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Small Isles

Grulin Bothy

The one roofed house left in the cleared township of Grulin on Eigg, a whitewashed shepherd's cottage under An Sgùrr.

Welcome

Grulin Bothy is a small whitewashed cottage standing alone on the green hillside at Grulin, on the south-west side of Eigg, with the long cliffs of An Sgùrr above it and the sea below.

It dates from the earlier or middle nineteenth century: a single storey of rubble stone, three bays wide, with an off-centre door, rounded corners and walls that lean inwards, a chimney in the middle and a red corrugated-iron roof.

It is the only building of the cleared township of Grulin that still has a roof. When the people were cleared in the nineteenth century, the cottage was kept on as a shepherd's house; it was restored around 1980 and is now a listed building. Around it lie the ruined walls of the old township, among great fallen boulders. The walk out is the same as for Grulin: a track west from the pier at Galmisdale beneath the Sgùrr, with fine views of its southern cliffs.

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Before you go

From the pier at Galmisdale, a track runs west beneath An Sgùrr to Upper Grulin and the bothy.

It can be joined to a climb of An Sgùrr for a longer day of about 11.5km and four and a half hours, over rough, often pathless heather.

Getting there
CalMac ferry from Mallaig; the Sheerwater from Arisaig, April to September. No visitor cars.
Start
The pier at Galmisdale.
Way
A track west beneath An Sgùrr.

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Did you know

A white cottage with a red roof sits below rocky cliffs on Eigg, the sea beyond.
Did you know

The last roof at Grulin.

Of all the houses of the cleared township of Grulin, this is the only one that still has a roof.

A bicycle leans against a white, red-roofed cottage beneath rocky cliffs on Eigg.
Did you know

A shepherd's house.

After the township was cleared, the cottage was kept on as a home for the shepherd who worked the ground.

A teal door brightens a white cottage's corrugated red roof beneath rocky hills on Eigg.
Did you know

Walls that lean in.

The cottage is whitewashed rubble with rounded corners and battered walls, sloping inwards as they rise, under a hipped roof of corrugated iron.

A white, red-roofed cottage stands on grassy ground above the sea on Eigg.
Did you know

Restored around 1980.

The cottage was restored around 1980, and it is now a listed building, category B.

A white cottage sits below layered cliffs on Eigg, grass and bracken around it.
Did you know

Cleared to Cleadale.

The people of Grulin were moved out in the nineteenth century; some went to Cleadale in the north of Eigg, and most of the families sailed for Nova Scotia.

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Where it is

Grulin, the south-west side of the Isle of Eigg.

Close byAt Grulin.
  1. GrulinGrulinThe ruins of two townships under the southern cliffs of An Sgùrr, cleared for sheep in 1853.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. An SgùrrAn SgùrrThe mile-long pitchstone ridge over the south of Eigg, the largest of its kind in Europe, climbed from the north to 393 metres.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. GalmisdaleGalmisdaleThe bay where you land on Eigg, with the ferry pier, the old pier and An Laimhrig, the island's community hub.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. A hire bike leaning on a grassy bank on the moor, the ridge of An Sgùrr beyond a conifer wood.Eigg AdventuresBike, e-bike and kayak hire from the Adventure Shed at the pier, with maps, helmets and a safety talk.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Tables of knitwear and soft toys in the sunlit craft shop, shelves of cards and books behind.Eigg Craft ShopThe island makers' cooperative at the pier, with Eigg crafts, artwork, knitwear, books and maps.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Tables by a wide window looking out over the rocks and the bay.Galmisdale Bay Café & BarThe café and bar at the head of Eigg's piers, with homemade food, big windows over the bay and island beer.Under a mile 1 min by road
Directions
Curved white sand bay meets turquoise water below coastal hillsAttractionsSanna Bay12 miles

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Stay nearby

Places to stay near the bothy, and when each is next free.

The house's gabled wing with a decked terrace and two chairs, solar panels along the roof, seen across a grassy slope.Borradill House
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Glenborrodale
  • 18 miles from Grulin Bothy
Free 22–25 NovBorradill Cottage, ArdnamurchanBorradill Cottage
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Glenborrodale
  • 18 miles from Grulin Bothy
Free 15–18 NovCoruisk House's white harled exterior shows dormer windows and clustered chimneys against a grey sky.Coruisk House
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Elgol
  • 19 miles from Grulin Bothy
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in the Small IslesAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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