About Bucholie Castle
Bucholie Castle is one of the most dramatically situated and least-visited ruins on the entire NC500 — a 12th-century Norse stronghold balanced on a narrow clifftop stack between two inlets on the Caithness coast, accessible via a narrow path between the sea and the rock on both sides. The castle is associated with Swein Asleifsson, the celebrated Norse warrior described in the Orkneyinga Saga as "the greatest man of war in the western lands". The ruins are fragmentary but the approach and position are extraordinary. Finding and reaching this castle is an adventure in itself — follow the coastal path from Freswick.
Highlights
Getting There
Drive to Freswick Bay on the A99 between Wick and John o'Groats. Follow the coastline north on foot from Freswick Bay (about 1 mile along rough path).