Boreraig

Boreraig is a deserted township on the Isle of Skye’s north shore of Loch Eishort. It lies in a green, fertile glen that faces south and is sheltered from the wind. The site was once a traditional pre-crofting settlement known as a baile. In 1853 the agents of Lord MacDonald cleared the township to make way for sheep. Most of the inhabitants were crofters who were evicted and many later emigrated.

The census of 1851 shows that Boreraig had 22 households with about 120 people. Most were crofters, agricultural labourers or farm servants, with a few weavers, a fisherman and a house carpenter. The landholdings were small, each only six acres. Many families shared the surname MacInnes. The evictions happened as the Highland and Island Emigration Society resettled Highlanders in Australia.

Today only ruined houses and well-preserved field walls remain. The largest ruins belong to the tenant-farmer’s house and steading. A footbridge made of a single slab was reportedly lifted into place by a man nicknamed Glagan-glùine. The area is still grazed by about 300 North Country Cheviot sheep. A popular walk of eight to nine miles passes Boreraig, Suisnish and Kilbride, starting and finishing at Kilchrist.