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Castles
in Caithness.

It’s 01:39 in Caithness.
Caithness

Ruins on the edge of the cliffs.

Caithness castles are perched on fins of rock above the sea, and they are a sight. There's the clifftop ruin of the Sinclair earls near Wick, a tower house of about 1600 standing on the very edge of the cliff, and an old ruined tower on a spine of rock between two inlets. Then there's the Queen Mother's Highland home on the Pentland Firth, with its walled garden. Keep well back from the edges, especially in the wind.

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe→
Castle of Old Wick→
Castle & Gardens of Mey→
Keiss Castle→
Somewhere to goJust now

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, Caithness.

The dramatic clifftop ruin of the Sinclair Earls of Caithness, on a fin of rock by Noss Head north of Wick, a half-mile walk from the lighthouse road.

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From our guideJust now

Castle of Old Wick.

An unmistakable sight on the coastal skyline, like a lone giant tooth marooned on a clifftop, the Castle of Old Wick has origins that date back more than 600 years. These days more or less all that’s still standing are the remnants of a four-storey tower, albeit one that enjoys an impossibly dramatic location on a craggy finger of rock between two sheer drops.

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Did you knowJust now

In 1588 the Earl of Sutherland burned Wick and besieged Castle Sinclair Girnigoe for twelve days, and failed.

The siege was one of the many feuds between George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, and his neighbours. His castle on the cliffs north of Wick held out.

See Castle Sinclair Girnigoe · Caithness
From Issue 6 of Hidden Scotland magazineIssue 6Just now

Caithness: Discovering the nooks and crannies

Our guide to Caithness, the far north-east tip of the mainland: Duncansby Head, the Whaligoe Steps, the Castle of Mey, Viking history, Wick's distillery and places to eat and stay.

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From the magazineJust nowThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

Keiss Castle, a ruined tower house a few miles north of Wick in Caithness, stands so precariously on its clifftop that it looks like part of the rock itself.

It was once a fine coastal stronghold, built as a tower house and a favoured home of George Sinclair, the 5th Earl of Caithness. Today it stands at one end of Sinclair's Bay, a colossal strand of white sand with a second ruined fortress, Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, at the other. Known locally as Reiss Beach, the bay is cut across by a small stream, and it is known for everything from its seabirds to its surfing. Like the other great bays of the Caithness coast, it is a boundless expanse of sand and salt spray.

See Keiss Castle · Caithness
Sunset 18:02Just now

Golden hour at Keiss Castle.

A ruined Z-plan tower house of about 1600 standing on the very edge of the cliffs at Keiss, north of Wick, a short walk from the village harbour.

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LunchJust nowCaithnessCastletown Chip Shop6.9 milesCaithnessOlive11.3 milesCaithnessThe Galley, Scrabster11.9 miles

Lunch near Castle & Gardens of Mey.

The three good places closest to it: Castletown Chip Shop, Olive and The Galley, Scrabster.

See Castle & Gardens of Mey
Did you knowJust now

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, on the cliffs north of Wick, was renamed by an Act of Parliament.

In 1606 George Sinclair, the 5th Earl of Caithness, known as the Wicked Earl, had an Act passed changing its name from Castle Girnigoe to Castle Sinclair, after the great improvements made under him. Cromwell's troops occupied it in 1651, and in 1680 it was stripped of its roofs, floors and furniture. The ruin carries both names today.

See Castle Sinclair Girnigoe · Caithness
From the magazineJust nowThe printed copy of Issue 06Issue 06Spring / Summer 2023

The Castle of Old Wick, on the Caithness coast near Wick, stands like a lone giant tooth on a craggy finger of rock between two sheer drops.

Its origins go back more than 600 years, and these days little more than the remains of a four-storey tower is still standing. What it has kept is its setting, which the magazine calls impossibly dramatic, and its unmistakable place on the coastal skyline. Caithness is the so-called 'Land Beyond the Highlands', the far-flung corner where the north-eastern tip of the mainland reaches out into the North Sea. Its rough-hewn cliffs, jagged sea stacks and windswept gorse have an elemental rawness all their own. Many of its sights are shaped by its long history and its remoteness, so you will find drama in spades.

See Castle of Old Wick · Caithness

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