Calum's Road

'. . . wonderful, elegant and serious,' – The Telegraph. 'MacLeod defied powers outwith his control in the only way he could . . . paints a compelling picture of the man' – Sunday Times. ' An incredible testament to one man's determination' – The Sunday Herald. 'It's inspiring to read about a man who wouldn't succumb, wouldn't let the Government threaten his way of life' – Publishing News. 'An extraordinary tale' – The Bookseller. 'This is an extraordinarily fine book, and one of the most important books to have come out of the Highlands and Islands in recent years' – West Highland Free Press. Calum MacLeod had lived on the northern point of Raasay since his birth in 1911. He tended the Rona lighthouse at the very tip of his little archipelago, until semi-automation in 1967 reduced his responsibilities. 'So what he decided to do,' says his last neighbour, Donald MacLeod, 'was to build a road out of Arnish in his months off. With a road he...

This story of a Scottish lighthouse keeper's years-long quest to build a road and revive a town is "an incredible testament to one man's determination" ( The Sunday Herald ). Shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature's Ondaatje Prize Calum MacLeod had lived on the northern point of the Scottish island of Raasay since his birth in 1911. He tended the Rona lighthouse at the very tip of his little archipelago—until semi-automation in 1967 reduced his responsibilities. With his newly idle hours, he embarked upon a project: to build a road out of the settlement of Arnish—a road that he hoped would lead new generations of people to this quiet, beautiful place. And so, at the age of fifty-six, Calum MacLeod, the last man left in northern Raasay, set about single-handedly constructing the "impossible" road, using hand tools. It would become a romantic, quixotic venture, a kind of sculpture; an obsessive work of art so perfect in every gradient, culvert, and supporting wall that its creation occupied almost twenty years of his life. In Calum's Road, Roger Hutchinson recounts the extraordinary story of this remarkable man's devotion to his visionary project. "MacLeod defied powers [outside] his control in the only way he could... paints a compelling picture of the man." — Sunday Times "Wonderful." — The Telegraph "A gem of a book." —Alexander McCall Smith

'An incredible testament to one man's determination' – The Sunday Herald Calum MacLeod had lived on the northern point of Raasay since his birth in 1911. He tended the Rona lighthouse at the very tip of his little archipelago, until semi-automation in 1967 reduced his responsibilities. 'So what he decided to do', says his last neighbour, Donald MacLeod, 'was to build a road out of Arnish in his months off. With a road he hoped new generations of people would return to Arnish and all the north end of Raasay'. And so, at the age of 56, Calum MacLeod, the last man left in northern Raasay, set about single-handedly constructing the 'impossible' road. It would become a romantic, quixotic venture, a kind of sculpture; an obsessive work of art so perfect in every gradient, culvert and supporting wall that its creation occupied almost twenty years of his life. In Calum's Road Roger Hutchinson recounts the extraordinary story of this remarkable man's devotion to his visionary project.