Key facts
- Operator
- Historic Environment Scotland
- Condition
- Ruin
- Access
- Free, open access
Pinpoint
Orkney KW17 2QA
Website www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/cubbie-roos-castle-and-st-marys-chapel
Reckoned to be Scotland's earliest stone castle, reduced now to low foundations on the small island of Wyre in Orkney. There's little of the structure left to see, but the fact of its age carries the visit - information boards on site fill in what the stonework can't.
Worth the trip
The sheer age of it - as the earliest stone castle in Scotland, what little survives is more significant historically than its scale would suggest.
Before you go
Don't expect much beyond the foundations; reviewers note the island's other amenities amount to little more than a toilet, so this is a short stop for the historically curious rather than a half-day out.
With only a handful of brief reviews on file, Cubbie Roo's Castle comes across as a small, mostly ruined site - two reviewers specifically note there's not much left standing - but there are information boards explaining its history. One visitor mentions it's on a small island with little else nearby besides a toilet. Ratings are positive overall, but the reviews suggest this is a quick stop rather than an extended visit.
Scotland's earliest stone castle, on island of Wyre
“Good but nothing much else on the small island except the loo luckily”— Jeff Crouch, visitor review
