Steeped in history you can see and feel the moment you make your approach, Girnigoe draws you in as your imagination runs wild with stories of medieval times, brutal conditions and invasions from near and far. While there is little left of the original structure, enough remains to paint a vivid picture of how life was.

The stories from Girnigoe are plentiful. In 1577, George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness, imprisoned his own son John Sinclair in the Castle, on suspicion of rebelling against his rule. He was held there for seven years, after which his father fed him a diet of salted beef, with nothing to drink, so that he eventually died from thirst.

George Sinclair 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 for a rather confusing title.