TRIP 6 MISTY ISLE

Day 1. 3rd July 2019 - Heading west.

Trip 6 was an unexpected reprise of the Dinosaur walking group's trip to the west in May. One of the walks that the Dinosaurs had done was on the south side of the island of Raasay. This was somewhere that Bob had always wanted to visit and he had really enjoyed the walking. It seemed that Sharon had actually booked us into Raasay House Hotel months before the Dinosaur visit. So, this journey had come as a surprise to him, having only learned of it the day before. Unfortunately, the weather forecast was not good and we left Inverness in grey, misty and wet conditions. Normally we would take photos of the journey, but conditions were not conducive to great sweeping Highland panoramas.

We did take the chance to stop off for two minutes to take a photo of Eilean Donan Castle. This castle has been on every shortbread tin and features in heaps of films. Most people go to the dedicated car park and pay for the privilege. However, you get some good views at the community car park on the other side of the bay and it is much quieter and you can, if you wish, contribute to the community fund. The castle looks pretty brooding in the mist.

 Eilean Donan is the Island of Donan in English. St Donan was an early Irish monk, who may well have had a cell on the island around the 7th Century. The first castle was built on the island in the 13th Century as a fortification against raiding Vikings.

The castle was also important during the earlier Jacobite uprisings. In 1719 the castle was occupied by a garrison of Spanish soldiers supporting the Jacobite cause. The English government sent three frigates to the castle and bombarded it for three days, but with little effect. The castle was then invaded by ground troops, the garrison defeated and then the castle was blown up. The ruins stood for 200 years.

The site was bought by Lt-Col John Macrae-Gilstrap in 1911 and he rebuilt the castle over time until 1932 when the work was completed and became the castle as we see it today.

Time was running a little short, so we pressed on to Sconser on Skye and waited to catch the ferry to Raasay.

The views back to Skye were limited and you could see why it is known as the Misty Isle.

This is what it is like on a nice sunny day.

Nevertheless, almost any trip on a ferry is a bit romantic and different.

We drove straight from the pier to Raasay House where we were staying for the next two nights. We immediately went through to the bar to get some lunch as we were both a bit hungry. This is where the next surprise happened. Bruce and Irene were hiding in an alcove by the window, waiting for us to arrive. To say I was taken aback would be an understatement!

Once over the shock, we sat down to a very nice cold local Skye Brewery beer and looked at the lunch menu.

Bruce and I chose the the wholetail Langoustine scampi wrapped in Quinoa, oat, amaranth and toasted linseed. The girls had a salad with goat's cheese and beetroot. It all was very nice and fresh.

However, there was no time to sit and enjoy a leisurely glass of wine or the like, we had to walk over to the Raasay Distillery, which is one of the newest in Scotland. So new, in fact that it is not permitted to call any spirit whisky! We had an interesting tour round the distillery with a group of American tourists. 

As you might expect, the distillery is very modern and has been tacked onto an older building which was once an hotel. It was very smart inside and the whole operation was good. 

We ended up with a tasting of three different whiskies. The first of these was called While we Wait and is a blend of malts made to taste as they expect their first whisky to taste. We then had two single grain whiskies, the last of which was a 28 year old Tweeddale, which was very nice indeed.

The views must be among the best in Scotland from any distillery.

 

It was a very short walk back to the Raasay House. Raasay was home to Clan MacSween, but was owned by the Macleods, who built a house here as early as the 1500's. That house was burnt down by English troops following the battle of Culloden in 1746. Work started on the present house in 1747. The house was sold by Macleod of Raasay and passed through a number of bad owners along with the island. One of the most notorious (but perhaps not the worst) was Dr Green from Sussex, who was known throughout the Highlands as Dr NO, because he would allow nothing to happen on the island that might benefit the dwindling population. He only visited the island once. He bought it for £6000 in the 1960's and sold it to the Highlands and Islands Development Board in 1979 for £135000!

Ultimately, the house came into the hands of the community and they eventually refurbished and rebuilt it into the hotel and centre that it now is. This they managed despite it burning down twice while work was ongoing and the builder going into liquidation. It is widely seen as a symbol of what was neglectful ownership and now is a beacon of hope for the 126 people who live on an island, where once there had been a population of about 1000.
This is the hotel on a very sunny day, and not when we were there this time. 

We took a while to have a rest and clean up before meeting for drinks in the library prior to dinner. The hotel is very busy as it is the only one on the island and the only place to eat.

Dinner was very good, which was just as well given the lack of alternatives.

I had a very good starter of ham hock terrine with burnt apple sauce and an outstanding bacon jam.

Bruce had a bowlful of sweet chilli Langoustines.

Both of us had the tender Venison, which was just perfect, although the Dauphinoise potatoes could have been creamier for Bruce, but they were fine for me.

Irene had the slow cooked brisket on puy lentils and Sharon had a simple pasta with red pesto sauce.

I finished with a sticky toffee and ginger pudding which was tasty, but could have been hotter.

A decent meal in all.

