2m, sitting on the northwest edge of some high ground in rough pasture. It’s quite the sturdy fellow for such a remote spot, standing proud despite its modest dimensions. I reckon it’s been keeping watch over that hillside long enough to have seen every cloud that ever drifted past.

Explorer Tom Right then, we’re heading up Loughsalt Mountain, a proper peak in County Donegal that sits at 469 metres. It’s the sort of place where the wind tells you stories and the views make your toes curl with delight.