The castle ruins are easy to reach by car. The car park offers plenty of parking spaces and is tarmac-surfaced.
The path to the ruins follows a well-maintained, wide footpath. The... read more route has gentle inclines and sturdy footwear is recommended. I’m a very slow walker and would estimate it takes 10–15 minutes. You can walk through the ruins via a wooden bridge. The ground within the ruins is uneven.
You can look out over the cliffs and also walk down to the small cove.
Very impressive and a beautiful landscape.
Donna
June 30, 2025
Free to walk around ..
10 minute walk from car park ..
Tea/coffee van at the car park..
Amazing views over the sea ..
A few reading boards to look at about the history... read more of the castle ..
Lots of birds nesting on cliffs ..
Sonia
October 10, 2026
Lovely ancient building a few parking spaces and a coffee cart nearby
Glenn
June 26, 2026
We went for a little trip to the castle. Pay carpark is very accessible down some single track roads but they are well kept and are easy to navigate.
You leave... read more the car park and pass through a gate with a short walk over the field to the castle. The setting is great, right on the coastline and up high with great views across to Keiss and Keiss Castle.
Entering the castle itself is free across the small wooden bridge is great, there is alot to take in, with so many views and angles showing different parts. Views from inside are amazing and you can look straight down the rock face cliff it sits on.
The rugged rocks it sits on also great to wander and explore, the path leads you under the bridge to the edge of the rocks at the water side but do be careful if you're young, old, or unsteady on your feet, there's quite a drop. Pets have been killed here falling from the rocks.
The small causeway at the bottom of the castle also features some balanced rock formations that people have put up all over and are very intriguing and nice to view.
Well worth a visit.
tdmlfc
July 22, 2025
Stunning views, castle is imposing and a short 5 min walk from car park. Amazing views out into the sea.
Castle had some restoration done and it looks well preserved,... read more some folk use drones sadly even though prohibits this clearly on signage.
Jamie
March 29, 2026
Gorgeous! Lots of cool parts to explore. Well worth a visit
Marylène
September 22, 2026
J'ai adoré ce château en ruine dans un décors très joli autour, certainement atypique et vaut le détour, petite marche de 5min pour y arriver, parking payant à l'heure mais... read more pas très cher, 1heure sur place peut suffire
Donna
June 30, 2025
Free to walk around ..
10 minute walk from car park ..
Tea/coffee van at the car park..
Amazing views over the sea ..
A few reading boards to look at about the history... read more of the castle ..
Lots of birds nesting on cliffs ..
Artur
April 21, 2026
Fantastic place to visit. Free of charge, great pics opportunity.
Alex
July 21, 2026
A small hike away from the Car park and the lighthouse, but a nice view of the castle. The building itself is closed, but you can see a lot from... read more the outside.
Jeremy
November 1, 2024
Getting to explore places / ruins like these totally unencumbered are things that make me love Scotland!
Absolutely a must see, both for the ruins and geography around it!
Definitely check this... read more place out on the NC500!
Angela
September 10, 2026
Wundervolle Ruine, 24/7, war schon mehrmals dort und es ist immer wieder wunderschön, man kann es gut mit Sango Bay und Smoo Cave verbinden, wenn man zeitig aufsteht und... read more spät schlafen geht 😅
Ian
October 5, 2026
Well worth the long walk from the catpark
Jennifer
September 9, 2025
Stunning views. The castle ruins are amazing. You walk through the fields to the castle. You can walk around the inner and outer areas. Ocean views are... read more unbelievable.
Tony
April 7, 2026
Parking £1 for 2 hours. Little walk to the castle. Free to enter and wander around although small and most closed off due to safety.
Great scenery, very atmospheric and I... read more believe it is the inspiration for the iron islands in Game of thrones.
Linda
September 12, 2026
Photo opportunity not to be missed. The track to get there can be muddy in places.
Sandra
July 26, 2026
What a unique stop on the NC500. This castle that dates back between 1470 and 1476 is unique in that you can walk around the grounds and down to the... read more water, with some very detailed signage explaining life back then. Dress for a windy experience (we were there in April), and good footwear is recommended. Beautiful views as well.
Axel
August 23, 2025
Great place to walk and explore. 10 min walk down a very easy path to the ruins. Great views of the he cliffs. Paid parking is free... read more for first hour, and very cheap after that. Can also walk up to lighthouse; but much nicer trip to the ruins.
Laraine
May 15, 2026
It's quite a trek from the small (payment invited) car park to the cliff edge but worth it for the sight of such an incredible ruin. I have no idea... read more how or why they managed to build such an impressive building in this incredibly remote and dangerous place.
The wind was relentless but luckily the rain waited until we were almost back at the car!
Be warned, the path is uneven and muddy with lots of sheep poo as they roam free.
Benjamin
October 18, 2026
Impressive to think the lives once bound up with this place. Without the modern infrastructure to swiftly carry you from Inverness to Wick and back in the span of a... read more day, this castle would have been their entire world. Such resilience to keep on at what amounts to the end of the world. Very cool, if remote
My wife and I visited this place in May 2018. A fine example of old Scottish castle complexes.
Gunther
September 9, 2026
Indrukwekkend ruïne parking op 5 minuten wandelen
Devin
October 27, 2026
Amazing old remains of a castle/attached town! Be ready for wind. Theres a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the castle
Kirk
June 2, 2026
Well worth a detour with some amazing scenery, apparently there is an issue with people dumping their load though so beware
Axel
August 23, 2025
Great place to walk and explore. 10 min walk down a very easy path to the ruins. Great views of the he cliffs. Paid parking is free... read more for first hour, and very cheap after that. Can also walk up to lighthouse; but much nicer trip to the ruins.
STIX1111
June 19, 2026
Gorgeous area.. steeped in history and wonder. Unfortunately the Castle was 'KEEP OUT' due to safety, but I still loved exploring the outside of the Castle.
No
October 27, 2026
Loved it, edge of Scotland
Cece
June 6, 2024
Amazing castle to visit around 3 miles north of Wick, most areas blocked off but nice to explore around it and the stunning location. Decent sized carpark with a £1... read more parking fee, then a 10 - 15 minute walk along to the castle. Information boards doted along the route give you a bit of the castles history.
Paul
September 23, 2026
A good place to explore, it's a private road upto it thats a tad bumpy. Drive slow.
Win
April 11, 2026
Although it’s a long drive from Inverness, Castle Sinclair is worth a visit. It looks stunning and is full of history. There were very few tourists when we visited, so... read more it feels as if we had a private tour.
Warren
February 24, 2026
these are most extraordinary castle ruins perched on the edge of a sea cliff ...there is not a Huge amount left of the castle and in time the sea will... read more probably swallow most of it up ...there is limited access to the castle itself as its pretty unstable but well worth a look due to it uniqueness ..The earlier Castle Girnigoe was built by William Sinclair, 2nd Earl of Caithness, probably sometime between 1476 and 1496, but certainly before his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. There is some evidence to suggest that the castle was built on the foundations of an earlier fortalice. Expansion occurred in 1606 when Castle Sinclair was built, comprising a gatehouse and other buildings, along with a curtain wall. These were connected to the earlier castle by a drawbridge over a ravine. The same year George Sinclair, 5th Earl of Caithness, requested the Scottish Parliament to change the name to Castle Sinclair, but because the names Castle Sinclair and Castle Girnigoe were both written down in 1700, both names have been in use since
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