Wyre (island)

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Wyre
Cubby Roo's Castle on Wyre
Cubby Roo's Castle on Wyre
Waters North Sea
Archipelago Orkney Islands
Geographical location 59 ° 7 ′ 8 ″  N , 2 ° 58 ′ 5 ″  W Coordinates: 59 ° 7 ′ 8 ″  N , 2 ° 58 ′ 5 ″  W
Location of Wyre
length 3 km
width 1.5 km
surface 3.11 km²
Highest elevation 32  m
Residents 29 (2011)
9.3 inhabitants / km²
St Mary's Chapel
St Mary's Chapel

The 3.11 km² large island Wyre (Vigr in the extinct language Norn ) belongs to the Scottish Orkney and has 29 inhabitants (status: 2011).

It is located 14 km north of Kirkwall , the main town of the archipelago on the main island of Mainland . The island is flat and has a length (east-west) of three kilometers with a width of 1.5 km. Ferry connections exist with the ports of Tingwall on Mainland, with Egilsay in the northeast and with Brinyan on the neighboring island of Rousay to the northwest , from which Wyre is separated by the one kilometer wide Wyre Sound. In summer the ferries run daily, from October to April there are no connections on Sundays. A drive to Rousay takes five minutes.

On the island there is a post office and a community hall, in which, for example, dance events take place, which are organized by the Wyre Community Association . Schoolchildren have to take the ferry to Rousay to primary school or to Mainland to a secondary school.

The foundation walls of the ruins of Cubbie Roo's Castle , one of the oldest stone castle complexes in Orkney built around 1145 and the core of which was originally a rectangular, 8 × 8 m mighty Norman tower house , are worth seeing . The name goes back to an orcadic legendary figure. The giant Cubbie Roo, also known as Kolbein Hrúga from Norway . The Orkneyinga saga narrates in Chapter 84:

“At the time there was a very able man called Kolbein Heap farming on Wyre in Orkney. He had a fine stone built fort, a really solid stronghold. "

Nearby are the remains of St Mary's Chapel . It also dates from the 12th century and has features of Romanesque architecture. It has been partially restored, but it has no roof. The famous Scottish writer Edwin Muir lived in "The Bu" for a while.

In 2007 and 2011, Antonia Thomas examined a Stone Age settlement on Ha'Breck .

Like most of the islands in the archipelago, Wyre is made of Old-Red sandstone from the Devonian period . Wyre is known for its gray seal and harbor seal populations . The bird world is shaped u. a. by ducks .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 2011 census data

Web links

Commons : Wyre (island)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files