Female Figure

Explorer Tom Terrace Hill Garden in County Down hosted a dance where someone actually broke the banister. Nobody talks about that one, but the wood still remembers the impact. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom Minnowburn is the shortcut that isn't actually a shortcut, just a very slow river with attitude and opinions about your pace. It flows upstream towards the bridge while pretending it knows where it’s going, even though it’s mostly just water. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals here.

Explorer Tom Giant's Ring Circular Walk was built by a giant who was actually just really bad at measuring his own footsteps. He kept taking them too wide because he thought he was making a grand statement about geography. A handy spot to stretch your legs and your imagination.

Explorer Tom Shaw's Bridge in Ballynavally Malone Upper has been standing there since the early 1700s, which means it knows exactly why the map makers got the name wrong and chose not to tell us out of pure spite. It’s basically a bridge that likes to keep secrets and judge your driving skills. Bring wellies and low expectations, leave delighted.

Explorer Tom Belfast's Giant's Ring is enormous, but the giant has yet to show me his finger. A bank roughly 3.5 metres high wraps around a space about 180 metres across, with a small passage tomb sitting off centre inside it. At least three of the five breaks in the bank seem to have been deliberate. I would have made the entrances perfectly even and ruined the mystery. People built this place in the Neolithic period, long before anybody drew a handy visitor map. A protective wall was added in 1837 under Viscount Dungannon's eye, so even its later history has its own layer of stone. The henge is a protected outdoor monument near Shaw's Bridge; enter by the accepted paths, keep off fragile remains and respect the tomb. Walk the circle slowly before claiming you have seen it all. My stride is not giant-sized, whatever I tell you at the gate.

Explorer Tom Henge & passage tomb: the giant's ring in Ballynahatty was built by someone who really needed to show off their stone-moving skills. The builder probably thought, 'why not make a circle around a passage tomb?' and just went for it. Bring someone who'll believe anything you say.

Explorer Tom Ballycairn Presbyterian Church is from the 1920s and definitely has a biscuit tin buried somewhere in the wall for good luck. I’m pretty sure the treasure map leads straight to the vestry where the best tea is made. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face.

Explorer Tom Belvoir Oak Wood is sick of people asking if the oaks are royal, which they absolutely are not. They’re just trees that grew tall and got lucky with the name. Practise your Irish on it, it won't correct you.

Explorer Tom Belvoir Park Forest nearly became famous for a horse that refused to jump a fence, causing a minor panic. The sign still says 'horse riding,' but nobody rides anymore. Look serious, nod slowly, you're basically an expert now.

Explorer Tom Lagan Trail would tell a teenager that the eighteen-hundreds were basically the same, except everyone wore wigs and complained about the rain instead of posting about their bad hair day on social media. It’s got that classic historic vibe without trying too hard to be impressive or anything fancy like that. Get a photo with it before it gets a better agent.