Castle Sinclair Girnigoe: Complete Visitor Guide

Summary

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is a ruined castle in Caithness that is listed by the World Monuments Fund. It is located 3 miles north of Wick where it overlooks the dramatic cliff faces that face Sinclair Bay. The castle is managed by The Clan Sinclair Trust and admission is free.

Discover everything you need to know about Castle Sinclair Girnigoe with this complete visitor guide.

The highlights

1: What a stunning clifftop setting. Don’t forget your camera because the stretch of coastline around the castle is a favourite site for dolphins.

2: The castle won’t take long to explore – maybe an hour – but there are lots of nooks and crannies to discover as well as a path that opens up to a wee shingle beach.

3: The charity that manages the castle has done a superb job of maintaining it and they very generously allow free entry to visitors.

Visiting tips

1: Take a look at the inlets that cut into the cliffs as you approach the castle as they’re a haven for seabirds – but don’t get too close to the sheer-sided cliff edges.

2: Take a packed lunch with you as there are no conveniences at the castle. The nearest place for food and drink is Wick.

3: Combine the castle with a visit to the Wick Heritage Centre which is a lovely independent museum, or for a countryside walk visit Causeymire wind farm.

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Overview

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe can be found roughly three miles north of Wick on the far north-east coast of Scotland.

This is a region that’s sparsely populated and generally considered to be less tourist-worthy than many other parts of Scotland, but I reckon that’s a shame as the area has a lot to offer visitors, especially when it comes to historic sites.

This castle (actually castles – more on that later) stands on one of the most dramatic viewpoints in Scotland with a wild and windswept coastline that instantly brings to mind a scene from Game of Thrones rather than a tourist attraction thanks to its near-impenetrable cliff-face setting.

If there really were a King of the North, he could do a lot worse than make this fortress the seat of his kingdom.

As a defensive location it’s hard to beat, sitting on a peninsula that juts into Sinclair Bay with steep cliffs below that would have made a seaward attack almost impossible, while the narrow landward side would have been easy to defend.

The history of the castle is pretty interesting and it’s something you’ll learn about during your visit thanks to the information boards installed throughout the site.

Unlike most Scottish castles, the visitor facilities here haven’t been installed by Historic Environment Scotland and are instead part of a restoration programme run by the privately managed The Clan Sinclair Trust.

The trust has done a magnificent job of reversing the effects of erosion caused by the high winds coming off the bay and they’ve also installed a sturdy bridge so that visitors can cross the dry moat that surrounds Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, along with safety barriers that prevent the public from getting too close to the cliff edge.

Considering the trust totally relies on donations it’s amazing to see what they’ve accomplished so far.

Not all of the damage to the castle walls has been caused by nature though, as a long and turbulent history has resulted in a lot of man-made destruction caused by in-family quarrelling.

The ruins that we see today are actually comprised of two structures. The first is that of Castle Girnigoe which was built in the 15th century, while the second is the later 17th-century Castle Sinclair, but both are part of the legacy of the Earls of Caithness.

Girnigoe was originally built on the foundations of an even earlier fortification that’s believed to have been used since neolithic times so it’s not really surprising that the Sinclairs chose this location as their seat of power.

The earlier defensive structure was transformed in the Renaissance period of the 1600s into a grand mansion with the second structure – Castle Sinclair – adding a gatehouse and a curtain wall.

Both buildings were connected via a drawbridge which crossed a dry ravine that protected the castle from all sides facing land.

The decline of the castle began when the 6th Earl sold it to Sir John Campbell of Glenorchy in an attempt to repay a series of crippling debts, with the Campbells then taking the title of Earl of Caithness.

In an attempt to stop the Campbells from using the castle it was sieged and partially destroyed by the Sinclairs in 1677, after which it passed to the Dunbar family who took ownership but never repaired it.

The continual erosion from the sea was the final nail in the coffin for the fortress and by the early 1700s it had been completely abandoned, at least until The Clan Sinclair Trust started to slowly but steadfastly repair it for modern-day visitors to enjoy.

Tourist information

So what can you expect to see at this ruined Scottish castle when you visit it today?

