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Isle of Skye

Raasay Battery Cannon and Mermaids

A walled battery mound by the old jetty below Raasay House, with cannon and two great stone mermaids.

Welcome

Step off the ferry at Raasay and walk along the shore road, and one of the first things you meet is a fort in miniature, its cannon pointing out across the bay from beside the old jetty below Raasay House, guarded by a pair of big stone mermaids with weather-worn faces.

Visited and photographed by Simon Hird

The battery belongs to Raasay House, the Macleods' mansion on the lawns above, now a hotel and outdoor centre. On a clear day the Cuillin stand across the Sound, and the bay below is a quiet place to watch the ferry come and go. It makes a fine first stop on the island: look out over the bay towards Skye, then walk up past the house to the walled garden, the old chapel and the carved Pictish stone at the foot of Temptation Hill, all within a few minutes of each other.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
Before you go

The battery stands on the shore below Raasay House, in the south of the island, a short walk along the road from the ferry.

Where
By the small landing jetty below Raasay House, on its lawns above the bay.
Protected
Part of the Raasay House listing, Category A: look, and leave the stonework alone.

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Did you know

A weathered stone bust of a figure sits on a wall before a grand mansion set among green fields.
Did you know

Mermaids meant for the front door.

The two great reclining mermaids were first meant to adorn the portico of Raasay House. Instead they lie outside the battery wall, facing out to sea towards Skye.

A cannon rests behind a lichen-covered stone parapet overlooking a bay and distant cottages.
Did you know

Built against Napoleon.

The battery was set out on the promontory in Churchton Bay during the Napoleonic Wars, and was made an ornament of the landscape as much as a defence.

A weathered stone bust of a figure stands beside a low wall, a house visible on the hillside beyond.
Did you know

Burnt after Culloden.

The Macleods' house here was burnt to the ground by government troops after Culloden in 1746. Work on the present Raasay House began the next year.

An old cannon points toward the sea from behind a weathered stone parapet.
Did you know

Boswell's landing, 1773.

When Boswell and Johnson came ashore below Raasay House in September 1773, their rowers were singing, the reapers in the fields sang back, and a large company came out of the house to meet them.

A wet road curves past a low stone wall through mist and grassy slopes.
Did you know

The song and the dance.

Johnson wrote that outside was the rough ocean and the howling storm, and inside Raasay House, plenty and elegance, the song and the dance.

A cannon rests behind a lichen-covered stone parapet overlooking a bay and distant cottages.
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Where it is

On the shore below Raasay House, in the south of Raasay.

Close byThe places nearest the battery, on Raasay.
  1. 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.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The ExchangeThe ExchangeA tiny gallery in an old telephone exchange, footsteps from the ferry.Under a mile 1 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.Under a mile 1 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.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Pictish StonePictish StoneA standing stone carved with Pictish symbols and a cross, at the foot of Temptation Hill.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Temptation HillTemptation HillA short, sharp climb with views across the Sound of Raasay to Skye.Under a mile 1 min by road
  7. Isle of Raasay DistilleryIsle of Raasay DistilleryRaasay's first legal distillery, opened in 2017 in a Victorian villa looking across the Sound to Skye.Under a mile 1 min by road
  8. RaasayRaasayThe island between Skye and Applecross, 25 minutes by ferry from Sconser.5 miles 6 min by road
Directions
Round table and chairs by a bay window overlooking a loch and hillsRaasayRaasay House HotelPlace to stay · 0.5 miles
The stair hall of Raasay Gallery hung with paintings to the ceiling, a large canvas of a green island standing on an easel.AttractionsRaasay Gallery1.1 miles
A walker on the old grassy track above the east coast of Raasay, birch scrub crowding the path.WalksHallaig3.6 miles
Rust-coloured moorland grasses rise towards a rocky, mist-covered hillsideAttractionsCalum's Road9.0 miles
Ruined stone tower atop a rocky, moss-covered outcrop under grey skiesAttractionsBrochel Castle9.1 miles
Red-roofed building with grey cladding and picnic tables outside on gravel car parkCafeCafé Cùil13 miles
A pool table under low lamps in the Gabbro Bar, a ball about to be struck.BarsThe Gabbro Bar17 miles
Shopfront sign for The Selkie Collective, advertising ethical, sustainable products and giftsShoppingThe Selkie Collective17 miles
A walker on a path above a loch beneath a steep mountain on the Skye Trail.WalksSkye Trail with Thistle Trekking17 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the battery, 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
  • Under a mile from the battery
Check datesAttic bedroom with white panelled walls, double bed and framed floral printThe Crofter's House
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Camustianavaig
  • 3 miles from the battery
Check datesA white house sits beside a stone bridge over a river, misty mountains rising behind.Sligachan Campsite
  • To stay
  • In Sligachan
  • 5 miles from the battery
Check datesWood-burning stove alight beside floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a hillside pathSligachan Blackhouses
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Sligachan
  • 5 miles from the battery
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay on SkyeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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