The Tenacious
Calum MacLeod was a crofter from the Isle of Raasay who became a quiet legend of the Highlands. In the 1960s, he saw his community on the north of the island being slowly cut off — families leaving, homes abandoned, and no proper road linking them to the rest of Raasay. Without access, there was no future. He spent years petitioning the council for a road to keep the community alive, but when nothing came of it, he took matters into his own hands. With little more than basic tools, determination and sheer grit, he spent over a decade building what is now known as Calum’s Road — a lifeline carved by one man through some of Scotland’s most unforgiving landscape.
The MacGregor Story
Now this is Highland spirit at its purest. No grand speeches, no titles — just a man who saw what needed done and got on with it. Calum wasn’t waiting for permission or funding or someone else to fix things. He picked up his tools and built a road, metre by metre, year after year, because his community mattered.
It’s a story we recognise straight away. That same resilience, that same refusal to accept “no” for an answer — it runs right through Highland history, and right through the MacGregor story too. Doing what needs done, standing your ground, and leaving something behind that matters.
And that’s why his legacy hits home. Because this isn’t just about a road on Raasay — it’s about people. It’s about community, determination, and the kind of quiet strength that builds something lasting. The kind you don’t forget.