Raasay – A Ruined Keep and the Road One Man Built by Hand
At the north end of Raasay's public road a ruined castle stands on a crag above the sea, and beside it begins a road that one crofter built by hand.
Calum's Road runs for almost two miles from Brochel to Arnish, and walking it there and back is about four miles on tarmac. Brochel is seven miles from the ferry terminal, so this is a day for taking the car over from Sconser, on Skye.
- Time
- About two hours on foot: almost two miles each way along Calum's Road, about four miles there and back. A day with the ferry from Sconser and the drive up the island.
- The path
- Tarmac all the way to Arnish, narrow, with hills and bends and a surface that can be potholed. A short grass path leads towards the castle's rock.
- Where to start
- At Brochel Castle, seven miles north of Raasay's ferry terminal on a narrow single-track road. Keep the road and the passing places clear.
- Set off
- By the ferry from Sconser on Skye: read CalMac's timetable for the day.
- When to go
- All year, by the ferry from Sconser: read CalMac's timetable before setting out. The winter timetable runs from 19 October 2026 to 25 March 2027.
- Children
- It is a road: cars use it, and sheep wander on it.
- Before you set out
- The winter ferry timetable runs from 19 October 2026 to 25 March 2027. In December the sun sets at about twenty to four.
The walk
Brochel Castle is seven miles north of Raasay's ferry terminal, along a narrow, winding single-track road, so bring the car over from Sconser. Leave it at Brochel without blocking the road or a passing place. The castle is a broken keep on a crag above the sea. Calum's Road begins right beside it, at a sign in Gaelic and English with a wheelbarrow at its foot.
Calum MacLeod of Arnish built the road by hand through the 1960s and 1970s, and the council adopted and surfaced it in 1982. It runs for almost two miles over the moor and along the hillside above the sea, to a turning place above his croft house. There and back is about four miles on tarmac, with sheep for company. Read CalMac's Sconser to Raasay timetable before setting out, and plan the walk around the last boat back.
From mid October to March the days are short and the road can be potholed. The island's places to eat are back near the ferry, so bring food.
If it rains
The road is open moor and hillside with no shelter between Brochel and Arnish. Wind, more than rain, is what stops the ferry: check CalMac's service status for Sconser to Raasay before setting out.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.