tenure and were renowned for their impressive horns and thick, shaggy fleeces. The tribe, numbering around 200, usually inhabits the sea cliffs and mountains, particularly in the west. A small herd of around 30 Highland cattle was introduced to the island in 1970.
Atlantic grey and common seals frequent Rum’s coastline, and Eurasian otters patrol territories around the island’s shores. Other mammals found on Rum include the pygmy shrew, pipistrelle bat, brown rat and the island’s own strain of long-tailed field mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus hamiltoni. The only reptile found on Rum is the common lizard, and the only amphibian is the palmate newt. There are brown trout, European eels and three-spined sticklebacks in the streams, and occasionally salmon in the Kinloch River.
Rum is renowned for its 61,000 pairs of Manx shearwaters – one of the world’s largest breeding colonies. These migratory birds return to Rum every summer to breed in underground burrows high in the Cuillin. Trollaval has high densities of nest burrows, which may have been occupied for many centuries. When the birds swap incubation shifts at night they make a fearsome racket, hence the Norse name for the mountain. There are sizeable colonies of fulmars, shags, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and other gulls, mainly found along the south-eastern cliffs.
White-tailed eagles were persecuted to extinction on Rum by 1912 and became extinct in Scotland thereafter. A programme of reintroduction began on the island in 1975, and within ten years 82 young birds from Norway had been released. Today a successful breeding population is gradually colonising the west coast of Scotland. Several pairs of golden eagles nest on the island; merlin, buzzards, sparrowhawks, peregrines, kestrels and short-eared owls are the other resident birds of prey. Other bird species include the red-throated diver, red-breasted merganser, eider, shelduck, red grouse, corncrake, oystercatcher, lapwing, golden plover, curlew, cuckoo, raven and hooded crow as well as various finches, tits, chats, thrushes, warblers, pipits and wagtails.
Invertebrates include numerous species of damselfly, dragonfly, beetles, butterflies and moths. Several rare species are found on the slopes of Barkeval, Hallival and Askival including the ground beetles Leistus montanus and Amara quenseli. The hugely irritating midge (Culicoides impunctatus), a small biting gnat, occurs in unbelievable numbers between mid-spring and mid-autumn. Deer ticks and clegs – an aggressive horse fly – are the island’s other bloodthirsty beasties. Ticks can carry Lyme disease, which can become seriously debilitating if undiagnosed and untreated.
Woodland, Plants and Flowers
By the end of the 18th century much of Rum’s woodland had been cleared for grazing. John Bullough planted 8000 trees at Kilmory, Harris and Kinloch in the 1890s, but only some of those at Kinloch still survive. In 1960 a nursery was established at Kinloch to support re-introduction of 20 native tree species, including Scots pine, oak, silver birch, aspen, alder, hawthorn, rowan and holly. Over a million native trees and shrubs have since been planted. The forested area is limited to the environs of Kinloch, the slopes surrounding Loch Scresort and on nearby Meall á Ghoirtein.
As a consequence of high rainfall and acid soils 90 per cent of Rum’s vegetation comprises bog and heath. Much of the island is dominated by tussocky purple moor grass and deer sedge. In boggy areas sedges and bog asphodel abound alongside sundew and butterwort. Heather or ling (calluna) occurs in drier areas. The well-fertilised soil beneath the Manx shearwater burrows in the Cuillin keeps the turf green at an unusually high altitude.
Among the island’s other flora are the rare arctic sandwort and alpine pennycress, endemic varieties of the heath spotted orchid and eyebright as well as more common species such as blue heath milkwort and roseroot. A total of 590 species of higher plants and ferns have been recorded on Rum.
Getting Around
Visitors are not permitted to bring vehicles to Rum and there is no public transport on the island. Getting around on foot is the norm for most visitors, although mountain bikes can be of use on several of the island’s Land Rover tracks.
Amenities
Signpost, Kinloch
The Isle of Rum General Store is situated next to the village hall and stocks bread, fruit and veg, tinned goods, some frozen meat, beers, wines and spirits. Groceries can be pre-ordered with three weeks’ notice; tel: 01687 460328. The island’s Post Office is at the shop. The village hall has a tearoom – open between 10am and 4pm daily, serving hot drinks, soup, toasted sandwiches and home baking – public toilets, internet access, a pool table, dart board and a sitting area facing the bay. There is no shelter at the pier.
Kinloch Castle houses the island’s hostel and bistro; however at the time of writing (2011) it appears likely that SNH will close the hostel within a few years. The hostel is in the former servants’ quarters. Breakfasts, dinners and packed lunches are available. There is a well-equipped communal kitchen for self catering. The bistro is open to non-residents but takes advance bookings only. The Courtyard Bar is open daily from 5pm to 11pm and Sundays 6.30–11pm and serves beers, wine, spirits, soft drinks and savoury snacks. Postcards, castle guidebooks, midge repellent and Orchestrion CDs are available for sale at the castle, and in summer there are daily tours of the principal wing of the castle, a time capsule of exotic Edwardiana. Guided tours last an hour and in summer 2011 cost £7 per adult and £3.50 per child.
WALK 1
A round of the Rum Cuillin
| Start | Path along the Allt Slugan by Kinloch Castle (NM 402 995) |
| Distance | 27km (17 miles); to Dibidil bothy 18.5km (11½ miles); shorter Hallival and Askival route 11km (7 miles) |
| Total Ascent | 2025m (6645ft); shorter Hallival and Askival route 1220m (4000ft) |
| Time | 9–10hrs (to Dibidil bothy 6–7hrs); shorter Hallival and Askival route 4½–5½hrs |
| Map | OS Explorer 397: OS Landranger 39 |
A round of the Rum Cuillin makes for a magnificent and challenging day in the hills and usually features somewhere on the ‘to-do’ list of Scottish mountain aficionados. A complete round can take ten hours and visits the summits of Barkeval (591m), Hallival (722m), Askival (812m), Trollaval (700m), Ainshval (781m) Sgùrr nan Goibhrean (759m) and Sgùrr nan Gillean (764m). Outlying Ruinsival (528m) can also be included if returning to Kinloch via Harris.
Although providing the finest mountaineering tour in the islands, outside Skye, the traverse of the Rum Cuillin is nowhere near as difficult as the main ridge of the Black Cuillin of Skye. It requires some moderate scrambling and no climbing other than a couple of short sections that are easily avoided. However, this is not an endeavour to be taken lightly. The route requires a substantial physical effort, involving 2025m of ascent and descent. There are several airy and exposed sections and the weather can change very quickly. While the northermost hills are formed largely of basalt and gabbro – a coarse-grained rock beloved of climbers and hill walkers for its excellent grip – the fine-grained felsite capping the southern peaks can be slippery in wet conditions.
It is essential that you have a good level of fitness, good navigation skills and are properly equipped before attempting a round of the Rum Cuillin. Ensure that you have plenty of daylight for completing the route and check weather forecasts before setting out; it is not a walk for very wet, windy conditions or poor visibility.
A stile with a small sign reading ‘To the Rum Cuillin’ crosses a fence next to the road 100 metres south of Kinloch Castle. The path follows the right bank of the Allt Slugan through woodland and past the island’s generator before emerging onto rising open ground. The path is distinct and easy to follow as it climbs
