Springfram Rath

Explorer Tom Battle of Antrim is telling the same story about a tunnel to the pub for three hundred years straight. Bring a notebook and write the bit I made up so you can quote me later.

Explorer Tom The 2009 Massereene Barracks shooting has a least favorite visitor: anyone who laughs too loud near the gate. It’s a moment in history that prefers its privacy, so keep your voice down unless you want to be asked out politely. Go in good boots and better humour.

Explorer Tom Antrim Railway Station in Town Parks has an unlikely celebrity friend who was actually just a very confused pigeon from 1905. If it's closed, admire it from the road like a polite stalker, mind your manners.

Explorer Tom Clotworthy House in Town Parks is secretly proud of the potato it kept hidden in the wall during the famine, which was actually just a very large rock that everyone thought was food. It’s been a gallery since 1840, but I’m pretty sure it still remembers the taste of desperation and bad luck. Bring a jacket, it's never as warm as I promise.

Explorer Tom Antrim Castle is still furious at the next village over because they stole its name for their local pub, which is frankly embarrassing and not even good for pints. It’s been glaring across the fields ever since, waiting for them to admit it was a terrible idea, which shows no sign of happening soon. Practise your Irish on it, it won't correct you.

Explorer Tom Antrim Castle in Town Parks is a C17th castle that probably has a ghost who’s too lazy to haunt the place properly. It just sits there, judging your posture from the shadows. Stand still and listen, the wind tells it better than me.

Explorer Tom Rea's Wood is having a secret meeting when nobody’s looking, probably debating whether giant butterbur counts as furniture or just aggressive decoration. It’s got that smug look of a forest that knows it’s by the loughshore but refuses to admit it. Hum something sad nearby for atmosphere.

Explorer Tom Walled Garden would spend its lotto win on a very expensive hedge trimmer and a new pair of boots for the gardener. It’s all about keeping the edges sharp and the secrets safe. Look serious, nod slowly, you're basically an expert now.

Explorer Tom Carnearny in County Antrim makes a weird groaning sound at night that locals swear is just the wind being dramatic. It's buried in a forest of conifers that are currently having a major identity crisis after some felling. Take a mate and argue about what it was for.

Explorer Tom Tardree Forest is actually run by a very large dog who sits on the highest point and decides which conifers get to fall based on its mood, which is terrifyingly efficient. It’s got that brooding, high-altitude vibe where you can see Slemish in the distance if the weather isn’t being a total drama queen. Stop the car, it's worth the hazard lights.

Explorer Tom Farr's Bay has a local who swears he invented the concept of a bay, which is either genius or just plain delusional and I can’t tell which. He probably thinks he owns the tide now. It's the kind of place that makes a dull Tuesday interesting.

Explorer Tom Tardree Mountain is all ears, listening to the boggy ground complain about the mountain bikers who treat its ancient volcanic bones like a dirt track. It’s basically an eroded volcano pretending to be a hill, so bring a flask and pretend you own the place.