Raasay

As Scotland begins to open back up from Coronavirus lockdown we decided to take advantage of this and take a trip to Raasay . Only a 20 minute ferry ride from Skye, Raasay is often overlooked by visitors rushing around Skye. Yet it has so much to offer. On our visit all attractions were still closed but this has given us a great reason to return a few more times in the future. This time we focussed on the great outdoors.

The Calmac Ferry to Raasay

The Sconser-Raasay ferry is approximately 20-25 minutes across and seasonal timetables and fares are found here. You buy tickets on board, you cannot book in advance. Blue Badge Holders are entitled to 25% discount on the car ticket when you show your badge at the point of purchase.

Because it is a very short ferry journey to Raasay passengers may remain in their vehicles for the entire journey and the ferry crew come round to issue tickets. This means access is not a problem. However if you are able to leave the car you can buy tickets in the lounge. Or, maybe venture up onto the top deck for views of the crossing. The lounge with seating is on the same level as the car deck. However access to the outside seating area is via steep stairs . If you are crossing as a foot passenger you will be able to sit in whichever space is accessible for you. Do bear in mind that you have to walk on and off the ferry using the same ramp as the cars so it is steep at both sides.

There are toilets at the ferry ports on both sides of the crossing. Neither have a separate disabled toilet but each have two single cubicles, one male and one female. They are every spacious and kitted out with grab handles, low level sinks and hand driers to aid disabled users. At Sconser the toilets and waiting room are located down the slipway below the car queuing area. It is dropped kerb access the whole way down. Here the doors have a thumb-lock on the inside. At Raasay the toilets and waiting room are located in a small building at the top of the harbour wall. There is a ramp to the toilet however the doors are not operated by push pad but are manual so quite heavy. This door has a shoot bolt lock on the inside so may be more tricky to use for some.

St Maol-luags Chapel

Behind the Raasay Hotel on the road to Oskaig you will find St Maol-luags Chapel and Graveyard. The site has been a place of worship since the 6th century. The buildings that remain there today likely date back to the 13th Century. The small chapel is the MacLeod memorial Chapel with an inscription inside dedicated to Torquil MacLeod of the Lewes, 17th Chief of Raasay.

As it was summer when we visited the grass in the graveyard was very long so quite hard for Sarah to navigate over. We started with her rollator, swapped to her two sticks but eventually gave up as the going was tough underfoot. Despite this difficulty it was still well worth a visit. The best way to access the graveyard is on foot, walking carefully on the road from the Raasay Hotel car park. It is a very narrow road which means there is no parking. So, be very aware of any traffic on the road when you are walking along.

The Pictish Stone

A little further along the road from the chapel is the Pictish Stone. You can walk a further 0.2 miles along the narrow road to get here, or if you pop out the other end of the Raasay Hotel car park it is opposite you. Located next to the footpath for Temptation Hill you find the Pictish Stone.

There are two stories about the stone. Firstly it is said to have been found by James MacLeod in about 1800. Unearthed not far from the harbour at Clachan on the course of an access road he was building to his house. About 100 yards from where it was found is a rock with traces of similar carving. It was later moved to its current location where it is displayed on top of a small mound. A second story, is that the stone served as a sanctuary marker at the nearby St Maol-luag’s Chapel until moved to its current location some time after 1935. Both plausible stories, but which one do you believe? You can read a lot more about the history and detail on the stone here.

The Old Iron Mines

Zig zagging across the south end of Raasay are many short walks associated with the old Iron Mines and their workings. A printable pdf of all the walks can be found on the Forestry and Land Scotland website. Due to our time constraints on this particular visit we didn’t have enough time to check out all the walks but the pdf does give some detail of terrain and distance. You can also learn a lot about the history of Raasay on the information boards along the trails.

We chose to have a look at the Burma Road and Miners Trail from Mine 1 and Mine 2. There is a spacious car park at each mine, information boards and colour coded path indicators. At Mine 1 we ventured a short way down the track and found it a very good, well compacted gravel path easily negotiated with Sarah’s wheeled walker. We could have walked quite a distance on this one. We both made comment that it would be relatively easy to push a wheelchair along this section also. The path was visible on the other side of the valley and it was less gravel and more of a grassy path. Probably unsuitable for wheelchairs that far round.

From Mine 2 the path starts flat and wide, then gets steeper further on so may not be for everyone but it will be possible for some. We managed a short distance with Sarah’s rollator and will look to go back and try another time to venture further. Along the trails you see old mine workings, ammunition dumps, wheelhouses, railway tracks and more. You are walking in the footsteps of history.

Calum’s Road

Calum Macleod had a croft at Arnish in the north of Rasaay. At this time, in the 1960s, the main single track road finished some two miles away at Brochel. Calum was sad to notice a depopulation of this part of the island, partly due to the lack of a road. Single handedly he set out to extend the road from Brochel to the settlements further north. He built the two mile road over a ten year period using his wheelbarrow and spade. These now sit, a rusted hulk, next to the sign that marks his achievement. The road was officially adopted by the council and finished with tarmac in 1982.

As well as naming the road after him a cairn has been built nearby commemorating Calum’s achievement. Roger Hutchison’s book “Calum’s Road” tells his story in more detail.

You can walk Calum’s Road but due to the extreme weather conditions in the winter and the many visitors in the summer it is no longer the smooth tarmac surface it once was. The road surface has many potholes and the terrain extremely undulating with steep hills, blind crests and hairpin bends. It may be more enjoyable from the comfort of your vehicle rather than on foot, you choose. As you travel the road you are in awe of one man’s endeavours.

Still to explore

We still have so much more to explore on Raasay as this little Island has a lot to offer.

On our list is Raasay House for Food and Drink. The Raasay Distillery, the artisan shops near the distillery and of course some more walks. We may even make it to Brochel Castle but that looks quite challenging! What this space for more updates in the future.