We retired to the library for a post dinner drink and a chat, which was all rather civilised. We also played table football and ping pong, which was just stupid. We did not stay late as tomorrow was to be a big day.

Day 2. 4th July 2019 - walking in the rain

Today was Bob's 65th birthday!

As if in sympathy, the weather was a bit gloomy. Nonetheless, that wasn't going to dissuade us from getting out and about. After a reasonably undistinguished breakfast, we got going towards the north of the island.

Our first stop was Brochel Castle, which once marked the end of the public road. It is pretty spectacular rising directly from huge volcanic plugs, it looks as if the Castle is made of the bedrock itself. It effectively had a 15 metre head start in height by being built on top of the rock outcrop. This feature of the design makes it almost unique in castle ruins in Britain today. It would also have made it pretty intimidating in its time. It was built about the late 1500's and occupation by the Macleods of Raasay ceased in 1671, when they moved to the castle that predated Raasay House.

Despite the slight drizzle, it was a bit of a spectacular place with what might be assumed to be fine views.

You would think Bruce would be used to this, having lived in Fort William all his life.

Here we are about to leave the castle on the next stage of our adventure.

Just beyond the castle is Calum's Road, which is famous in the Highlands and beyond. You  might know some of the story, but there are some bits that only I discovered later on, so here goes.

 Calum Macleod and his brother Charles had constructed the track from Torran, where they lived to Fladda over the space of three years up to 1952. Fladda is a small island, reachable over a causeway and it had a small population. They were paid £35 each for their work. For many years afterwards, the community in North Raasay lobbied for a road, but they were unsuccessful. Eventually, Calum took matters into his own hands and decided to build a road himself. He bought a book on road construction for half a crown and set about doing the work. The one and three quarter miles that he built from Brochel Castle to Arnish took him from 1964 to 1974. Eventually, the Council adopted and surfaced the road, but by then Calum and his wife were the last people living in Arnish. He died in 1988, but not before he had been awarded the British Empire Medal, ostensibly for his efforts as a part time lighthouse keeper on Rona, but almost certainly for the road that that he built in the face of bureaucratic indifference.

If you are ever on Raasay, you have to visit Calum's Road to marvel at such an undertaking, which you would be hard pushed to find being replicated in this more modern age.

Just before we got back to the car, we spied a juvenile Sea Eagle soaring over the coastline. Quite magnificent and something you will only find in this country if you visit the wild west coast of the Highlands.

After that treat, we carried on along Calum's Road as far as you can drive to Arnish.

Our intention was to walk from Arnish to Fladda, via Torran on Calum's Path. As you might expect, there were some fine misty views to be had.

When you are on one of these trips, you can expect to see some interesting wildlife and it is not just about Sea Eagles and the like. This is an Oak Eggar caterpillar. The Oak Eaggar Moth is fairly common and, despite its name, it is not associated with oak woodlands, but prefers more open heath and moorland. Interestingly, the Oak Eggar lives a two year cycle as a caterpillar in areas like Raasay due to the winters and a one year cycle further south.

We stopped at an unoccupied white house at Torran to take in the view. In fact this was actually the primary school which only closed in 1967. Just nearby to the school was a plague burial ground, but we didn't know about it and nor did we see it.

There are remnants of a once busy community all around, but nothing seems to be permanently occupied now, no doubt due to the lack of road access.

It is strange to think that you are walking in the footsteps of generations of crofters. In fact it is a bit more poignant than that. Raasay has a long history of bad, if not criminal, landlords. We have already heard about Dr No. One of his predecessors was the much more appalling George Rainy. He had made his money in slavery in the Caribbean. Clearly it was a system he liked and some aspects of it he brought with him when he bought Raasay in 1845. He preferred to use the island for sheep farming rather than the subsistence agriculture practised by his tenants. He evicted and cleared most of them from the more fertile south of the island. Hundreds left for Australia and Canada. Those that would not leave, he moved to the rocky and less fertile north of the island and perhaps, most astonishingly, he built a high wall from coast to coast to ensure that they did not attempt to come back to their historical homelands. If you think that was bad, he also forbade his tenants to marry each other, presumably so that the population would not grow. The wall is still there to this day and we did see it, but did not recognise it for what it was, so no photo. Where Calum's Path crosses the wall, there is now a cattle grid.
There is a short walk near to the distillery that commemorates those people who were forced to leave the island.

It gives a whole new perspective on being a tourist in such a landscape.

Whilst the north of the island might be less populous and less fertile, it does have some fine views out to sea.

Round the corner, after a bit of a slog through some waist high bracken and heather, we caught sight of the houses on Eilean Fladda. These houses are not permanently occupied, but used in the summer by the descendants of the families that lived there until the island was abandoned in 1965. Prior to that children from Fladda had to walk to the school at Torran. No doubt the abandonment of the island led to the closure of the school two years later. The school was only opened by the County Council following a rates strike by the people of Fladda.

You can see the tidal causeway between Raasay and Eilean Fladda.

