Overview of Wyre

The island of Wyre in the Orkney Isles is situated to the southeast of the larger island of Rousay from which it is separated by the Wyre Sound. It is a small flat island with an area of 311 ha (768 acres) and a small hill rising to 32m (105 feet) at its centre. To the north of the hill stand the ruins of Cubbie Roo's castle and St Mary's Chapel, the latter dating from the 12th Century. Wyre was the birthplace in 1887 of the poet Edwin Muir at a time when the island's population stood at nearly 80. Subsequently the population has fallen to 47 (1961), 36 (1971), 21 (1981), 28 (1991) and 18 (2001). The island is accessed by ferries linking with Egilsay, Rousay and Tingwall on the Mainland of Orkney.