Back in the late 1960s, Calum MacLeod tried to get funding to build a road to his remote crofters cottage in the northern part of the island of Raasay, a small island between the Isle of Skye and the west coast of Scotland. MacLeod’s aim with the road, besides easing access to his own property, was to encourage people to visit the wild beauty of the northern part of the island. When MacLeod was refused any fiscal help he decided to take the task on himself. The quixotic project took him over 20 arduous years to complete but eventually the road was completed.

MacLeod’s story came to the attention of author and journalist Roger Hutchinson, who after making several trips to Raasay and walking MacLeod’s road, decided to tell his story – Calum’s Road, a simple story of one man’s indomitable spirit set against a backdrop of the appalling history of the Highland clearances and the gradual depopulation of the island of Raasay, was a surprise hit, an inspiration to many.

Meanwhile, Stella Marsden – a pioneer of chimpanzee rehabilitation and the founder of the Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Trust had long dreamt of improving a stretch of road in her community near Kuntaur in a remote part of The Gambia. The road was used every day by women from local villages going out to the rice fields, it was also the route to the nearest secondary school for the children and the local health clinic. The road was frequently flooded and entire sections had been washed away during the yearly rainy season. Unfortunately, Stella was taken ill in 2007 and despite her best efforts at raising funds to rebuild the road the project was incomplete when she sadly passed away in 2008. Stella asked her sister Heather Armstrong to see the project through, a task she accepted.

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To bring the whole story full circle, Heather was passed Roger Hutchinson’s book by one Professor Max Murray, and the book has become something of a talisman for the project and indeed the road has come to be known as ‘Calum’s Road in The Gambia’ and it will be built, inspired by Calum and in memory of Stella.

It’s thought that the road will cost in the region of £130,000 – £150,000 to build, and there are already a number of great projects on the go to aid with the fundraising. One of the most fascinating is this project, currently simply called Calum’s Road which will involve a number of motorbike enthusiasts riding in January 2010 from the site of the original Calum’s Road on Raasay to the new Calum’s Road in the Gambia, travelling through the UK, France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. You’ll be able to follow the build up to the event and hopefully we’ll get some live reportage en route – you can also donate money to the project via the website. You can see a short film about the project on the BBC Northern Ireland site. It’s well worth a look.

If you want to get involved in any way then do get in touch with the Calum’s Road guys or simple contact Heather via The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust; you can also donate at Heather’s Just Giving page.

Lastly, if you’re interested in Roger Hutchinson’s book then you get it at the usual places or there are some audio excerpts here

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