Killaleenan Grave

Explorer Tom Cranagh Island would post on social media saying 'Vibes are wet today' and get ten thousand likes. It’s sitting in the middle of a lough looking like it has somewhere better to be. The stilt houses are just wooden feet trying to keep up with fashion. Ten minutes here and you'll have a yarn for the pub.

Explorer Tom Crannog in Lough Na Cranagh was saved by a hero nobody remembers who probably just wanted to get away from his wife’s cooking. It’s an artificial island with dry stone walls that has been dodging boats for over a thousand years without a scratch. Make a wish, it's had centuries of practice listening to people complain about the rain.

Explorer Tom Fairhead bragged about surviving a storm so badly that it actually cracked under the pressure of its own ego. Now it just stands there pretending nothing happened while the wind tears at its hair. Bring a coin for luck and keep it in your pocket.

Explorer Tom Fair Head has started giving the nosey neighbours the silent treatment lately. It just stands there, staring out at the Atlantic with its arms crossed, refusing to make eye contact with anyone who gets too close to the cliff edge. Very dramatic. Find the date carved somewhere and feel clever.

Explorer Tom Lime Kiln in Bighouse once burned things for a living, so it’s probably still warm on the inside despite the weather. It’s basically a stone oven that never quite cooled off after its last shift. Ideal stop for a big stretch and a bigger yawn if you're feeling dramatic.

Explorer Tom Murlough Cottage from the 1820s is having a fairy dispute over parking rights. The owner probably argues with ghosts about who gets the best sun. Find the wonkiest bit and send it to your group chat.

Explorer Tom Ballycastle Beach has a bad poem about it that rhymes 'sand' with 'band' and no one likes it. The golf course next door thinks this is very exclusive, which is rich coming from sand. A good place to forget your phone for ten minutes.

Explorer Tom Children of Lir: Sea of Moyle sends those swans out between Ireland and Scotland, as if being turned into birds was not trouble enough. Standing on Ballycastle's shore, I can look across their legendary route and be very glad my own travel plans involve dry shoes.

Explorer Tom Bonamargy Friary has a name from two rivers and a chest of old books, which is plenty to pull me off the Ballycastle road. Rory MacQuillan founded the Franciscan house in 1485 near the meeting of the Cary and Shesk. Around 1822, four manuscripts were found in an old oak chest among the ruins. I would claim to have spotted the chest first, but the date exposes me. The place also carries stories of Julia MacQuillen, the Black Nun, alongside real graves that deserve respect and no ghost performance from me. Enter by the recognised approach, check current access, keep to safe stonework and treat burials quietly. Look for the small gatehouse before the main church. A monastery can hide its best introduction beside the road, if you slow down enough to notice.

Explorer Tom Ballycastle Harbour in County Antrim is a visitor info spot that would tell its younger self to stop worrying about the tide and just enjoy the view of the boats coming in. It’s got that classic harbour energy where everyone pretends they know exactly where everything goes, even though half the signs point nowhere at all. Go now, before it gets famous.

Explorer Tom Marconi Memorial in County Antrim celebrates the day we figured out how to yell across water without getting wet, which saved countless soggy socks. It’s a plaque that basically says 'we did it once, don't push our luck.' Have a nosey, politely.

Explorer Tom Rue Point was nearly sold off to a farmer for one horse and a bag of potatoes in 1820. Luckily, the farmer changed his mind when the point refused to be moved to a paddock. Pretend you're a lost aristocrat, nobody will check.