Built in the late 15th/early 16th century, and occupied until circa 1671, the ruins of impregnable Brochel Castle lies on Raasay’s north-eastern shore, an ingenious fusion of natural rock and masonry rising sheer from a stack-like volcanic plug some 15 m high.
As tradition goes, Brochel Castle was built by Raasay’s first Macleod chief, Calum (MacGilleChaluim), and provided a strategic base for the Macleods to control their mainland possessions and the Inner Sound. Even today, with masonry eroded to precarious stumps, it is easy to see why Brochel has often been depicted as something born of realms fantastical.
Though only footings survive of the tallest tower, remnants of three other tower structures on different levels still conjure up a thrilling spectacle.