Adjacent the causeway is a square fish trap. These were designed to trap fish once the tide went out. Square ones are pretty unusual. There are many fish traps around the coast of the Highlands, but most of these are semi-circular in design. I cannot think of another square one. They are notoriously difficult to date, with many of them thought to be prehistoric in origin, although they may have been altered and maintained over centuries.

It was tempting, but we did not cross the causeway and soon left the island and the houses behind, heading east across the island.

After a while of climbing away from the coast and then crossing the moors, we reached the point where the path would take us back to the car or further north to the top of the island and thence top the Isle of Rona. We went back to the car.

We passed a little well just off the path, but did not take a drink.

The path began to meander downhill towards the old school at Torran.

From there it wasn't long until we were back at the cars and a picnic lunch.

We drove back to Raasay House and Irene decided to get warm and dry in the hotel, while the rest of us went for a shorter walk around the coast from the ferry terminal.

We started off over the beach and into the rain.

Thetre are actually some very nice views from this beach back across the ferry terminal towards Skye. Luckily we were here before in the sunshine, so I can show you what I mean.

In the sheltered woodland area, we came across this fungus. It is probably Common Inkcap. This is edible, apparently, but is known to cause serious poisoning if taken with alcohol, so it won't be eaten by me for one.

There is a fine bay and beach to view further on.

Of course, it does look better in the sunshine.

It is also just the place for photos of the walkers.

The walkers also look better in the sunshine.

From the beach we cut across into the back garden of the hotel, where there are plenty of rabbits failing to keep the daisies in check.

Then it was into the hotel and into clean clothes and a rest before dinner later.

Once again, we met up in the library before eating.

Bruce and I both had the ham terrine on the basis of the fabulous bacon jam and we were not disappointed. Nor did the brisket on puy lentils disappoint. Sharon and Irene also had the brisket. Very tender - you could eat it with a spoon.

Sharon and Bob shared a disappointingly cold cheese board and Bruce had a sticky chocolate Brownie.

After a nightcap, we all retired feeling virtuous after the walking and tired for the same reason as well.

Day 3 Friday 5th July

The Friday morning was a bit dull and overcast again. Nonetheless we were up and down for breakfast at a reasonable time. Breakfast was, once again, less than stellar.

There was some small compensation for that with the view from the dining room.

As always, the view was better when we were there in the sunshine.

We had no plans to walk any more on Raasay, so we got the ferry back to Skye, with the intention of a foodie stop on the way home.

There were some interesting skies on the return journey, but the crossing itself was fine.

No matter the weather, it is impossible not to go up on deck and see what is gong on.

What was going on was the Glen Shiel passing us by. The Glen Shiel is one of four vessels operated by luxury small cruise company, The Majestic Line. She can carry up to 14 passengers in a degree of luxury and at a hefty price. 10 nights cruising the Outer Hebrides and to St Kilda would cost you just under £4500 in June next year.

Highland Gourmet Trips cannot take you to St Kilda, but they are a lot cheaper than that.

On the way to our respective homes, we had decided to stop off at Balmacara Square.

This is actually a separate village from Balmacara, which is on the main road from Skye to Fort William and Inverness.

Balmacara Square is located to the north of the village and occupies the site of an old cattle gathering stance. The name comes from the old Home Farm which was partly arranged in a square. The village is largely owned by the National Trust for Scotland and they have undertaken significant refurbishment and rescue of the properties.

To say it is attractive would be an understatement, It is very dinky doo.

The main feature of the restored mill pond just adds to the village charm.

We were not there for the niceness of it all but for the Deli next to Beth's Coffee Shop. Having said that, we had never been here before, as it is just off the main road, but we will be back, for sure.

The Deli was small but pretty perfectly formed, with lots of interesting cheeses and other goodies, which we loaded up with, before taking a wee wander round the village.

What a pleasant surprise it all was and, if we had not been so recently filled up at breakfast, we might have tried out Beth's delicious looking cakes.

Just after the village of Balmacara proper, our routes home parted. Bruce and Irene went to Fort William and Sharon and Bob headed towards Dingwall and Inverness.

Bob and Sharon stopped off at The Carron restaurant, just along from our favourite west coast gardens at Attadale. We only had tea and a sticky cherry almond slice, which was gooey and very nice, indeed.

The restaurant is really very good and a great place for lunch, but it was too early for us. They have a great selection of whiskies and run tasting evenings for both whisky and sherry. It is our go to place if we are in the area.

Bruce and Irene stopped off at the Invergarry Hotel and had a delicious roast cauliflower biryani. Invergarry hotel is one of a few taken over by a company called Black Sheep Hotels. The owner is an Indian, who was appalled at the standard of food, service and accommodation he had found traveling in the Highlands. (He clearly wasn't going with Highland Gourmet Trips). So he bought some hotels and is spending money doing them up to run properly. Hopefully he will be adding to the options for Highland travel and we watch this space with interest.

So, that was the end of another great trip in the Highlands. There is no doubt that Raasay Hotel was expensive and did not live up to the price tag in terms of the bedrooms or the breakfast. Dinner was good, though and the location and the island itself were second to none. On balance, a great trip and fine way to celebrate my birthday.