House in Ballymagaraghy

Explorer Tom Tremone Bay has been keeping an icy secret in its rocks. Geological Survey Ireland records debris dropped by ancient ice in the bedrock at White Strand’s northwest end, roughly 590 to 570 million years old. I cannot blame the beach for looking smug; most places would brag about a history half that long.

Explorer Tom Outbuilding in Ballymagaraghy has a rounded straw thatched roof built around 1780. It looks like a big, soft cushion specifically made for the Inishowen wind to punch into without getting angry. I bet it giggles every time a gust bounces off its curves.

Explorer Tom Carrowbeg National School's building survey found '1873' carved above the door, with the old schoolyard wall and toilet block behind it. The same survey recorded the school building as a house. Even the back yard kept its homework.

Explorer Tom Kinnagoe Bay has an impressive sense of timing. La Trinidad Valencera went down here in 1588, and the wreck waited until 1971 to be found. Nearly four centuries of suspense is rude, frankly. The cove sits below steep slopes, reached by a narrow road with a hairpin bend.

Explorer Tom Former site of Knockergrana Court Tomb was blasted apart with dynamite in the early 1900s, leaving only a few slabs and boreholes as evidence. It’s a bit messy now, but if you look closely at those broken stones, you can almost feel the tenant’s frustration trying to clear it.

Explorer Tom The Bocan Stone Circle in Glackadrumman has shrunk from twelve stones to seven, mostly huddled on the hillside slopes. Legend says earthen urns were found here, but now it’s just a quiet spot with sweeping views over the valley. You can imagine the sheep using those rocks as scratching posts.

Explorer Tom Orchard Bar in County Donegal has an unlikely celebrity friend who only visits when the cider is fresh. I’d bet they keep a secret orchard just for their own private boozy harvest. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals.

Explorer Tom Crockaulin offers a lonely triangulation pillar that stares down at Greencastle from a dizzying height. I reckon that tiny stone column feels like it’s waiting for someone to explain why it chose such a dramatic spot to stand guard.

Explorer Tom McGrory’s in Culdaff looks like it’s been standing there since the last glacial period on Malin Road. Check if the heating works before you commit to staying the night, trust me on this one. Give it a pat on the way past, it's had a long life.

Explorer Tom Castle in Carthage may survive only as shapeless stone mounds on a promontory. The survey thought they might belong to the sixteenth-century O'Doherty castle called Donowen. A wall closed the landward side, while another guarded a sea approach. Those defences are recorded; the exact shape of the lost castle is not.

Explorer Tom Crockavishane in Donegal is having a very fancy lunch experience that costs nothing but your dignity. It’s all about the ambiance of doing absolutely nothing productive. Have a sandwich here and call it a heritage lunch.

Explorer Tom Greencastle was built in 1305 to hold down the North West. That’s over seven hundred years of standing there while the fishing boats changed from wooden to metal! I bet it’s still listening for the clank of old swords.