Best Castle in Caithness, Scotland - Map and Reviews

The Castle of Mey is a historic castle and estate situated on the wild and windswept north coast of Caithness in the very far north of mainland Scotland. It holds the distinction of being the most northerly castle in mainland Britain and is perhaps best known as the beloved personal retreat of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, who purchased and restored it in the 1950s. The castle is now owned and managed by the Castle of Mey Trust and is open to the public for a portion of the year, drawing visitors who come to experience both the royal connection and the extraordinary remoteness and beauty of its setting overlooking the Pentland Firth toward the Orkney Islands. The history of the castle stretches back to the sixteenth century, when it was built between 1566 and 1572 by George Sinclair, the fourth Earl of Caithness. Originally known as Barrogill Castle, it was constructed in an Z-plan layout typical of Scottish tower houses of the period, with a central keep and flanking towers that allowed defenders to cover all angles of attack. The castle passed through various branches of the Sinclair family over the centuries and was known by the name Barrogill until the Queen Mother revived the older name of Castle of Mey after acquiring it. By the mid-twentieth century, the castle had fallen into severe disrepair and was reportedly on the verge of demolition when, following the death of King George VI in 1952, the grieving Queen Mother encountered it while staying nearby and resolved to save it. She purchased the castle and its estate in 1952 and spent the following years overseeing its restoration, transforming it into a warm and personal home filled with artworks, furniture, and memorabilia she collected over decades. The Queen Mother visited the castle every summer and autumn, and it became her great personal sanctuary away from the formality of royal life elsewhere. She was said to have a deep affinity for Caithness and its people, involving herself in local agricultural life, including the prized Castle of Mey herd of pedigree North Country Cheviot sheep and Aberdeen Angus cattle. She hosted the annual Mey Highland Games on the estate and formed lasting friendships with local families. She continued visiting the castle until shortly before her death in 2002 at the age of 101. Following her death, the Castle of Mey Trust was established under the patronage of King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, who had accompanied his grandmother on many of her visits and who continues to make an annual visit to the castle himself, maintaining the warmly personal connection between the Royal Family and this remote corner of Scotland. In person, the castle has a compact and sturdy presence against the enormous sky of the far north. Built of local grey stone, it presents a textured, weather-beaten face to the elements, its walls speaking of centuries of buffeting from sea winds and North Atlantic weather systems. The walled garden is one of the most celebrated features of the estate, a sheltered enclosure that the Queen Mother worked hard to develop despite the challenging climate, producing vegetables, flowers, and soft fruits in an environment where gardening is a genuine battle against exposure and salt-laden winds. Inside, the rooms feel intimate rather than grand, decorated in the style that the Queen Mother preferred — chintz fabrics, personal photographs, comfortable furniture, and the accumulated objects of a long and affectionate life rather than the impersonal grandeur of a state residence. Visitors often remark on how lived-in and personal the interior feels. The landscape surrounding the castle is one of the most dramatic and elemental in Scotland. The coastline here is composed of low, flat flagstone cliffs and rocky shores, with views across the churning waters of the Pentland Firth — one of the most powerful tidal races in the world — to the green shapes of the Orkney Islands rising on the northern horizon. On a clear day the visibility is extraordinary, and the sky dominates everything. The nearby village of Mey is tiny, and the broader area is among the most sparsely populated in Britain. The town of Thurso lies roughly twelve miles to the west, and the village of John o' Groats, famous as the northeastern tip of the British mainland, is around six miles to the east. The RSPB reserve at Dunnet Head, the true most northerly point of the mainland, is a short drive away and is a superb spot for seabird watching. Visiting the Castle of Mey requires some planning given its remoteness. The castle is typically open to the public between early May and late July, and again in August following the Royal Family's private visit. There is no railway station nearby, and the most practical way to visit is by car, with the castle sitting directly on the A836 coastal road. The nearest airports are at Wick and Inverness, though both require a significant drive. The castle offers guided tours of the interior rooms, access to the walled garden, a tearoom serving local produce, and a gift shop. Visitors should be prepared for changeable and often brisk weather at any time of year, with wind being an almost constant feature of the landscape. The quieter shoulder months offer a particular kind of austere beauty, when the light is low and golden and the coast is at its most atmospheric. One of the more unusual details about the Castle of Mey is the presence in the walled garden of the Animal Centre, a small collection of rare breeds including Tamworth pigs and Eriskay ponies, which gives the estate a friendly and approachable character for visitors with children. It is also worth noting that the castle was reportedly haunted, according to local legend, by the Green Lady — the ghost of a young daughter of one of the Earls of Sinclair who fell to her death from a window. The tower where the tragedy allegedly occurred is still pointed out to visitors. The combination of royal history, genuine remoteness, extraordinary landscape, and the deeply personal character of the Queen Mother's domestic world makes the Castle of Mey one of the most affecting and distinctive heritage properties in Scotland, quite unlike the grand state castles found further south.