Massive facelift aims to put 15th-century Castle Sinclair Girnigoe on tourist trail

A LANDMARK castle and former clan stronghold that lay in ruins for more than 300 years will open to the public on Sunday after a decade-long restoration.

The opening of Castle Sinclair Girnigoe in Caithness will be witnessed by about 100 Sinclairs from around the world who are taking part in an international clan gathering.

The structure is the only castle in Scotland to be listed by the World Monuments Fund on its Watch List of the 100 most endangered sites in the world.

Perched on the edge of a sheer cliff, it has been given a 700,000 facelift that has taken ten years to complete. A further two phases are planned for what will be a multi-million-pound project to turn the building into a major tourist attraction.

The castle, which is owned by charity the Clan Sinclair Trust, has been in a state of disrepair since 1680.

Malcolm Caithness, chief of Clan Sinclair and chief executive of the trust, said: "It will be a wonderful day for Clan Sinclair and for the people of Caithness.

"This is one of Scotland's finest castles and an icon in the county. We have worked tirelessly to preserve it and I cannot wait to see the pleasure it brings to visitors once open."

The project is backed by the World Monuments Fund, Historic Scotland, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Highland Council and Highland and Island Enterprise, although the majority of the money has come from private donors across the globe.

Jill McNicol, marketing manager at North Highland Tourism, said: "We have such a strong sense of heritage here in the north Highlands. We aim to use Castle Sinclair Girnigoe to make our offering to visitors even stronger, boosting the economy of this beautiful area."

The opening will be carried out by Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso and marked by the firing of a volley and the drinking of a dram.

Recent research on the castle has meant Highland history had to be re-written.

Until 2002, it was commonly held that there were two castles, the tower house known as Girnigoe, said to be built in the mid to late 15th century, and the west gate house, known as Castle Sinclair, in the early 17th century, and that they had been attacked and destroyed by cannon in about 1680. But it later became clear the two ruins were part of the same structure.

Archaeologists also found a castle had been built on the site in the late 14th or early 15th century - nearly 100 years earlier than previously thought.

Further research established "Sinclair" came into the name in 1606, when George, the 4th Earl of Caithness, gained an act of parliament declaring Girnigoe should be known as Castle Sinclair. Because the two names have been in use for more than 300 years, the trustees have agreed to call it Castle Sinclair Girnigoe, although technically, due to the 1606 act, it should just be called Castle Sinclair.

Archaeological excavations also suggest the castle did not suffer an attack by cannon. However, there is evidence of occupation by Cromwell's troops and that they might have started the demolition.