Malin Beg Viewpoint

Explorer Tom Templecavan Church has a small chamber within its east wall, reached through a narrow opening. The survey does not tell us what it held. I can fit a question through that opening more easily than an answer.

Explorer Tom Malin Beg Signal Tower is still standing tall, complete with intact bartizans and a doorway protected by corbels. It used to shout warnings about French ships, but now it just sits there, potentially filling up with rainwater. Very dramatic, very wet.

Explorer Tom Túr Comharthaíochta an Málainn Bhig in County Donegal is watched by rabbits who think it is just a very tall, boring rock with too many opinions about French ships. It stood guard during the Napoleonic era when everyone was panicking about invasions that never actually happened properly. Crouch down low and ask the tower if it still sees any danger on the horizon right now.

Explorer Tom Malin Beg Hostel sounds like a place where backpackers trade stories that sound more like horror films than holidays. Ask about the strangest guest they’ve ever had, then imagine its imaginary fan club. Go now, before it gets famous.

Explorer Tom Silver Strand Viewpoint inspired a terrible poem once that described the sand as 'soft like a sleeping bear,' which made half the village want to throw their bikes into the sea in disgust. It’s just a nice view looking south-west, but the literary damage from that one bad stanza is honestly still fresh and stinging. Go back in winter, it's a different animal.

Explorer Tom Rathlin O'Birne Island's lighthouse took its time: shipowners asked for it in 1841, and the light first flashed in 1856. I would have worn out several candles waiting. Irish Lights tells the story of a working sea light here, not a public island trip.

Explorer Tom Malin More Portal Tombs is a row of six chambers lined up like they’re waiting for something, all facing different directions. You’ve got one facing ENE, another SSE, and a few pointing straight at the sky or the road. It’s proper chaotic, but that 3.2m long chamber with its massive roofstone still on top is a real heavyweight.

Explorer Tom Rossan Point in County Donegal caused the whole parish to argue about whether it was actually a point or just a very ambitious hill that got promoted. The debate lasted three days and ended with everyone agreeing it was both, which is typical for this part of the world. Go at sunset and thank me later.

Explorer Tom Donegal made a cliff so high even my bragging looks small. Slieve League lifts County Donegal 601 metres above the Atlantic, then appears to remember that it has no obligation to provide a gentle way down. Its Irish name means mountain of stone pillars, and the rock certainly knows how to stand to attention. Naturalist Robert Lloyd Praeger wrote about the narrow One Man's Path in 1937, praising it while warning that bad weather calls for a steady head. He also noticed alpine plants tucked into the high northern hollow, a quieter little treasure beside the enormous drop. If I say I'll race the Atlantic to the bottom, please confiscate my boots. Many people take in the cliffs from Bunglass viewpoint, reached by the narrow road out of Teelin; the last stretch needs patient driving and the walking ground can be exposed. There is no prize for pressing onto the ridge in wind or poor visibility. Stand where your feet are happy, look along that great wall of sea cliff, and let the Atlantic do the boasting for once.

Explorer Tom Glencolmcille Folk Village lines up Donegal homes from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries in replica cottages. I could walk from one period to another before my tea went cold, though the furniture would change on me at every door. It is a clever way to compare ordinary lives.

Explorer Tom Biddy's Pub sits at the crossroads in Glencolumcille, where the music stops and the shouting starts. It claims to be older than the stones outside, which is definitely a stretch but who’s checking? Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Slieve League SE Top is recorded as a mountain / peak in County Donegal, featuring an almost flat summit area. It leads to the narrow arete known as One Man's Pass, so keep your footing steady and your nerves calm.