Calum MacLeod (of Raasay)

Malcolm MacLeod BEM, or Calum MacLeod as he was known in his native Gaelic (1911-26 January 1988) was a crofter who famously built "Calum's Road" on the Island of Raasay, Scotland. He was also Local Assistant Keeper of Rona Lighthouse and the part time postman of Raasay. Another of his achievements was the construction of the track from Torran to Fladda (Eilean Fladday), which he built with his brother Charles MacLeod over three winters from 1949-1952, they were each paid £35 a year by the local council. [Hutchinson, Roger (2006) Calum's Road. Edinburgh. Birlinn. ISBN 9781841584478]

Having purchased "Road Making & Maintenance: A Practical Treatsie for Engineer, Surveyors and Others" by Thomas Aitken, Published in 1900, for half a crown. One and three quarter miles of road between Brochel Castle and Arnish were built using a shovel, a pick and a wheelbarrow over a period of about ten years (1964-1974), and replaces an old narrow footpath. Initial blasting work was carried out and funded, to the sum of £1,900, by the Department of Agriculture's Engineering Department who supplied a compressor, explosives, driller, blaster and men. This followed decades of campaigning by the islands inhabitants for roads, and several failed grant applications. It was several years after its completion that it was adopted and surfaced by the local council; by then Calum and his wife were the last inhabitants of Arnish.

"Calum's Road" has been commemorated in song by Capercaillie on their 1988 album "The Blood is Strong" and in a book by Roger Hutchinson. [ [http://www.capercaillie.co.uk/discography/releases/blood/ Capercailie website] ] [ [http://www.nigelgatherer.com/tunes/whistle/whi2/calum.html Calum's Road chord sequence] ] A Cairn was built to commemorate his achievements beside his road near Bochel Castle, it is inscribed in Gaelic and then English. This Cairn was built by Donald John Graham of Portree, Skye.

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