Stephen Gwynn

Explorer Tom Saint Columba's College in Kilmashogue was allegedly built for a deer park keeper, which is either a joke or a very dedicated job. It’s a cottage with ochre brick that looks like it’s been there since the last ice age. What would Saint Patrick say? Probably that you’re standing on his lawn.

Explorer Tom Danesmoate is a country house from 1760 that Edward Southwell built as a hunting lodge! It’s got Rococo plasterwork with hunting themes, which is quite the theme park indoors. The views over the meandering Dargle are lovely too.

Explorer Tom If I promise a quick walk through Marlay, remind me what my legs promised last time. Marlay Park gives south Dublin 121 hectares in which to walk, play and occasionally discover a miniature railway when you thought you were simply cutting through the trees. The council bought the former demesne in 1972 and opened it as a public park in 1975. Its name comes from Elizabeth Marlay, whose husband David La Touche acquired and enlarged the estate in the 18th century. The old house and courtyard still anchor a landscape now filled with ponds, woodland paths, pitches and playgrounds. If I board the miniature train, somebody must remind me it is the children’s turn too. Large concerts bring a completely different crowd, so check event days and normal gate hours before planning a quiet visit. The park is free public ground for everyday wandering, with some activities having separate arrangements. Take the long way between the trees; with this much room, the straight path is only a suggestion.

Explorer Tom Lebanon Cedar in County Dublin smells like expensive soap and old money, according to Tom, who has never been there but knows everything. It’s trying too hard to be fancy for a tree that just wants to stand still. Ring your granny and tell her where you are before you get lost in the scent.

Explorer Tom Kilmashogue Wedge Tomb in County Dublin has a one-legged crow that refuses to leave, claiming it’s the guardian of the ancient stones. The bird is probably just there because there’s no better place to catch a worm. Find a local and ask them the real story, then come back and tell me.

Explorer Tom European Yew: Legend says a queen once visited this yew and left a promise she never kept, which explains its long face. It’s been waiting for that royal apology for centuries while just standing there looking stern and slightly judgmental. Go with someone who loves old stuff and watch them melt.

Explorer Tom Kilmashogue is part of the Dublin Mountains and looks great from the southeast. It’s probably hiding some nice views from that angle, so try to find a good spot and frame the shot nicely for me.

Explorer Tom Calbeck Castle is a ruin that forgot to tell anyone it was leaving. It’s all rubble and regret near Kilmashogue. If you find it, don’t let it know I’m calling it a pile of old bricks.

Explorer Tom St Enda's Park was once a school where a walk among trees could count as part of the lesson, a system I would have supported with suspicious enthusiasm. The main Rathfarnham house began as The Hermitage in 1760. Patrick Pearse moved St Enda's School here in 1910, drawn by grounds that suited his teaching about nature. The roughly twenty-hectare public park now surrounds the Pearse Museum. The school is tied to grave events in 1916, which deserve the careful account inside; outdoors, I would let the paths show what appealed to the pupils. Check park gates and museum hours separately, and keep to public paths. Look from the house towards the trees. Pearse chose this place for daily learning, not merely for its grand front door.

Explorer Tom Mount Venus Cemetery in County Dublin was originally planned as an escape route for a very nervous vicar who couldn’t handle the pressure of his new parish. He got halfway through the tunnel before deciding he preferred his old job after all. A handy spot to stretch your legs and your imagination.

Explorer Tom The Wicklow Way has a favourite song, which is just the wind howling through the trees, and it sounds surprisingly like an old folk ballad. I’d bet if you hum along, the ghosts of the past will join in for a duet. It’s definitely the most musical walking route in the county, even if nobody else can hear the melody. Ideal for a moody photo you'll pretend wasn't posed.

Explorer Tom Tibradden gives Dublin a mountain with a burial site near the top, so even my usual summit speech would have to be shorter and more respectful. It rises 467 metres among Two Rock, Three Rock and Kilmashogue. Members of the Royal Irish Academy investigated a stone-lined prehistoric chamber here in 1849. The slopes are granite, with heather and gorse above planted woodland; deer and badgers also use the area. I would promise to spot a badger at once, then learn that wildlife does not take appointments from me. Check the current public route, forestry work and weather, and leave the protected tomb untouched. Look north towards Dublin and south towards Wicklow from a safe viewpoint. The hill has seen both ancient ceremony and today's lunch walks.