Wyre is accessible by the same vehicle ferry, which serves Rousay and Egilsay and runs from Tingwall on Orkney Mainland. However it is not really worth taking your car, as it is only 2.5 miles long by 1.5 miles wide and there is only 2 miles of road. There is no shop or café on the island, which is only home to 29 people (2011 Census). The highest point on the island is 32 metres above sea level. A friend and I visited the island for an afternoon in September 2010.
The main places of historical interest are Cubbie Row/Roo’s Castle, which was built around 1145 by the Norseman Kolbein Hruga (the current name is thought to be a corruption of his name) and St Mary’s Chapel, which was founded by Hruga’s son Bjarni and built in a Romanesque style. The castle is one of the earliest surviving stone castles in Scotland and is the oldest square keep castle in Scotland.
Neolithic Village with Camera Obscura in the background
By chance the day we chose to go to Wyre was also the public open day for the Neolithic village archaeological dig at Ha’Breck that has been going on for a few years. We were welcomed and given a guided tour of the site and the chance to sit in a camera obscura in a packing case! The site comprises Neolithic timber and stone houses, working areas and a domestic quarry. The finds from the site were on display in the Wyre Heritage Centre and tea and biscuits were also provided. The finds were very interesting and recognisable, even to someone who knows little about archaeology, as axe heads, arrowheads etc. The Heritage Centre also has a permanent exhibition of photos and information about the history of the island.
South Coast - seals in the bay
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