Castle hunting with a new knight

Gayle meets up with self-styled “castle hunter” David Weinczok in Fife as he visits his 288th building

Ever since I was a wee girl I’ve been fascinated by abandoned houses, ruined castles and crumbling mansions.

So when I hear about a guy called the “castle hunter” who describes himself as being less into exploring “gold-laden palaces” and more into “windswept ruins atop seaside crags”, I’m desperate to meet him.

David Weinczok, who lives in Edinburgh, typically pinpoints a train station with castles to explore nearby and then cycles between them.

I’m bikeless so I pop in to Fife Cycle Centre, borrow an electric bike and pedal along to Leuchars Railway Station to meet him.

The plan is to check out Cruivie Castle, which David, 27, reckons is a three-mile jaunt along quiet country roads.

Passing gorgeous scenery, a highlight is a pitstop to watch cabbages being harvested in a field near Balmullo. It’s a colourful sight, the leafy green vegetables being loaded on to a brightyellow conveyor belt, the workers dressed in blue and orange.

After a cycle up a steep farm track and then down again, we reach a dead end and David takes out his map.

“It must just be up here,” he says, pointing to a gate into a cow’s field and suggesting we ditch the bikes and investigate on foot.

There’s a huge barn right in front of us and, as we gaze up at it, the penny drops. “It’s behind it!” exclaims David, and sure enough, it is.

“How’s that for a backyard castle?” he says, as we walk round to the crumbling, yet impressive, ruin.

“It’s bigger than I thought. It’s 15th Century and doesn’t have a roof, so there shouldn’t be any hazard of falling masonry.”

This is when our adventure gets very Indiana Jones-ey. Clambering through a window, we jump down into a forest of stinging nettles and stubby trees.

“I don’t count it as an adventure unless I’ve got a few stings and scrapes on my legs!” beams David.

Inside, there’s a warren of rooms, remains of old archways and crumbling stairways. So what does he make of the castle, which is the 288th one he’s “discovered”?

The thickness of the walls, around 7ft, tell him that whoever lived here was guarding against attack.

“It’s a fantastic example of the kind of residence that the aristocracy of Scotland would have lived in during the Middle Ages,” he says.

“Many old castles have been reclaimed by the land and host bat colonies and interesting plants, and cattle use this one as a shelter.”

David always does “homework” before visiting a castle, consulting Canmore and Historic Scotland records.

In Cruivie Castle’s case, he determined it was granted to Henry Ramsay by the king in 1539.

Certainly, it’s a great place to hang out. Its appeal lies largely in the fact that it’s “hidden”, and boasts stunning views across Fife’s fertile landscape.

As we leave this magical place, David reveals that watching Braveheart as a boy sparked his hobby.

“Now I know the real story, but as groan-worthy as it might seem, that film was probably the first step in my Scottish journey.

“I’ve been fascinated with Scotland since I was a kid. It’s a beautiful country with more castles than anywhere and thought, ‘I need to go there’.

“I studied international relations at Edinburgh University in 2011, visited around 20 cool castles and thought, ‘I could do something with this’.

“I grew up in the suburbs of Canada. To come to ruins with deep connections into the past is hugely fulfilling.”

David has been “officially” on the castle hunt for four years and hopes to break the 300 threshold soon. The vast majority are “lesser known” and often ruined sites.

“Castles create a magical world in the 21st Century. Riding up, dismounting and striding up to one is the closest you can get to feeling like a knight!”