Rating
4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)
User Reviews
D. G. (8 months ago)
The castle is a ruin, but a wonderful ruin, precariously perched on a rocky outcrop! The views around are beautiful. You can't enter the ruin as it is unsafe due to the crumbling nature of the fortification. The journey up there was fun, single-track roads with plenty of passing places, lots of sheep & rabbits, & stunning views! And just beyond is Calum's Road...
The castle is a ruin, but a wonderful ruin, precariously perched on a rocky outcrop! The views around are beautiful. You can't enter the ruin as it is unsafe due to the crumbling nature of the fortification. The journey up there was fun, single-track roads with plenty of passing places, lots of sheep & rabbits, & stunning views! And just beyond is Calum's Road...
John Irvine (10 months ago)
A very interesting drive up Raasay to this Castle ruin. It has a nice setting with great views over to Applecross on the Mainland.
A very interesting drive up Raasay to this Castle ruin. It has a nice setting with great views over to Applecross on the Mainland.
Connor Hughes (10 months ago)
One of my all-time favorite ruins! The ruins are in major disrepair, but the grounds and beach around it are beautiful. It’s a must-see on Raasay. The remote atmosphere really adds to the experience and the drive there. Seeing the foundation of the old castle built to fit into the rock formation is truly an awe-inspiring sight! It really gets your imagination going when you think about what it could have looked like. See photo below for an artist reconstruction of what the castle could have looked like (David L. Roberts). Small car park alongside the road for a few cars. There is a single house on your right as you walk down to the castle, but you still feel like you are far secluded from anyone and anything else. Fun to explore around the ruin and down to the pebble beach. Make sure not to go inside, as much of the ruin is crumbling and fenced off.
One of my all-time favorite ruins! The ruins are in major disrepair, but the grounds and beach around it are beautiful. It’s a must-see on Raasay. The remote atmosphere really adds to the experience and the drive there. Seeing the foundation of the old castle built to fit into the rock formation is truly an awe-inspiring sight! It really gets your imagination going when you think about what it could have looked like. See photo below for an artist reconstruction of what the castle could have looked like (David L. Roberts). Small car park alongside the road for a few cars. There is a single house on your right as you walk down to the castle, but you still feel like you are far secluded from anyone and anything else. Fun to explore around the ruin and down to the pebble beach. Make sure not to go inside, as much of the ruin is crumbling and fenced off.
Calum (11 months ago)
Brochel Castle sits on Raasay’s north eastern shore, and at the beginning of Calum's Road. There is ample parking, as well as paths that lead around the base of the castle and down towards the shore. The castle itself is fenced and I would stress people should NOT enter the ruins due to the advanced and dangerous state of disrepair. The castle is an ingenious fusion of natural rock and masonry, intricate brickwork and lime-mortar, rising sheer out of a stack-like volcanic plug some 15 metres high and commanding a position over the coastline. We think the castle was built around the late 15th to early 16th century, and occupied until circa 1671. Brochel Castle was most likely built by Raasay’s first Macleod chief Calum Garbh (later known as Calum MacGilleChaluim), who had been bestowed Raasay and Rona by his father, Calum MacLeod, the 9th Chief of Lewis. It's possible that another structure predated what we see now, but it's not clear. Tradition maintains the castle was built y the MacSweens, and was perhaps ceded to, or taken over by, the MacLeods. The castle complex was originally comprised of four towers, each varying in shape and size as they fit to the rock. Each one was linked by short stretches of the outer wall or rock face itself, with access on the coastal side through a deep set and well-guarded gatehouse. Two towers were located on the lowest plateau, and opened onto a small, dimly lit courtyard. Looking up, those in the courtyard would be able to see the tallest tower stretching up above them. While all that remains of this tower now is just an outline on the highest rock plateau, illustrations in the early 19th-century show this three-story tower still standing, complete with battlements, crenelations, and windows. The final tower is on the north-western side, now the tallest and most complete structure on the rock. This, according to accounts, was referred to as the ‘nursery’, a room which may have occupied the second floor. On the lowest point of the tower, there is evidence of a privy or garderobe (toilet) being built into the side of the tower. By the time writer Martin Martin visited in around 1695, the Macleods had relocated to their more modern and comfortable residence in Clachan which would eventually evolve into Raasay House. Brochel was still a well populated community however, and even to this day you'll be able to make out the large village that once spread out under the shadow of the old castle.
Brochel Castle sits on Raasay’s north eastern shore, and at the beginning of Calum's Road. There is ample parking, as well as paths that lead around the base of the castle and down towards the shore. The castle itself is fenced and I would stress people should NOT enter the ruins due to the advanced and dangerous state of disrepair. The castle is an ingenious fusion of natural rock and masonry, intricate brickwork and lime-mortar, rising sheer out of a stack-like volcanic plug some 15 metres high and commanding a position over the coastline. We think the castle was built around the late 15th to early 16th century, and occupied until circa 1671. Brochel Castle was most likely built by Raasay’s first Macleod chief Calum Garbh (later known as Calum MacGilleChaluim), who had been bestowed Raasay and Rona by his father, Calum MacLeod, the 9th Chief of Lewis. It's possible that another structure predated what we see now, but it's not clear. Tradition maintains the castle was built y the MacSweens, and was perhaps ceded to, or taken over by, the MacLeods. The castle complex was originally comprised of four towers, each varying in shape and size as they fit to the rock. Each one was linked by short stretches of the outer wall or rock face itself, with access on the coastal side through a deep set and well-guarded gatehouse. Two towers were located on the lowest plateau, and opened onto a small, dimly lit courtyard. Looking up, those in the courtyard would be able to see the tallest tower stretching up above them. While all that remains of this tower now is just an outline on the highest rock plateau, illustrations in the early 19th-century show this three-story tower still standing, complete with battlements, crenelations, and windows. The final tower is on the north-western side, now the tallest and most complete structure on the rock. This, according to accounts, was referred to as the ‘nursery’, a room which may have occupied the second floor. On the lowest point of the tower, there is evidence of a privy or garderobe (toilet) being built into the side of the tower. By the time writer Martin Martin visited in around 1695, the Macleods had relocated to their more modern and comfortable residence in Clachan which would eventually evolve into Raasay House. Brochel was still a well populated community however, and even to this day you'll be able to make out the large village that once spread out under the shadow of the old castle.
David Robinson (3 years ago)
An imposing ruin of what was once a formidable fortress overlooking the Inner Sound and the Applecross Peninsula. There's not really enough left to get any idea of the layout, but you can appreciate the scale. We went on a calm, sunny day, and the pebble beach below the castle was wonderfully tranquil. There's an isolated cottage above the castle, and a tin hut on the beach, and a large (presumably) fisherman's store shed. The end of the beach has a tiny man-made sheltered landing area.
An imposing ruin of what was once a formidable fortress overlooking the Inner Sound and the Applecross Peninsula. There's not really enough left to get any idea of the layout, but you can appreciate the scale. We went on a calm, sunny day, and the pebble beach below the castle was wonderfully tranquil. There's an isolated cottage above the castle, and a tin hut on the beach, and a large (presumably) fisherman's store shed. The end of the beach has a tiny man-made sheltered landing area.
