Camustianavaig (also English spelling: ''Camustinivaig'') is a crofting township on the island of Skye in Scotland. It is located on the shores of the

Sound of Raasay The Sound of Raasay ( gd, Linne Ratharsair) is the sound between the islands of Raasay and Skye. See also * Inner Sound, Scotland * Isle of Skye * Loch Kishorn * Mealt Waterfall * Quiraing References External links and references ...

, southeast of

Portree Portree (; gd, Port Rìgh, ) is the largest town on, and capital of, the Isle of Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Murray, W.H. (1966) ''The Hebrides''. London. Heinemann. Pages 154-155. It is the location for the only secondary school o ...

. The ''Lòn Bàn'' watercourse flows from Loch Fada to "An Eas Mhòr" below which it is named "Allt Ósglan" and discharges into the sea at Camas Tianabhaig. The stream forms the boundary between the township and Conordan to the south. Ósglan itself is the land on the right bank of Allt Ósglan. The name is from both Gaelic and Norse, ''Camas Dìonabhaig''. "Camas" means "bay" in the former and the Norse element may be from "dyn" meaning "noisy".

Tourist activities

Camastianavaig has a rocky shore with views of the

Cuillin The Cuillin ( gd, An Cuiltheann) is a range of mostly jagged rocky mountains on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The main Cuillin ridge is also called the Black Cuillin to distinguish it from the Red Cuillin ('), which lie to the east of Glen Slig ...

and

Raasay Raasay (; gd, Ratharsair) or the Isle of Raasay is an island between the Isle of Skye and the mainland of Scotland. It is separated from Skye by the Sound of Raasay and from Applecross by the Inner Sound. It is famous for being the birt ...

and is situated at the bottom of Ben Tianavaig, where there is a

sea eagle A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern, mostly in reference to the white-tailed eagle) is any of the birds of prey in the genus ''Haliaeetus'' in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. Taxonomy and evolution The genus ''Haliaeetus'' ...

colony. Other local wildlife includes bottlenose dolphin in the summer months, and seals, otters and ducks on a regular basis.

Agriculture

The land is used for mainly crofting, with the majority of the livestock being sheep and a few cows. The land is slightly too acidic for arable farming although the addition of lime is used to compensate for this. The soil is also low in potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, which are essential elements required for plant growth. The high levels of rainfall and steep slopes also cause soil erosion, creating further difficulties for crop growing.

Battle of the Braes

The township is near the scene of the Battle of the Braes (Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr a' Chumhaing'') in 1882. Local crofting tenants facing eviction from the land withheld rent and released sheep onto a forbidden area on the shores of Ben Lee. Sent to evict them, the Sheriff Officer from Portree was met by an angry mob, who forced him to burn the eviction notices. Subsequently 50 Glasgow policemen, sent to quell the rebellion, faced 100 men, women and children, armed with sticks and stones. Several people were injured and five men were arrested. Small fines were imposed in court, but it was clear that law and order could only be enforced with military assistance. After the Battle of the Braes, the unrest spread to

Glendale, Skye Glendale ( gd, Gleann Dail) is a community-owned estate on the north-western coastline of the Duirinish peninsula on the island of Skye and is in the Scottish council area of Highland. The estate encompasses the small crofting townships of Sk ...

. The rebellion led to the

Napier Commission The Napier Commission, officially the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Condition of Crofters and Cottars in the Highlands and Islands was a royal commission and public inquiry into the condition of crofters and cottars in the Highlands and ...

and ultimately the Crofters Act of 1886, which brought security of tenure and the right to hand a croft on to their heirs. The Battle of the Braes is celebrated by a monument and a folk song and in 2012 various legal dignitaries paid a special visit to the site to commemorate the centenary of the

Scottish Land Court The Scottish Land Court is a Scottish court of law based in Edinburgh with subject-matter jurisdiction covering disputes between landlords and tenants relating to agricultural tenancies, and matters related to crofts and crofters. The Scotti ...

. The court's chair, Lord McGhie led a party, including Lord Bracadale and Sheriff Roddy John MacLeod who were both born on Skye, past the church where the first witnesses to the court gave evidence in 1912. The party was expected to acknowledge that the court "stands on the shoulders" of the crofters of the Braes who resisted eviction.

References

External links

Canmore - Camastianavaig, Skye site record
{{Skye Populated places in the Isle of Skye 1882 in Scotland