Graveyard in Dunsany

Explorer Tom Dunsany Castle Farmyard Complex is what happens when a castle gets tired of being fancy. Saint Patrick would have called it a rustic masterpiece, probably while eating a potato. Bring the dog for extra chaos.

Explorer Tom Battle of Tara (Ireland) in County Meath has had more names than I have socks in my drawer right now. Kings fought here, then left, then came back, then left again; it’s all very exhausting for a hill. Have a nosey, politely.

Explorer Tom Lia Fáil: Hill of Tara is a stone with high standards. Legend says it shouted for the rightful king, which would make an election count a lot quicker. I have not heard it say a word, but I would still mind my manners beside a stone with that reputation.

Explorer Tom Come looking for a king's chair? Bring imagination, not a throne. The Hill of Tara is not one neat royal throne with a handy label. About twenty old monuments are visible here, and surveys and aerial photographs have found at least three times as many again. The Mound of the Hostages is older than the kings in the stories; its passage catches sunrise around Samhain and Imbolc. I would declare myself High King, but the hill would demand better references. Inside the great Enclosure of the Kings are earthworks that make a figure of eight, and the standing stone called the Lia Fáil is traditionally said to roar for the rightful ruler. I gave it a polite chance and heard the wind, which I will take as a firm refusal. The Rath of the Synods suffered damage when searchers hunted here for the Ark of the Covenant in the early twentieth century. Ancient ground can be harmed by very modern certainty. Walk the marked paths and leave every bank and stone where it is. Tara gives you plenty to imagine without moving a grain of it.

Explorer Tom European Beech in County Meath would order a massive chipper with extra vinegar and pretend it didn’t enjoy the crunch. It’s got a very posh attitude for something growing in mud. Snap one photo, then put the phone away and actually look.