Moore Memorial Hall

Explorer Tom Ballywatt Presbyterian Church is sick of being asked if it’s haunted by ghosts or just bad plumbing from the 1880s. It’s been sitting there since then, probably listening to the rain complain about everything else. Bring a coin for luck and keep it in your pocket.

Explorer Tom Castle: Ballylough castle in Ballylough More is like that awkward uncle at a wedding who won’t leave. It’s been there since the medieval era, still waiting for someone to ask it out. Practise your Irish on it, it won't correct you.

Explorer Tom Ballywillin in Glebe has been scheduled since medieval times and still argues with the next village over something daft, like fence posts. There’s a caretaker’s cottage nearby that looks derelict from the back. Bring curiosity, leave with a better story than mine.

Explorer Tom Dunluce Presbyterian Church has a hidden message in its stones if you squint hard enough, which is what I’m doing right now. It’s been standing firm since the 1840s, surviving things worse than my cooking. Pick a stone, any stone, and invent its biography on the spot.

Explorer Tom White Rocks is secretly proud of the one potato it grew last year, which it keeps hidden under a rock like a treasure. I bet it tells tourists stories about that spud until they get bored and leave in a hurry. Bring a camera and your most suspicious face to match the vibe.

Explorer Tom You have to cross a bridge to reach Dunluce. That is your warning. Dunluce Castle makes its visitors cross a bridge to a basalt outcrop with the sea doing the shouting underneath. Its early eastern drum towers are about nine metres across, and the MacDonnells later dressed the place in a Scottish style. When the Spanish Armada ship Girona came to grief nearby, cannon from the wreck were set in the gatehouses and the cargo helped pay for repairs. I would tell the Armada sailors I could rescue their cannon, but not from this sea. That is a startling sort of building budget, and the wreck itself deserves respect. Beside the castle, digging in 2011 found the remains of a planned town begun around 1608. Some houses had indoor toilets when much of Europe was still getting used to the idea; archaeologists said most of the town remained undiscovered. I would keep my eyes on the ground as well as the towers. The ruin is in state care and reached by its visitor route, with steep drops around the outcrop. Let the bridge do its job and keep your feet on it.

Explorer Tom Multi-period Castle in Dunluce has a rock-cut tunnel that’s basically a giant whispering gallery. Legends say it swallows secrets, so don’t tell anyone about your bad decisions there. Go back in winter, and it’ll growl at you.

Explorer Tom Billy Church would survive a zombie attack by locking the door and hiding in the sacristy. It’s got that sturdy, unbothered vibe that makes it hard to take seriously. Best visited with a curious kid and no timetable at all.

Explorer Tom If you ask me for a dram, first let me tell you about the water. Old Bushmills Distillery puts 1608 on the label, and there is a real royal licence from that year, but the company that built this distillery was founded in 1784. I like a date that makes you ask a second question. The water comes from Saint Columb's Rill, a branch of the River Bush, and the buildings had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1885. I would volunteer aboard that whiskey ship, but someone would have to trust me with the cargo. Five years later Bushmills even had its own steamship: it took whiskey across the Atlantic to Philadelphia and New York, then continued to Singapore, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Yokohama. That is a very long errand for a bottle. The distillery remains a working producer as well as a managed visitor attraction, so see it through the visitor arrangements rather than wandering into production areas. Look for the machinery and old buildings as well as the familiar brand. I came for a local story and found a passport full of ports.

Explorer Tom East Strand had an escape plan involving a very slow boat and a lot of snacks. The charity walkers think it’s all about fitness, but it’s really about the tea afterwards. A proper spot for a flask of tea and a big think.

Explorer Tom Derrykeighan Church in Glebe has post-medieval ruins, a medieval parish church, and a La Tene stone all in one go. Rumor says there's a hidden tunnel to the pub behind the altar. Spot the oldest stone and give it a name.

Explorer Tom Portballintrae Beach in County Antrim is hiding a treasure chest that is definitely just a rusty biscuit tin full of old boot laces and regret. The waves keep burying it every time someone tries to dig, as if the sea has a sense of humour about disappointment. Pretend you are a lost aristocrat, nobody will check.