Raasay

This beautiful island just off Skye's eastern shores has some lovely walking. It feels quite long for a small island, and is a rough, sparsely inhabited place, but extraordinarily pretty and commands wonderful views when not wreathed in mist.

You can find a track and set off almost anywhere to good effect, but the famous walk here climbs up to flat-topped Dun Caan (448m) at the island’s centre. This is, from Skye, a somehow weird looking table-top. The views are predictably thrilling, with close-up views of Skye and its wonders as well as views across the sound to the mountains of the mainland. James Boswell was so taken by the place, he danced a reel on its summit when here with Dr Johnson.

The access from the south to Dun Caan and the surrounding hills is along the 'Burma Road', a railway line built for mining during World War 1. It is a delightfully gradual and grassy path, enabling you to pay full attention to the visual splendours around you. You can also approach the mountain by a shorter track from the west and make a circuit of it all if you don’t mind some miles’ walking the island’s little-used road.

The Burma Road makes a delightful shorter there-and-back walk for those with less time or energy.

Raasay is known as the 'Island of the Mists'. It was thus when Walkopedia visited, so we were unable to tackle the high Dun Caan walk, to our disappointment. We explored a track at the far northern end of the island where the road petered out, and walked the lower reaches of the Burma Road. We had the irritation of seeing Raasay basking in clear blue sky later that afternoon from the Skye mainland. We recommend that you check the forecast, and in certain conditions Raasay may be a place to visit in the afternoon rather than the morning.

For more Skye information and photos, including detailed practical information, see our Isle of Skye walk page.