The ruined fortress stands on a rocky headland about 160 feet (50 m) above the North Sea, joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of land. Excavations in the 1980s found no clear early medieval fortification. Sir William Keith acquired the barony around 1359 and completed the tower house, 40 by 36 feet and about 50 feet (15 m) high. The chapel was consecrated in 1276.
The 5th Earl Marischal built the palace and gatehouse from 1581. The Honours of Scotland were hidden here in 1651 and smuggled out in 1652. In 1685, 167 Covenanter prisoners were held in the Whigs' Vault, and five died. The estate was forfeited in 1716, and the York Buildings Company dismantled much of the castle after 1720.
Viscount Cowdray bought it in 1919, and repairs followed in the 1920s. The main route is a steep footpath of about 2,600 feet (790 m).
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