Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe – Castle Sinclair Ruins loop from Noss Head

Routes

Hiking trails & Routes

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe – Castle Sinclair Ruins loop from Noss Head

Easy

5.0

(5)

hikers

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe – Castle Sinclair Ruins loop from Noss Head

00:41

2.64km

20m

Hiking

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: May 27, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

28 m

Y Service Wireless Station

Highlight • Historical Site

60 m

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Entrance

Highlight • Castle

Thought to be one of the earliest seats of the clan Sinclair the ruins of the 15th century castle Girnigoe and the 17th century castle Sinclair stand on the rocky headland.
Located at the end of this track a short walk/push from the road and car park.
Free to enter with a few information boards. A donations box helps maintain it.

Tip by

375 m

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Ruins and Cliffs

Highlight • Historical Site

776 m

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Highlight • Natural Monument

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is a complex of ruined stone structures built and modified over a 200-year period by the Sinclair earls of Caithness, historically one of northern Scotland’s most powerful families. It is located about 3 miles north of Wick on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland, on a rocky promontory jutting out into the North Sea. It comprises the ruins of two castles: the 15th-century Castle Girnigoe, and the early 17th-century Castle Sinclair, which was built as an extension of the earlier castle and connected by a drawbridge over a ravine. The castle was the seat of Clan Sinclair and witnessed several conflicts and intrigues, such as the imprisonment and death of John Sinclair, Master of Caithness, by his own father in 1582, and the siege and capture of the castle by George Sinclair of Keiss in 1680. The castle was abandoned after the siege and fell into decay. It is now owned by the Clan Sinclair Trust and undergoing restoration and archaeological research3. Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is a historic and scenic landmark that showcases the engineering and natural beauty of Scotland.

Tip by

999 m

Castle Sinclair Ruins

Highlight • Castle

2.04 km

St. John’s Head Statue

Highlight • Monument

Nice walk

Tip by

2.08 km

Noss Head Lighthouse

Highlight • Monument

The Noss Head lighthouse was built in the 19th century and is notable for being the first to be built with a diagonally patterned lantern room.

The Keepers cottage and house have been converted to holiday accommodation. The light itself has been upgraded from a traditional rotational design to a static LED beam, the light of which can be seen for 25 miles.

The end of the peninsula offers nice views along the coast towards Ackergil.

Tip by

2.64 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

1.47 km

1.16 km

Surfaces

1.46 km

837 m

320 m

< 100 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Wednesday 24 June

17°C

11°C

57 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 15.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

Want to know more?

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Report restricted access

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.8

610

John O'Groats to Duncansby Head loop

02:23h

8.91km

100m

Moderate

4.8

Dunnet Head Loop Trail

04:45h

17.2km

290m

Easy

4.8

Duncansby Head and Stacks of Duncansby loop

01:30h

5.46km

90m

Moderate

4.5

Thurso Bay via Victoria Walk

02:53h

11.0km

100m

Easy

5.0

Cairn o' Get & Whaligoe Steps from Whaligoe

01:06h

3.97km

70m

Easy

4.5

Noss Head Lighthouse to Ackergil Harbour via Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

01:49h

7.02km

40m

Easy

4.0

St. John's Point loop from East Mey

00:46h

2.74km

50m

Easy

Wick Centre to Stack o' Brough

00:59h

3.75km

30m

Easy

Lybster to Lybster Harbour Lighthouse via Shore Road

01:06h

3.98km

70m

Easy

4.0

Newtonhill Community Wood loop from Pulteneytown

01:50h

6.95km

60m

Hard

3.0

Cairns of Camster from Mid Clyth

05:17h

19.8km

220m

Easy

4.0

Trinkie Baths loop from Harden

01:05h

4.08km

40m

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe – Castle Sinclair Ruins loop from Noss Head

Y Service Wireless Station

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Entrance

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe Ruins and Cliffs

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Castle Sinclair Ruins

St. John’s Head Statue

Noss Head Lighthouse

Nearby routes

Sign up or log in to keep exploring this route

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️