Camastianavaig is a crofting township on the island of Skye

Skye

Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...

 in Scotland. It is located on the shores of the Sound of Raasay 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south east of Portree

Portree

Portree is the largest town on Skye in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. It is the location for the only secondary school on the Island, Portree High school. Public transport services are limited to buses....

. The Allt Osglan watercourse flows from Loch Fada through the township into Tianavaig Bay.

The name is from both Gaelic and Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

, 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 Cuillins and Raasay

Raasay

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 most famous for being the birthplace of the poet Sorley MacLean, an important figure in the Scottish literary renaissance...

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

White-tailed Eagle

The White-tailed Eagle , also known as the Sea Eagle, Erne , or White-tailed Sea-eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which includes other raptors such as hawks, kites, and harriers...

 colony. Other local wildlife includes Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose Dolphin

Bottlenose dolphins, the genus Tursiops, are the most common and well-known members of the family Delphinidae, the family of oceanic dolphins. Recent molecular studies show the genus contains two species, the common bottlenose dolphin and the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin , instead of one...

 in the summer months, and seals, otters and ducks on a regular basis. The area is popular with mountain bikers.

Agriculture

The land is used for mainly crofting, with the majority of the livestock being sheep and a few cows. The land is slightly to 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 in 1882. Local crofting tenants facing eviction from the land

Highland Clearances

The Highland Clearances were forced displacements of the population of the Scottish Highlands during the 18th and 19th centuries. They led to mass emigration to the sea coast, the Scottish Lowlands, and the North American colonies...

 withheld rent and released sheep onto a forbidden area on the shores of Ben Lee

Ben Lee

Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...

. 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. 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, Skye

Glendale 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 rebellion led to the Napier Commission

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 Islands of Scotland.The commission was appointed in...

 and ultimately the Crofters Act

Crofters' Holdings (Scotland) Act 1886

The Crofters' Holdings Act, 1886 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created legal definitions of crofting parish and crofter, granted security of tenure to crofters and produced the first Crofters Commission, a land court which ruled on disputes between landlords and crofters...

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 with a monument and through a folk song.