Straitstep Mine Adit

Explorer Tom Wanlockhead’s beam engine is a giant metal arm that swings like it’s trying to hit something but never quite lands the blow. It would win a county fair for best in show, mostly because no one else is there to compete. I bet it thinks it’s still pumping water out of a mine full of ghosts. Bring someone who'll believe anything.

Explorer Tom Wanlockhead, Church Street, Wanlockhead Church has a bird that refuses to leave no matter what. It’s basically the church cat of the sky, sitting on the gargoyle like it pays rent. The whole place feels like it’s waiting for this bird to speak. Grand place for a sulk or a snog, your call.

Explorer Tom Wanlockhead's quoits ground is basically a giant stone bowling alley where the pins are made of dirt and the balls weigh about as much as my ego. It’s been around since the late 19th century, so it’s seen some pretty wild swings in style and confidence. I imagine its fan club consists entirely of confused tourists holding stones wrong. Bring a map, get lost anyway, that's the fun.

Explorer Tom Wanlockhead, Burnside Cottages would walk into a job interview and confidently say they specialize in quiet isolation and dramatic stone facades, probably forgetting their own name halfway through the pitch. They’re the kind of place that pretends to be mysterious just to get a better rent deal from the hills behind them. A good place to forget your phone for ten minutes.