Quite a lot actually, as aside from the castle ruins there’s a beautiful coastline that looks out over the Noss Head marine conservation area along with lots of peaceful coastal trails around the peninsula.

The walk to the castle is the first thing that hits you when you visit the site as it’s exceptionally pretty, with the sea glinting away in the distance and expansive fields of wild grasses acting as a home for a variety of birds.

I’m no twitcher but I have to admit I enjoy whipping my binoculars out to watch the odd bit of wildlife and I certainly wasn’t disappointed as I made my way along the rough path that leads from the car park outside of Noss Head lighthouse.

Skylarks, lapwings, fulmars, curlew, oystercatchers and many more species can be spotted if you stop to look for them, while the coastline is a haven for otters and grey seals.

If you’ve got kids they’re going to love exploring the wee coves that have been carved into the cliffs along the promontory while dogs will have a field day nosing around in the tumbling grassland. As a place to take the family, this is a first-class location.

The walk to the castle is a short one – maybe half a mile or so – but it’s absolutely glorious with the silhouette of the castle in the distance adding just a touch of drama to the whole experience.

Once you reach the ruins you can either follow a narrow track down to the sea or cross the bridge that takes you into the castle interior – though bear in mind the place is pretty much just a collection of ramshackle walls so don’t go there expecting to see an equivalent of Edinburgh Castle or anything.

If you’d like to join a tour of Scotland’s best castles take a look at my recommended Get Your Guide castle tours.

Even so, there’s a special atmosphere about the place that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

Maybe it was the gloomy skies casting an eerie light over the scene but I found myself transfixed by the view once I walked into the middle of the castle grounds, with the ancient walls providing a remarkable foreground to the crashing waves behind them.

It doesn’t take long to walk around the ruins but there are loads of nooks and crannies to explore which kids are going to love, but as the cliffs below are so sheer-sided I’d make sure you’ve got an eye on them at all times.

As I mentioned earlier the Sinclair Trust has installed barriers along the cliff edges but there’s a section on the north side of the castle where you can get down onto the rocks below that have quite a steep drop into the sea.

Dramatic, yes, but I’d keep youngsters and animals on a short leash if you decide to go down there.

After you’ve seen the castle you can continue further west along the coastline by following a winding path that hugs the water’s edge or you can head in the opposite direction to explore the eastern side of the Noss Head peninsula on a path that’s harder work but arguably prettier.

One thing you can’t visit is the Noss Head lighthouse which is off-limits to tourists, but at least Wick is only a 10-minute drive away if you decide you’ve had enough of history and wildlife for the day.

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is a bit of a hidden gem in my opinion so if you’re in the area and looking for something to do you should definitely consider taking a drive there.

Discover more castles to visit in Scotland with: The Best Castles in Scotland – Ultimate Visitor Guide.

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Things to do nearby

The Wick Heritage Museum. 20 Bank Row, Wick KW1 5EY. 13-minute drive. Independent volunteer-run museum that is far larger than it looks from the outside.

Located close to Wick harbour, the heritage museum offers a glimpse into Wick’s past with a collection of artefacts, displays and exhibitions.

Wick. Wick KW1 5EN. 12-minute drive. One of the largest towns in Caithness, a hundred years ago it had one of the busiest herring fishing industries in the world.

Today, many visitors use Wick as a base to explore the remote surrounding area. The town centre has modern conveniences such as food stores, restaurants and petrol stations.

Duncansby Head. Wick KW1 4YS. 39-minute drive. A promontory that is within walking distance of John O’Groats and is officially the most northern part of Britain. There is a historic lighthouse with a visitor car park and the trail to the impressive Duncansby Sea Stacks offers stunning clifftop walks.

John O’ Groats. John o’ Groats, Wick KW1 4YR. 33-minute drive. Proclaimed (incorrectly) as the most northerly point of the British mainland, John O’Groats has developed a tourist resort around the famous signpost that marks the distance to various locations around the world. There are cafés, shops and restaurants on the site.

Nybster. Nybster, Wick KW1 4XR. 25-minute drive. A much visited coastal region that has a variety of wildlife walks along the seafront where visitors can watch puffins, seals and a variety of seabirds. There are also several brochs (ancient fortifications) in the area.

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