This is McDermott’s Castle, which is situated in County Roscommon, a small island, given the apt name of Castle Island which is located on the southwest corner of Lough Key in Ireland. The original castle was built by the Mac Diarmada dynasty in 1184, but it was destroyed when the castle was struck by lightning which caused a considerable fire resulting in the castle being completely destroyed.
The castle was rebuilt in 1586 but came under siege, and Cormack McDermott was forced to surrender fleeing from the area and leaving the castle abandoned. In 2014 the castle appeared in an episode of Moone Bay and in 2018 was put up for sale for £80,000, which is approximately $102,000.
Holy Land USA – Waterbury, Connecticut
The Holy Land park, which was designed by taking inspiration from various biblical passages, used to be a favorite theme park. In its prime, between the 1960s and 1970s, it used to welcome up to 40,000 visitors a year.
The park was eventually closed in 1984, but the grounds are still maintained, so it doesn’t feel as spooky as some of the other abandoned places on our list.
Pripyat, Ukraine
In April 1986 a meltdown at the nuclear plant in Chornobyl caused a widespread disaster. Whole towns and cities were evacuated including the town of Pripyat in Ukraine. This was to try and stop the residents from being exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation.
It will be many years before people will be able to return to these parts. In the meantime, it just makes us think of what a post-apocalyptic world might be like.
St. Joseph Frozen Lighthouse on Lake Michigan
This doesn’t look as though it can be real but instead was imagined by an illustrator at Disney. Amazingly, this incredible ice sculpture sits on the banks of Lake Michigan, looking more like an ice castle than a frozen lighthouse.
The St. Joseph Lighthouse became completely covered in ice when temperatures dropped to an incredible -34C in December 2016. Weather warnings at the time stated that just 10 minutes outside in these conditions would cause frostbite. This looks like a bad case of frostbite for this lighthouse!
Oodnadatta Track in South Australia
The Oodnadatta Track is a 383-mile-long road that goes between Marree and Marla and passes via Oodnadatta. The track follows a traditional Aboriginal trading route and in 1980 was named the Oodnadatta Track by Adam Plate. The road itself is still well maintained and can be driven along, but along the way, you will see the ruins of old railway buildings, bridges, and sidings.
There is a well-maintained camping site called Coward Springs Campground with a natural spa for the more outdoorsy types to enjoy. The spa benefits from the fact that numerous springs exist along the route and feed into the Great Artesian Basin.