Scrabster Castle

Scrabster Castle stands on a narrow headland south of Thurso Bay in the Highland region of Scotland. It lies about 0.8 kilometres north-west of Thurso and the same distance south of Scrabster village. The site is slowly being worn away by the sea, leaving the ruins exposed to wind and salt spray. Built on an eroding promontory, the castle once commanded views across the bay and surrounding coastline. Its position made it both a strategic lookout and a vulnerable target for attack. The castle began as the Bishop’s Palace for the Bishops of Caithness in the medieval period. In 1201, Bishop John of Caithness was attacked and mutilated here by Harald Maddadsson, the local ruler, after refusing to collect Peter’s Pence. George Sinclair, the 4th Earl of Caithness, seized the castle in 1544 during a power struggle. By the early 18th century it had fallen into ruin and remained so. Today only fragments of its walls and structures survive. Visitors find short stretches of the outer curtain wall still standing, though much is hidden beneath turf or lost to erosion. A square building about five metres across, with a mural chamber inside, can be seen. The remains of a drawbridge once crossing to the landward side are still visible. A modern pillbox, built during the Second World War, stands among the ruins. The exposed sections show the castle’s layout and offer a glimpse of its past strength and later decline.