The Exchange, Raasay – A Gallery, a Coffee Stop, and a Local’s Map of the Island

There’s a quiet confidence to Raasay’s creative scene, shaped more by personal connection than passing traffic. The Exchange, a compact gallery and coffee spot housed in the old telephone exchange in Clachan, is one of the island’s most distinctive stops. Run by artist Calum Gillies and his wife Leonie, it’s more than a gallery—it’s a lived-in reflection of island life. Calum grew up here, his prints often drawing from local stories and observations. His bestselling map, ‘Notes from a Small Island’, is filled with the kind of nicknames and personal references that don’t show up in official guides. Beside his work sits jewellery by his sister Fiona—The Silver Grasshopper—and candles made with a friend on Lewis. Leonie has shaped the space with warmth and purpose, making strong coffee, offering local tips, and pointing travellers towards the shore path at Inver. There’s usually a dog at your feet, and always someone willing to tell you where to walk next.

“Here’s a fun fact,” says Raasay-based artist Calum Gillies.
“Our current ferry, the MV Hallaig, was the world’s first hybrid-electric ferry.” She’s not as grand as the Royal Yacht Britannia that used to pull up, but she’s a local character. So much so that she features in a black ink print of the fleet that Calum sells in his tiny gallery in the former telephone exchange in Clachan, overlooking the ferry terminal and neighbouring the distillery.
Calum grew up on Raasay and took over the telephone exchange from his sister Fiona when she left the island. She’s a silversmith – The Silver Grasshopper – and in the gallery, her work rows up beside Calum’s art and prints. The bestseller is ‘Notes from a Small Island’ – a map of Raasay with local nicknames, stories and observations.
Also popular are the Raasay Candles, created in collaboration with Sandwick Bay Candles on Lewis.
The interior was designed by Calum’s wife Leonie, who runs the day-to-day business with help from their dog Daisy. She sets visitors right with “amazing coffee” and always tells them to head to Inver. “It cannot be beaten anywhere on the island,” she says. The walk leads to a lovely sandy beach when the tide is out that is always empty, and there are spectacular views of Skye.”
Raasay may be small, says Calum, but it’s worth the 25-minute crossing. The scenery is varied, and the history interesting, with prehistoric souterrains and Iron Age brochs, medieval castles and Georgian manors.
For the best viewpoint, he recommends Temptation Hill behind Raasay House for “amazing panoramas all the way up to the Old Man of Storr”.
And when it comes to food? “Raasay House has great local produce and a lovely café, and the Isle of Raasay Distillery does some incredible evening meals and snacks through the day.”

MUST-SEES IN YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD?
Dun Caan, the island’s highest point.
Calum’s Road, built by Calum MacLeod in the 1960s to better connect his remote village of Arnish.
The historic sites: the depopulated township Hallaig and 16th-century Brochel Castle.