Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
RAASAY IN HISTORY
Raasay's woes began after the staunchly Jacobite MacLeods of Lewis sent a hundred local
men and 26 pipers to Culloden. Bonnie Prince Charlie later spent a miserable night on Raasay
in a “mean low hut” during his flight and swore to replace the turf cottages with proper stone
houses (he never did). Raasay was practically destroyed by
government troops
in the
aftermath of the 1745 uprising, then when the MacLeods were forced to sell up in 1843,
the Clearances started in earnest. In 1921, seven ex-servicemen and their families from
neighbouring
Rona
illegally squatted crofts on Raasay, and were imprisoned, causing a public
outcry. As a result, both islands were
bought
by the government the following year. Rona
now has one permanent resident while Raasay's population stands at around two hundred.
Dun Caan
Most visitors come to walk into the island's interior - a rugged terrain of sandstone in
the south and gneiss in the north. The obvious destination is the flat-top volcanic plug
of
Dun Caan
(443m) where Boswell “danced a Highland dance” when he visited with
Dr Johnson in 1773. The five-mile trail to the top is easy to follow; a splendid trek
along the burn through forest behind Inverarish. The quickest return is down the
northwest slope but you can also get back to the ferry along the path by the southeast
shore, passing the abandoned crofters' village of Hallaig.
North Raasay
On a fine day the north provides fine views across to the Cuillin, Portree and the
Trotternish peninsula. Where the road dips to the east coast the stark remains of
fifteenth-century
Brochel Castle
stand overlooking the shore. The final two-mile stretch
of the road to Arnish is known as
Calum's Road
: in the 1960s the council refused to
extend the road, so Calum MacLeod decided to build it himself. It took him ten years,
and by the time he'd finished he and his wife were the only people left in the village.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMAT ION
ISLE OF RAASAY
By ferry
The CalMac ferry (Mon-Sat 8-10 daily, Sun 2 daily;
25min;
W
0800 066 5000,
W
calmac.co.uk) to Raasay departs
from Sconser, 3 miles east of
Sligachan Hotel
(see p.277).
Tourist information
W
raasay.com.
ACCOMMODAT ION
Raasay House
T
01478 660300,
W
raasay-house
.co.uk.
The MacLeods' rebuilt manor serves as an outdoor
centre. Accommodation ranges from B&B in simple
modern bunkrooms to large Deluxe rooms with balconies
and views to the Cuillins, via hotel-style four-stars that
overlook the garden. It also has camping. Among
activities on offer (Easter-Oct, weather-dependent other
months) are guided walks and canyoning, coasteering,
kayakin
g and
sailing. Camping
£6
/person; dorms
£25
;
doubles
£125
Raasay SYHA
T
01478 660240,
W
syha.org.uk.
A two-
mile track from the wharf cuts up behind the village to
Raasay's hostel, small and simple throughout - just one
loo and one shower - but with beautiful views to the
Skye Cuillin and well-placed to exp
lore the
island. A
sup
erb
getaway.
Late May to Aug.
Dorms
£17.50
; doubles
£39
The Small Isles
Seen from southern Skye or the west coast of the Highlands, the
Small Isles
-
Rùm
,
Eigg
,
Muck
and tiny
Canna
- lie scattered in a silver-grey sea like a siren call to adventure. After
centuries of being passed between owners, most islands have stabilized into tight-knit
communities of crofters. While Muck is still privately owned, Eigg was bought out by its
islanders in 1997, ending more than 150 years of property speculation, while other islands
have been bequeathed to national agencies: Rùm, by far the largest and most visited of the
group, passed to the Nature Conservancy Council (now Scottish Natural Heritage) in
1957; and Canna has been in the hands of the National Trust for Scotland since 1981.
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