Findlater Castle

Findlater Castle is a ruined clifftop stronghold perched on a rocky promontory on the Moray coast near Sandend, its crumbling walls clinging improbably to the sea cliffs. It is a superb and underused drone location: dramatic red-and-grey cliffs, sea caves, clear turquoise water, and a doocot in the fields above. Unlike many Scottish castles it is not a staffed Historic Environment Scotland property, so there is no ticket office or formal consent barrier, though you should respect the working farmland you cross to reach it. The site sits about six kilometres east of the existing Bow Fiddle Rock spot, so it is comfortably outside any duplication, and there is no airport FRZ nearby. The main hazards are the cliffs themselves and the coastal wind, which can be strong and gusty straight off the Moray Firth, so fly on a settled day and keep a safe buffer from the crumbling masonry. Seabirds including fulmars nest on the cliffs in spring and summer, so avoid disturbing them and stay high enough not to provoke gulls. Park at the small track-end car park and walk down the grassy path. Best in soft morning light when the sun is to the east and lights the castle face; low tide reveals more of the rocky foreshore.