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Isle of Skye

Raasay

The island between Skye and Applecross, 25 minutes by ferry from Sconser, home to around 160 people.

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Welcome

Raasay lies just across the Sound from Skye, a long, narrow island of woods, moor and quiet shore, twenty-five minutes on the little ferry from Sconser.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

Around 160 people live here, and on the crossing the Cuillin fill the view behind you.

There is more to it than its size suggests. In the south are Raasay House and its walled garden, an old chapel, a carved Pictish stone and the island's own distillery. Further north the road climbs through forestry and moorland to Brochel Castle and the start of Calum's Road, built by one man by hand, and beyond it to the empty townships of the clearances. From the high ground at the island's heart the views run west to the Cuillin and east to Torridon. Bring a bike or boots, and give it a whole day.

Before you go

The CalMac ferry leaves from Sconser, by Loch Sligachan.

Take the car across, or leave it at Sconser and walk or cycle from the pier.

The ferry
25 minutes from Sconser. No need to book: be there 10 minutes before it sails, and buy tickets on board.
Otters
Most easily seen on the Suisnish shore near the cattle grid, and at Fearns beach.
Seals
Often seen near Brochel beach in the early evening.
Sea eagles
Often over Oscaig, Dun Caan, Brochel Loch and Hallaig.

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Did you know

Mist drifts over a grassy headland seen from the water near the Isle of Skye.
Did you know

The Raasay Raiders.

In 1921 seven men from Rona, promised land after the war and given none, moved their families onto the empty ground at Fearns and Eyre, built houses and planted crops. They had written to warn the authorities first.

A metal jetty sits beside industrial ruins with misty mountains beyond on the Isle of Skye.
Did you know

Half the island cleared.

George Rainy bought Raasay in 1846 for 35,000 guineas. Under him around half the people were evicted, and he went as far as forbidding marriage to keep the population down.

Folded ferry seating faces a misty mountain island near the Isle of Skye.
Did you know

A vole of its own.

The Raasay vole, found all over the island, is a kind of bank vole, darker and heavier than the mainland one.

A Victorian mansion's chimneys rise above misty water at the Isle of Raasay Distillery, Isle of Skye.
Did you know

The farthest bats.

The rare brown long-eared bats on Raasay are thought to be the most north-westerly in the UK. They were found in Borodale House, now the distillery.

A distant hill is framed by a ferry's window over calm water near the Isle of Skye.
Did you know

A mill of 1720.

Inverarish Mill probably dates from 1720: a marriage lintel over one window carries that date, and the skeleton of its wood and iron wheel still stands.

Mist shrouds a mountain beyond a ferry's wake, lifebelt and folded seating near the Isle of Skye.
Did you know

One of six carbon-neutral islands.

In May 2022 Raasay was chosen as one of six Scottish islands for the Carbon Neutral Islands project, alongside Hoy, Islay, Great Cumbrae, Barra and Yell.

Ben Lerwill

From our guide to Skye

Reachable via a short ferry crossing from the Skye township of Sconser – and playing home to a mere 160 people – the 14-mile-long Isle of Raasay is known for its rugged beauty, its whisky distillery, and its multi-layered history. The distinguished Gaelic poet Sorley MacLean was born here in 1911, and it’s easy to see how the place would have nurtured a creative mind.

Read more
Graeme Johncock

The Raasay Raiders

By the 20th century, stories of raiding neighbouring islands and settling on the land were thought to be a thing of the past. That was until seven crofters from Rona decided to take back the land of their ancestors and sailed to nearby Raasay.

Read the story
Misty mountains rise beyond the choppy wake of a ferry near the Isle of Skye.
What is on

What is new across Skye, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on on Skye
01 / 09
Where it is

Between Skye and the Applecross peninsula, across the Sound of Raasay from Sconser.

Close byThe places to see on Raasay.
  1. Weathered granite stone marker with a faint carved cross designPictish StoneA carved early Christian stone, found near the harbour in 1800.4 miles 5 min by road
  2. Temptation HillTemptation HillA short, sharp climb with views across the Sound of Raasay to Skye.4 miles 5 min by road
  3. Raasay Walled GardenRaasay Walled GardenThe old kitchen garden of Raasay House, restored by the island community and open every day, free.4 miles 5 min by road
  4. St Moluag's ChapelSt Moluag's ChapelThe roofless walls of a chapel from the 1200s, in a graveyard behind Raasay House.4 miles 5 min by road
  5. Isle of Raasay DistilleryIsle of Raasay DistilleryRaasay's first legal distillery, opened in 2017 in a Victorian villa looking across the Sound to Skye.4 miles 6 min by road
  6. Ironstone Mine at the Old PierIronstone Mine at the Old PierThe concrete ruins of a First World War iron mine, worked by German prisoners of war.4 miles 6 min by road
  7. Calum's RoadCalum's RoadAlmost two miles of road from Brochel to Arnish, built by one man with a wheelbarrow.5 miles 6 min by road
  8. Brochel CastleBrochel CastleThe MacLeods of Raasay's castle on a stack of rock above the Inner Sound.5 miles 6 min by road
Directions
A walker on the old grassy track above the east coast of Raasay, birch scrub crowding the path.WalksHallaig2.4 miles as the crow flies
The stair hall of Raasay Gallery hung with paintings to the ceiling, a large canvas of a green island standing on an easel.AttractionsRaasay Gallery4.0 miles
Round table and chairs by a bay window overlooking a loch and hillsRaasayRaasay House HotelPlace to stay · 4.3 miles
Calum and Leonie with Daisy the dog.ShoppingThe Exchange4.3 miles
Lichen-covered stone sphinx statue overlooking a manor house and hillsideAttractionsRaasay Battery Cannon and Mermaids4.4 miles
Old stone bridge at Sligachan with the Cuillin mountains behindAttractionsSligachan Old Bridge11 miles
Snow-covered road winding towards mist-shrouded mountains under a grey skyAttractionsSligachan11 miles
Wood-burning stove alight beside floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a hillside pathSligachanSligachan BlackhousesSleeps 6 · 11 miles
The back bar at Seumas' lined with whiskies.BarsSeumas' Bar11 miles

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The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

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Stay nearby

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

Round table and chairs by a bay window overlooking a loch and hillsRaasay House Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Raasay
  • 3 miles from the middle of the island
Check datesAttic bedroom with white panelled walls, double bed and framed floral printThe Crofter's House
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Camustianavaig
  • 4 miles from the middle of the island
Check datesColourful houses line Portree harbour beneath misty, tree-covered hillside, with boats moored offshoreCuillin Hills Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Portree
  • 5 miles from the middle of the island
Check datesA stag print hangs above a bed dressed with orange cushions and a matching throw in a Bosville hotel room.The Bosville
  • A hotel
  • In Portree
  • 5 miles from the middle of the island
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on SkyeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

What we have written about it, the collections it is in and more on Skye.

From the magazineAreas of SkyeFrom the magazineWelcome to Hidden Scotland’s guide to SkyeCollectionPlaces to Visit in RaasayCollectionUnmissable Places on Skye
More on Skye
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For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .