
What is recorded here
Castle Girnigoe is a 15th-century stronghold on a narrow rocky peninsula in Highland, Scotland, built for the Sinclair Earls of Caithness. Its five-storey keep still rises fourteen to seventeen metres above the sea, guarded by rock-cut trenches and cliffs that turned the coastline into a killing floor. The later Castle Sinclair was erected inside the outer ward in 1606, but a succession dispute and the attack of 1679 broke the place open. Both structures now share one ruined identity, their walls tangled together like layers of a argument never finished.
Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Castle Girnigoe as Castle (15th Century). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.
Built in the 15th century, Castle Girnigoe is associated with the Kennedy family, who were prominent in Galloway during the medieval period. The castle is remembered for its strategic location and as a symbol of the regional power struggles between Scottish lords and the English crown.
The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.
Places near here
Castle Sinclair GirnigoeCastle · 20 yd
Castle SinclairCastle (17th Century) · 31 yd
Noss HeadBuilding (period Unassigned) · 484 yd
Noss Head LighthouseLighthouse (19th Century) · 1073 yd
Black PointNaust (period Unassigned) · 1.0 mi
Staxigoe, Elzy RoadNo Class (event) (period Unassigned) · 1.6 mi
Ackergill LinksLong Cist Cemetery (pictish), Pictish Symbol Stone(s) (pictish) · 1.8 mi
Ackergill and Hempriggs Estates War MemorialMemorial · 2.2 mi
Dr. John Alexander MemorialMemorial · 2.7 mi
World's Shortest StreetHeritage attraction · 2.7 mi
Old Fog CannonHeritage attraction · 2.7 miOther information
Photo: Graham Hogg · CC BY-SA 2.0