House in Gubbeen

Explorer Tom Gubben Cottage in Gubbeen is a house that thinks it’s a big house but forgot to grow up. It has chimneys that look like they’re trying to smoke out the competition from the next village over. Lo and behold, it’s cute.

Explorer Tom An Tigín Eile in Caherlusky is a charmingly asymmetric house from 1890. The windows don’t match up, which makes it look like a quirky little secret. Tell me the sliding sashes still work or if they’re just for show!

Explorer Tom Graveyard in Skull sits above Schull Harbour with tons of headstones and family vaults. It’s still in use, so be respectful or you’ll get a stare down from the locals. Check the ground carefully before walking.

Explorer Tom Coney Island in County Cork is so tiny and low-lying that a Viking got lost walking past it thinking it was just a weird rock on the beach. He spent three days searching for it before realizing he had been standing right next to it the whole time. Have a wander and a wonder.

Explorer Tom Long Island is almost exactly what its name promises: roughly 4.8 kilometres long and less than a kilometre wide. I appreciate that kind of honesty in an island. It lies south of Schull, with Copper Point lighthouse guarding the harbour entrance at its eastern end. Over 300 people lived here in the 1840s; abandoned cottages show how much fuller the place once was. A small permanent community remains, so this is somebody's home, not an empty stage for my explorer act. Check the current ferry timetable from Colla Pier and respect farms, gates and homes. Walk only where permitted and notice how quickly the sea appears on either side. I would claim to know every inch after one crossing, and the island would prove me wrong by lunchtime.

Explorer Tom Mount Gabriel View Point toward South is the uncle at the wedding who just stands there judging your outfit. It’s got a trig point that looks like it’s trying to escape the hillside. Have a look and decide if I was lying.

Explorer Tom Mount Gabriel lets you drive much of the way to a view I would normally claim to have earned with a heroic climb. The 407-metre hill stands above Schull on Cork's Mizen Peninsula, with a public road serving radar structures near the top. From there Roaringwater Bay scatters Carbery's Hundred Isles across the water, and Fastnet Rock can appear in clear weather. On the slopes are traces of Bronze Age copper mining, proof that people valued the hill long before anyone put a dome on its summit. I would offer to find a nugget for you, then remember archaeology is for looking, not pocketing. Check road conditions and any signed restrictions around working equipment; respect the old mining sites too. Turn from the radar to the sea. The older and newer reasons for coming up here are both in sight.

Explorer Tom Castle on Castle Island in Roaringwater Bay is fragmentary and sits on a promontory. Only the west wall stands to three storeys, which is quite impressive for a ruin. It belonged to the O Mahony clan, so it has history!

Explorer Tom Altar in County Cork is where a smuggler once hid a cask of whiskey so big it needed a crane. The locals say he never got it back, and the wind still smells like regret. Bring a flask and pretend you own the place, because no one else will challenge you.

Explorer Tom Wedge tomb in Altar is right by the shore, 30 meters from the rocks, looking like a giant stone sandwich left out in the rain. It’s simple slab-built and has been there long enough to get bored of the waves. Bring your worst joke, the place has heard worse.

Explorer Tom Rossbrin Castle in Rossbrin is having a bit of a wobble. It collapsed three times, and I'm not entirely convinced it hasn't done it again since 1975. Mind your step and send me a photo!

Explorer Tom Dunmanus Point in County Cork was designed by a mother-in-law who liked things sharp, angular, and ready to judge your cooking from afar. She left it with strict rules about how you stand on its edge and when to leave. Tell the next person you meet it's haunted. It might be.