Bargain Hunter: Property of the week

IT HAS no roof, no vehicle access and nothing in the way of heat, light or drainage, beyond the sun and the Irish Sea. In fact Dunskey Castle near Stranraer, in Scotland, a Grade A listed ancient monument, has been derelict since 1648.

Despite this, the farmer who owns the eight-acre site expects to find a buyer glad to hand over pounds 75,000.

His confidence is due in part to the huge interest shown in Portencross Castle, further up the coast, which has been on the market at pounds 70,000 and has considerably less land.

Dunskey, like Portencross, would need something in the order of pounds 300,000 to make it habitable and all works would be subject to Historic Scotland rules. Access is through a holiday park and a small strip of land is being retained to allow holidaymakers to reach Portpatrick Village.

But Dunskey is undoubtedly romantic. It was a location for the 1951 film of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped. And the buyer will get a thick slice of history. The castle is for sale through Strutt & Parker on 0131 226 2500.