Calum’s Road is on Raasay, leading from Brochel Castle to Arnish.
This last week we were on Raasay, and drove to the end of the road at Arnish. From there we took the path over the hills to Torran, then on over the ridge of the island to Umachan, a hamlet that is now deserted but was home to three families in the early 1900s, where they had a very hard existence.
Donald Shaw wrote a lovely tune called “Calum’s Road”, and I was determined to play by the roadside. So here’s a video:
Marwyn’s father was born in Umachan, along with all his older siblings. We now realise just how hard it was to even get there, let alone manage to eke an existence out of the poor ground; the fishing must have been crucial.
As I finished playing the tune, I realised that I had a small audience. Thanks for the appreciation!