Celtic Recipes

Wyre

Image: Wyre (Orkney); taken from Cubbie Roo's Castle image © Copyright Otter at nl.wikipedia. Licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.

Wyre

This is southeast and a five minute journey from Rousay and has a population of eighteen people. The ferry operates seven days per week in the summer but not on Sundays in the winter. Sites of historical importance on the island include:

Shapinsay

Burroughston Broch, Shapinsay image © Copyright C Michael Hogan licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.

Burroughston Broch

Surrounded by a grass mound this broch is located on the island of Shapinsay. The island is reached by car ferry from Kirkwall to Balfour and the broch is in the northeast of Shapinsay about a mile south from the Ness of Ork. As the exterior has not been excavated it is possible to look down into the broch where the remains of stone furniture and a complete chamber can be seen. Also on the island is Mor Stein standing stone in the southeast and south east of Mor Stein is Castle Bloody Souterrain. In the southwest of Shapinsay is Balfour Castle built in 1847 by the architect David Bryce on the site of an older building.

South Ronaldsay

Tomb of the Eagles, sleeping area and entrance © Copyright D. Gordon E. Robertson and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.

South Ronaldsay

This is an island to the south of Mainland that can be reached by use of the Churchill Barriers which are four causeways that link Orkney Mainland to South Ronaldsay via Burray and Lamb Holm and Glimps Holm. The largest town on South Ronaldsay is St Margarets Hope in the north of the island and can be reached by ferry from Gills Bay which is about four miles west from John O'Groats. There is also a summer ferry service from John O'Groats to Burwick on the south coast of South Ronaldsay from the beginning of May until the ends of September. On Burray which is south from Mainland and Lamb home is the Fossil and Heritage Centre which is north of Echna Loch off the A961. It is open from the end of April until the end of September.

Hoy

Dwarfie Stane, Island of Hoy, Orkney image © Copyright Grovel at English Wikipedia licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.

Dwarfie Stone

To the south of the Mainland island in Hoy is a tomb known as the Dwarfie Stone. It is of unusual construction having been hewn from a single very large block of stone. It is thought to date to about 3500 BC to 2500 BC. The island of Hoy is the second largest in Orkney and is connected to the Mainland island by a causeway known as The Ayre. The island is known for it's high cliffs and the sea stack the 'Old Man Of Hoy which is to the west of the Dwarfie Stone close to Rathwick in the northwest of the island and stands at nearly 250 feet.

Mainland, Orkney

Standing Stones of Stenness

Kirkwall/Baile na-h-Eaglais

Kirkwall/Baile na-h-Eaglais is the capital of Orkney, located in the centre of Mainland and the port has ferry services to Aberdeen and Lerwick as well as the other main north islands in the archipelago. In the town is the Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Broadstreet, Kirkwall. It is housed in a sixteenth century town house. The museum has an important collection and gives the history of Orkney from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Pict times through to the Viking period until the present day. The museum is open throughout the year from Mon-Sat 10:30-17:00. Also in Kirkwall is St Magnus Cathedral which was built for the Norse Earls of Orkney. Construction of the Cathedral, which was part of the Norwegian church, began in 1137 and it has been added to over subsequent centuries. Next to the Cathedral are the ruins of the Bishop's Palace and Earl's Palace. The Bishop's Palace was built at the same time as the Cathedral and was home to the first Bishop William the Old (William Sennex). The Earl's Palace was constructed from 1607 by Patrick Stewart, 2nd Earl of Orkney. It's ruins lie close to the cathedral in the centre of Kirkwall.

Forse Castle

Remains of Forse Castle image © Copyright Peter Gamble and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence.

Forse Castle is a ruined castle dating to the early thirteenth century. It stands on a rocky peninsula high above the sea and is located close to the village of Forse which is off the A99 road and about 2 miles south  of Lybster, Caithness, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Liabost, Gallaibh, Alba).  The castle was thought to have been built by Sir Reginald de Cheyne. It later passed to the Sutherlands of Forse family, part of the Clan Sutherland. It had been abandoned in the 1700's.

Thurso Castle

Thurso Castle image © Copyright Bill Henderson and licensed for reuse under Creative Commons Licence. Bill Henderson / Thurso Castle / CC BY-SA 2.0

This a mid-seventeenth century tower house located on the site of a previous twelfth century earthwork fortress founded by the Norse Earls. The site is in Thurso East, off Castletown Road. The remains of the house are now roofless.

 

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe

Castle Sinclair Girnigoe is located about 3 miles north of Wick (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Ùige) on the east coast of Caithness, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Gallaibh, Alba). The monument consists of the ruins of two castles Castle Girnigoe and Castle Sinclair, with a defensive ditch on their western and southern sides. Girnigoe Castle is dated to the late 15th century and was in the possession of William Sinclair (1459 – 9 September 1513) Earl of Caithness and chief of the Clan Sinclair, who died fighting the English at the Battle of Flodden on 9 September 1513. There is some evidence that the castle was built on the site of an existing promontary fort. Sinclair Castle was built in either 1606 or 1607.

Grey Cairns of Camster

Grey Cairns of Camster photo courtesy of Creative Commons

The Grey Cairns of Camster are two large Neolithic chambered cairns located about 8 miles south of the village of Watten (Scottish Gaelic: Bhatan) and 5 miles north of the coastal village Lybster (Scottish Gaelic: Liabost) in Caithness, in the Highland region of Scotland. They are about two hundred metres apart. The Camster Round Cairn is about eighteen metres in diameter and three and half metres in height. A low passage leads to a central chamber. Camster Long Cairn is about sixty-nine and a half metres long. There are two chambers in this impressive cairn, both at the northern end. 

Ardvreck Castle

Ardvreck Castle

This is a ruined late fifteenth century castle that is said to be haunted and is located on a promontory on the southeast of Loch Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Loch Asaint, Cataibh, Alba). Loch Assynt is east from Lochinver/Loch an Inbhir and the castle is off the A837 toward the village of Inchnadamph/Innis nan Damh.

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