Strathnaver
Encyclopedia
Strathnaver or Strath Naver is the fertile strath
of the River Naver, a famous salmon river that flows from Loch Naver to the north coast of Scotland
. The term has a broader use as the name of an ancient province also known as the Reay Country, once controlled by the Clan Mackay
and extending over most of northwest Sutherland
.
. The loch is 10 km (6 mi) long and 33 m (108 ft) deep. The Altnaharra
Hotel at the western end of the loch has been used by anglers since the early 19th century. Just below the loch, the Naver is joined by the River Mallart coming down from Loch Choire. It then flows through the Naver Forest and under the road bridge at Syre
. The Langdale Burn and Carnachy Burn are other major tributaries as the strath widens out and flows into the sea at Bettyhill
.
Most of Strathnaver lies in the former parish
of Farr named after a village on the coast northeast of Bettyhill. Today it is administered as part of the Highland
Council area.
settlements in the strath, and there is a broch
by Loch Naver at Grummore dating to between 100BC and 100AD The Nabaros is mentioned by the Egyptian writer Ptolemy
in the 2nd century. The name may derive from nabh, an Indo-European
root meaning "cloud". There are many brochs dating from the 9th to 12th centuries in the strath, reflecting the frequency of Viking raids on the area. The Vikings were finally defeated at the Battle of Dalharrold, at the east end of Loch Naver in the late 12th century.
The area has traditionally been associated with Clan Mackay
but was coveted by the Earls of Sutherland for many centuries before they finally bought it from the Mackay clan chief Lord Reay
early in the 18th century. In 1230 the title Lord Strathnaver was created as a courtesy title for the heir to the earldom.
Angus Dow Mackay, the ancestor of all the Mackay chiefs, attained power in around 1408. By 1427 he was important enough to be one of the chiefs summoned to a parliament in Inverness, where they were arrested by James I
. At that time he had 4000 men under his command according to the Scotichronicon
; such power led to his nickname of Enneas-en-Imprissi, "Angus the Absolute".
In 1578, John Robson and Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland fought the men of Strathnaver in the battle of Creag-Drumi-Doun, up on Druim Chuibhe opposite Bettyhill.
. The first was at Grummore in 1814.
due to its importance for Atlantic salmon
( Salmo salar), and Freshwater pearl mussel
s (Margaritifera margaritifera). At one time there was a significant pearl fishery on both the Naver and Mallart.
The B871 road runs along the west side of the strath from Altnaharra
, alongside Loch Naver, through Syre to a junction with the A836
a few miles south of Bettyhill
. This road together with an unclassified road running south from the east end of the Invernaver bridge through Skelpick
, connects the Strathnaver Trail of historic sites.
Strath
A strath is a large valley, typically a river valley that is wide and shallow .An anglicisation of the Gaelic word srath, it is one of many that have been absorbed into common use in the English language...
of the River Naver, a famous salmon river that flows from Loch Naver to the north coast of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The term has a broader use as the name of an ancient province also known as the Reay Country, once controlled by the Clan Mackay
Clan MacKay
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
and extending over most of northwest Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
.
Geography
Loch Naver lies at the head of the strath, in the shadow of Ben KlibreckBen Klibreck
Ben Klibreck is a Scottish mountain located in central Sutherland. It is an isolated hill, rising above a large area of moorland. The highest point, Meall nan Con, rises to 962 m and is therefore the second most northerly Munro after Ben Hope...
. The loch is 10 km (6 mi) long and 33 m (108 ft) deep. The Altnaharra
Altnaharra
-Notable persons:*Linda Norgrove, kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and killed by a US grenade during a rescue effort.-External links:**...
Hotel at the western end of the loch has been used by anglers since the early 19th century. Just below the loch, the Naver is joined by the River Mallart coming down from Loch Choire. It then flows through the Naver Forest and under the road bridge at Syre
Syre, Scotland
Syre is a small settlement, located within Strath Naver, in Sutherland, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
. The Langdale Burn and Carnachy Burn are other major tributaries as the strath widens out and flows into the sea at Bettyhill
Bettyhill
Bettyhill is a village on the north coast of Scotland.Bettyhill lies on the A836 road west of Thurso and from Tongue. And 5 miles from the village of Skerray Its former fishing port was called Navermouth...
.
Most of Strathnaver lies in the former parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Farr named after a village on the coast northeast of Bettyhill. Today it is administered as part of the Highland
Highland (council area)
Highland is a council area in the Scottish Highlands and is the largest local government area in both Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole. It shares borders with the council areas of Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross, and Argyll and Bute. Their councils, and those of Angus and...
Council area.
