Greetings. We will be traveling to Raasay for a day trip from Isle of Skye by ferry and not taking a car. I know that Raasay House is within walking distance to the port, but is there anything else within walking distance? Or if we rent bikes from Raasay House, could we get to the distillery by bike? Are the roads safe for casual bikers? Is there any other way to get to the distillery? Thanks!
Posted by
Yorkshire
1231 posts
The distillery is a hefty ,4 mins walk from Raasay house.
Very nice it is too.
The roads will be very safe to ride too, Raasay folk are very proud of thier island .
Theres a cutie little store maybe 3/4 mile south of Raasay House.
Think on the ferry there were free route maps with varied local walks.
We were heading to the far north of the island on foot but a local would not hear of it and drove us up to Arnish.
Posted by
Lake District, England
5845 posts
And round by the old (pre 2010) ferry pier at Suisnish is the remains of the old iron mine. In it's day this was an important part of the economy (and thus the history) of the island- it is now a designated scheduled monument by Historic Environment Scotland- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/SM6594
Posted by
OP
Daytona Beach, FL
49 posts
Thank you so much! This information is very helpful.
Posted by
Isle of Skye, Scotland
1128 posts
Raasay is wonderful and everyone is very friendly. You'll need to book the distillery tour to be sure of a slot. The latest tour they recommend is 1545 which will have you done in time for the evening ferry back to Skye. Lunch at Raasay House is usually very good. You could walk up Dun Caan if it's a nice day. Details here. The community village shop is worth a look too and there are a few small galleries.
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
6400 posts
Hi, Tracy, I spent the day on Raasay Last year in May, and it was one of my favorite places in all of Scotland. I think you will really enjoy it. It is pretty easy with the car, which I had, but you could certainly do it without one.
As Richard said, the distillery is within walking distance of Raasay House. There is also a community store that’s on the other side of Raasay House that has food and drinks and such for sale. They let me use the toilet, too. Google Maps should lead you to the community store if you need help.
If you get a chance to get out and go hiking, there are some beautiful walks out there. With regards to bikes, some of the roads are a little rough. There were lots of potholes, but if you’re careful, you should be OK.
If you’d like, I have some photos and info in my blog that you are welcome to look at. No ads or affiliate links, I promise.
https://mostlytraveled.wordpress.com/2023/05/18/day-14-i-lost-a-dolphin-trip-but-found-the-island-of-my-dreams/
Posted by
Yorkshire
1231 posts
Iain ,the local who semi adopted us and went literally out of his way and more besides.I met 2 other folk who also knew him in my trip one in north Skye and the other in Fort William.
Think theres about 250 people on Raasay
Posted by
Waikikamukau
439 posts
To me (and my wife) Raasay was a real favourite of our 7 weeks in UK and Ireland (2016), probably number 1 for both of us.
Having said that many might find it too quiet with too few big name sights to see.
Walking distance? How far is that? For me I am happy to walk 10 kms each way, for many 2 kms seems a stretch.
We had our little van and stayed on the island.
We saw no other cars on the road when driving so riding a bike on them should not be a problem.
If you have reasonable fitness you could ride out to Brochel Castle and on up legendary Calum Rd, (a bit steep).
The hike up to the summit of Dun Caan is straight forward rewarding the hiker imho with some of the finest views in the Highlands.
I did a nice running loop about 8 kms from Raasay House and found lots of points of interest inc ruins of a broch and a pictish stone.
Paid £2 for a shower at Raasay House (we were camping in our van). I reckon you would probably be able to hire kayaks from them if that would interest you, give you a chance to spot some sea otters.
Also to our delight the ferry was escorted by a pod of dolphins for a long period.