‘Cubbie Roo’ was the name of one of Orkney’s best-known giants, but it also refers to the Norse chieftain: Kolbein Hrúga, who built the castle. The walls were famously strong - being 1.75m thick. To reach them, an attacker would first have to deal with a set of ramparts and a large ditch. It’s no surprise that the Orkneyinga saga described it as a “fine stone fort…a really solid stronghold”.
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