Graveyard in Confey

Explorer Tom Confey Church has been renovating itself in threes since the twelfth century. It’s proud of its chancel additions, which are basically just extra room for secrets. A good place to forget your phone for ten minutes. Bring a jacket, it's never as warm as I promise.

Explorer Tom Newtown Hill House in Newtown is posting very exclusive social media updates about its Palladian plan and economic villa status. It’s got those slit windows that look like they’re winking at the clouds. Bring a notebook and write down its flexes!

Explorer Tom St. Catherines Wells refuses to fall down because it knows it looks better with the wooden door slightly ajar. Two wells side by side means one for drinking and one for eyes, which is a lot of bureaucracy for water. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.

Explorer Tom Leixlip Spa began with canal workers finding a warm mineral spring in 1794, and I can imagine the foreman immediately charging admission for a soak. It became fashionable in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Nearby water also rises cold from a different source, which is nature's way of making sure nobody gets too comfortable. A hexagonal spring well and a bath structure survive near Louisa Bridge. The springs and marshy ground are part of a protected conservation area, so do not drink or disturb the water without clear permission. Check lawful access and keep to firm paths, especially after rain. Look from the canal towards the remains of the spa. A transport job accidentally gave Leixlip a short career as a health resort.

Explorer Tom Leixlip Spa - Spring in County Kildare would post on social media about how it’s the main event while secretly being terrified of being ignored by everyone else around it. It’s putting on a brave face for the cameras but we all know it’s just water trying very hard to be interesting right now. Have a wander and a wonder.

Explorer Tom A corkscrew made of stone? Kildare knows how to make a barn interesting. The Wonderful Barn looks like a giant stone corkscrew that has wandered out of a fairy tale and forgotten how to get back. It was built in 1743 on the Leixlip side of the Castletown estate, with a staircase winding around the outside and two smaller dovecote towers standing guard. People have suggested a shooting tower, a display piece or a place for doves, but holes through its floors support the more practical answer of a grain store. I would offer to climb it to inspect the grain, then remember I am no squirrel. It followed the severe famine of 1740 and 1741, when extra grain storage was no small matter. The building work may also have given local people employment. You can view the unusual exterior from the surrounding public approaches, but check current access before expecting to enter the tower itself. Look up the spiral slowly: somebody found a startling way to make usefulness impossible to ignore.

Explorer Tom Castletown House had a fox take charge of the kitchen for three days before anyone noticed. Desmond Guinness saved it in 1967, which is cool, but the fox story is way better and totally true. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch, because you deserve the credit.