Raasay

Raasay is a north-south island.  The ferry arrives in Clachan in the south (I read that Clachan means 'village').  There are two roads, one going East: fairly short. The road signs on Raasay are worth a read.  An important looking sign in the middle of nowhere announces 'The North', but it's not like the M6.  The Great North Road is a more serious affair, going over a big hill and leading to Calum's Road, built by Calum after years of trying to persuade the council to extend the road to his house.  I believe it was a lifetime's work, and you can see why.  Hewn out of solid rock, it's a proper road winding up and down and round the cliff-like hills on the north coast.  Calum didn't posess a way of measuring gradients however, and the result is a road like the entry to Elgol, on steroids.   Imagine - steeper than 1 in 0!!  Not just one hill mind: a series of ups and downs which are all seriously steep, with a fair sprinkling of loose gravel and potholes to keep it interesting.   The scenery was amazing, but I couldn't look at it much.  The return journey was very similar with added rain for part of it.