History
There is evidence of NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
settlements in the strath, and there is a broch
Broch
A broch is an Iron Age drystone hollow-walled structure of a type found only in Scotland. Brochs include some of the most sophisticated examples of drystone architecture ever created, and belong to the classification "complex Atlantic Roundhouse" devised by Scottish archaeologists in the 1980s....
by Loch Naver at Grummore dating to between 100BC and 100AD The Nabaros is mentioned by the Egyptian writer Ptolemy
Ptolemy
Claudius Ptolemy , was a Roman citizen of Egypt who wrote in Greek. He was a mathematician, astronomer, geographer, astrologer, and poet of a single epigram in the Greek Anthology. He lived in Egypt under Roman rule, and is believed to have been born in the town of Ptolemais Hermiou in the...
in the 2nd century. The name may derive from nabh, an Indo-European
Indo-European
Indo-European may refer to:* Indo-European languages** Aryan race, a 19th century and early 20th century term for those peoples who are the native speakers of Indo-European languages...
root meaning "cloud". There are many brochs dating from the 9th to 12th centuries in the strath, reflecting the frequency of Viking raids on the area. The Vikings were finally defeated at the Battle of Dalharrold, at the east end of Loch Naver in the late 12th century.
The area has traditionally been associated with Clan Mackay
Clan MacKay
Clan Mackay is an ancient and once powerful Scottish clan from the far north of the Scottish Highlands, but with roots in the old kingdom of Moray. They were a powerful force in politics beginning in the 14th century, supporting Robert the Bruce. In the centuries that followed they were...
but was coveted by the Earls of Sutherland for many centuries before they finally bought it from the Mackay clan chief Lord Reay
Lord Reay
Lord Reay, of Reay in the County of Caithness, is a title in the Peerage of Scotland. Lord Reay is the hereditary Clan Chief of Clan Mackay, whose lands in Strathnaver and northwest Sutherland were known as the Reay Country. The land was sold to the Earls of Sutherland in the 18th century...
early in the 18th century. In 1230 the title Lord Strathnaver was created as a courtesy title for the heir to the earldom.
Angus Dow Mackay, the ancestor of all the Mackay chiefs, attained power in around 1408. By 1427 he was important enough to be one of the chiefs summoned to a parliament in Inverness, where they were arrested by James I
James I of Scotland
James I, King of Scots , was the son of Robert III and Annabella Drummond. He was probably born in late July 1394 in Dunfermline as youngest of three sons...
. At that time he had 4000 men under his command according to the Scotichronicon
Scotichronicon
The Scotichronicon is a 15th-century chronicle or legendary account, by the Scottish historian Walter Bower. It is a continuation of historian-priest John of Fordun's earlier work Chronica Gentis Scotorum beginning with the founding of Scotland of mediaeval legend, by Scota with Goídel...
; such power led to his nickname of Enneas-en-Imprissi, "Angus the Absolute".
In 1578, John Robson and Alexander Gordon, 12th Earl of Sutherland fought the men of Strathnaver in the battle of Creag-Drumi-Doun, up on Druim Chuibhe opposite Bettyhill.
Clearances
Strathnaver saw some of the most notorious forced evictions of the Highland clearancesHighland 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...
. The first was at Grummore in 1814.
Natural history
The River Naver is designated a Special Area of ConservationSpecial Area of Conservation
A Special Area of Conservation is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive , also known as the Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora...
due to its importance for Atlantic salmon
Atlantic salmon
The Atlantic salmon is a species of fish in the family Salmonidae, which is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in rivers that flow into the north Atlantic and the north Pacific....
( Salmo salar), and Freshwater pearl mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s (Margaritifera margaritifera). At one time there was a significant pearl fishery on both the Naver and Mallart.
Tourism
The river has long enjoyed a reputation as a productive salmon river. The area is now being marketed to non-fisherman as "Mackay Country".The B871 road runs along the west side of the strath from Altnaharra
Altnaharra
-Notable persons:*Linda Norgrove, kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and killed by a US grenade during a rescue effort.-External links:**...
, alongside Loch Naver, through Syre to a junction with the A836
A836 road
The A836 road is entirely within the Highland area of Scotland, and 129 miles long.It branches from the A9 near Tain and runs generally north through Bonar Bridge and Lairg, until Tongue. Between Lairg and Tongue the road is single track for 38 miles...
a few miles south of Bettyhill
Bettyhill
Bettyhill is a village on the north coast of Scotland.Bettyhill lies on the A836 road west of Thurso and from Tongue. And 5 miles from the village of Skerray Its former fishing port was called Navermouth...
. This road together with an unclassified road running south from the east end of the Invernaver bridge through Skelpick
Skelpick
Skelpick is a small remote crofting hamlet, 2 miles south of Bettyhill, in the far north of Caithness, Scottish Highlands and is in the Scottish council area of Highland....
, connects the Strathnaver Trail of historic sites.
See also
- Highland Railway Loch ClassHighland Railway Loch ClassThe Highland Railway Loch class locomotives were small 4-4-0s normally used north of Inverness.They were introduced in 1896, the design of David Jones, and had the typical Jones appearance with outside cylinders, domed cab roof, louvered chimney,but as with the Jones Goods class 4-6-0 the Allan...
- Number 132 of this class of railway engines was named Loch Naver
External links
- Strathnaver Trail - map
- Strathnaver in Undiscovered Scotland
- www.abandonedcommunities.co.uk - the clearance of Strathnaver from 1814–1819
- www.mackaycountry.com - promotes tourism to the region