What Taiwan doesn’t do so well is history, and it’s hard for many of us from the old world to get particularly worked up by, say, a few ruined farmers’ huts beside a historic trail through the hills, or the remains of a kiln used by charcoal miners a century ago.

What we really need to get the juices running is the romantic ruins of one of those old castles—complete with dungeons—that pepper the countryside back home in Britain and that seemed such endlessly exciting, mysterious places to us as kids.

Those are joys we’ll sadly never experience in Taiwan, but there’s quite a good substitute in the old fort atop Mt. Li Dong in Hsinchu County, perhaps the most interesting Japanese-built fortification on the island. There’s little to explore inside—the structure is essentially an empty shell providing much-needed shelter for a collection of radio aerials and a trig point. It’s in its location that the fort really scores.

Perched atop a mountain 1,913 meters high, it’s quite a trek (both by car and then on foot) to get there, and since the area is regularly shrouded in mist, especially during the afternoon, the old ruins are dripping with atmosphere.

Built by the Japanese in 1911 to control the surrounding mountains and their aboriginal inhabitants, Mt. Li Dong Old Fort (李崠山古堡) takes its name from a general who was based here with his men. The fort apparently saw some action, as pockmarks caused by gunfire can be seen in the fort’s most impressive feature, the fine main gate.

Perhaps the most convenient jumping-off point for the fort is the city of Zhudong (竹東) in Hsinchu County. Head east out of town on national route three, and follow the line of the Neiwan branch railway up to the village of Jianshi (尖石).

Pick up local route 60, a twisting mountain road that climbs strenuously to the tiny settlement of Yulao (宇老) at a pass in the mountains, a thousand vertical meters above. From here, an unclassified and deeply potholed side road follows the contour of the mountainside northeastwards for five kilometers to the trailhead below the fort at Mt. Li Dong Shelter (李崠山莊). Standing beside the road, it’s difficult to miss this richly eccentric place. The shelter is a hodge-podge of ornamental pavilions, covered terraces, corridors and even a covered footbridge crossing the road.

Walk up the covered ramp from the road into the complex and you’ll almost certainly meet the shelter’s friendly owner, a retired army soldier who collects a modest fee of NT$20 for the privilege of sweating up the steep, hour-long trail to the fort. He’ll probably also offer a cup of his special hot tea, apparently brought over from China. It’s very bitter, but will probably be welcome after the haul up to the fort and back.

Well marked with signposts and thick clusters of plastic trail ribbons, the trail up the mountainside leaves from the back of the shelter and immediately locks into an endless system of steep zigzags. At least the lovely woodland and occasional views (if the weather is clear) take the mind off the climb. After about half an hour, the trail meets a stony track that leads to the summit of Mt. Li Dong and the fort.

Follow either the winding track, or take the much steeper shortcuts that intersect it at intervals, and about an hour and 400 meters of vertical ascent after leaving the shelter, the gateway of Mt. Li Dong Fort looms out of the fast-encroaching forest. Even half-ruined, it’s a fine and atmospheric sight, although the empty shell that greets the walker once inside is less impressive.

There’s a fantastic view over the central mountain range if you climb a few meters up the ladder serving one of the several aerials inside the fort, or manage to find a window in the thick forest cover that now blankets the summit. Most of the big players in northern Taiwan, such as Taiwan’s second and fifth highest mountains (Snow Mountain and Mt. Nanhuda), are visible on a clear day.

Even if the mist has already rolled in, defeating any ambitions of enjoying the superb panorama, the dead silence and slightly eerie atmosphere of the place make it easy to linger awhile, before heading back for a cup of warming bitter tea and a chat down below.