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Findlater Castle's ruined walls rise from a rocky headland above turquoise water on the Moray coast.
Morayshire

Findlater Castle

The ruins of a medieval castle clinging to a narrow promontory high above the sea between Cullen and Sandend, with a sandy cove below.

Welcome

East of Cullen, a narrow finger of pale rock juts into the Moray Firth, with cliffs dropping more than fifty feet to the sea on three sides.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

On top, clinging to the edge, are the ruins of Findlater Castle. Its name comes from the Gaelic for white cliff.

A stronghold stood here by 1246, and in the 1260s it was strengthened against the King of Norway, whose men held it for a time. The walls you see today were raised in the 1300s by Sir John Sinclair, who modelled them on his family's Rosslyn Castle. Later the Ogilvies made it theirs.

From a small car park near Barnyards of Findlater farm, a grassy path leads past an old doocot to a viewpoint above the ruin, or you can walk the coast from Cullen by the sandy cove of Sunnyside Beach. The cliffs are high and the old stone is fragile, so keep well back from the edge and take great care.

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The Daily for 11 November, from Scotland with love. The broken stone walls of a lochside castle rise from a small tree-covered island, autumn foliage glowing orange against the dark water and forested hillside beyond.

Before you go

Open land, at any hour and free.

Take great care near the ruins and the cliff edge.

Where
Between Cullen and Sandend, AB45 2UD.
Parking
Near the Barnyards of Findlater farm.
Take care
Steep, crumbling cliffs.

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Did you know

Ivy-covered walls of Findlater Castle's ruins cling to a rocky spit above the sea on the Moray coast.
Did you know

Held by Norway.

In the 1260s Norwegian forces captured the castle and held it for a time, before the Battle of Largs.

Findlater Castle's ruins sit on a narrow promontory above the sea, a sandy bay curving beyond on the Moray coast.
Did you know

Modelled on Rosslyn.

Sir John Sinclair rebuilt Findlater in the 1300s on the pattern of his family's Rosslyn Castle.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Moray

Standing a short way along the coast from Cullen, this ruined clifftop castle dates back to at least the 13th century and still exudes an air of craggy drama. Its grassed-over masonry once witnessed sieges, occupations and the vicissitudes of medieval power-mongering – stirring to imagine today as the sea crashes below.

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Where it is

Signposted from the A98 east of Cullen; park near the Barnyards of Findlater farm and walk past the doocot to the viewpoint, or walk the coast from Cullen by Sunnyside Beach.

Close byCullen.
  1. The curving sands of Sandend Bay, yellow gorse in the foreground.Sandend BeachThe next bay east.1 mile 4 min by road
  2. Rows of casks on their racks in a Glenglassaugh warehouse.Glenglassaugh DistilleryA distillery on the shore of Sandend Bay, silent for over twenty years and working again.2 miles 6 min by road
  3. Scale model of Old Cullen marks the Royal Burgh's bicentennial in a museum displayCullen Heritage CentreA free museum on Cullen's Square, run by volunteers, whose pride is a detailed model of the old town that was pulled down in the 1820s.3 miles 7 min by road
  4. Garden House TradingGarden House TradingA gift shop in a curved sandstone corner building on the Square in Cullen, full of cards, homewares, candles, scarves and souvenirs.3 miles 7 min by road
  5. CullenCullenThe seaside town along the coast.3 miles 7 min by road
  6. Grassy dunes and rocky sand lead to a curved headland beyond the baySunnyside BeachThe sandy cove below the castle.4 miles 10 min by road
Directions
The Rockpool café on a street corner beneath a stone railway viaductRestaurantsRockpool Café3.0 miles
Wooden steps lead down through grassy dunes towards a curving coastal pathAttractionsCullen Links Golf Club3.6 miles
Sandy beach and sea seen through the arched window of a wooden saunaAttractionsSauna at the Kings3.6 miles
Curved sign reading "Portsoy Ice Cream" on a stone corner buildingCafePortsoy Ice Cream3.8 miles
The white front of the Shore Inn on Portsoy's old harbour, flags over the door.BarsThe Shore Inn4.0 miles
A volunteer shaping a timber boat in the Boatshed at Portsoy.ActivityThe Boatshed4.3 miles
Fishing boats moored in harbour below whitewashed cottages on a grassy hillsideAttractionsPortknockie5.4 miles
Portknockie Fish Bar, a white-painted chip shop with green trim, at duskRestaurantsPortknockie Fish and Chips5.4 miles
Bow Fiddle Rock arching over the sea near PortknockieAttractionsBow Fiddle Rock5.6 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the castle, and when each is next free.

A grey stone cottage with dormer windows and a black front door, climbing roses either side, set behind a lawn.Bailies Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Rothiemay
  • 12 miles from Findlater Castle
Free 11–14 NovA single-storey lodge with a slated roof sits behind a stone wall and clipped hedge, mature trees shading the curving drive.Gate Lodge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 12 miles from Findlater Castle
Check datesA triangular timber cabin stands behind a wooden gate and post-and-rail fence, bare trees framing the entrance.Midpark
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Rothiemay
  • 12 miles from Findlater Castle
Free 11–13 NovA stone cottage with a slated roof and a blue front door, climbing roses in pink and white flanking the porch.Butlers Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Rothiemay
  • 12 miles from Findlater Castle
Free 11–14 DecPlaces to stayEvery stay in MorayshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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