What is recorded here

Mairi worked the cliff path when men still believed solitude could break a castle. She carried water to Tams Castle and refused every marriage offer because the rock had shown her a room with no walls. The castle never appeared, but her hands stopped shaking the day she stopped wanting proof. Stronsay kept her answer and gave back only rain, wind and a door handle made of rope.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Stronsay, Tams Castle as Hermitage (religious) (medieval)(possible), Stack Site (period Unknown). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Tams Castle on Stronsay is believed to have been built in the 15th or 16th century, possibly by a local laird or as a hermitage. It is remembered for its strategic coastal location and as a rare example of early medieval religious or defensive architecture in Orkney.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.