Gravir

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gravir
Scottish Gaelic: Grabhair
Gravir (Outer Hebrides)
Gravir

Gravir shown within the Outer Hebrides
Council area Na h-Eileanan Siar
Lieutenancy area Western Isles
Constituent country Scotland
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town ISLE OF LEWIS
Postcode district HS2
Dialling code 01851
Police Northern
Fire Highlands and Islands
Ambulance Scottish
European Parliament Scotland
UK Parliament Na h-Eileanan an Iar
Scottish Parliament Western Isles
List of places: UKScotland

Coordinates: 58°03′N 6°25′W / 58.05, -6.42

A view over Loch Odhairn
A view over Loch Odhairn

Gravir (Grabhair in Scottish Gaelic), is a village on the shore of Loch Odhairn (a sea loch) in the Park district of the Isle of Lewis. There is a church, a school and a voluntary fire station in the village. There is also a pier. Most of the plots of land used to be used for crofting, but this has declined in the last 50 years. The road leading to the village is the B8060, and continues on to Orinsay and Lemreway.

Gravir Pier is primarily used by fish farming vessels but is also used by small fishing and leisure craft. The fish farms in Loch Odhairn are run by Fjord Seafood Scotland Ltd which since 2006 is owned by Marine Harvest.

In March 2007, Scottish and Southern Energy proposed to build a convertor station above the village and to use Gravir as the Western Isles landfall for a giant sub-sea interconector cable, to export electricity generated from two proposed giant windfarms at Eishken and Pairc across the Minch to mainland markets. The cable would run north of the Shiant bank and land at Little Lochbroom. On the Lewis side, it would enter the mouth of Loch Odhairn at the fish farm and run up the length of the sealoch under the shore at its head, by the old schoolhouse, and then be buried across crofts to the hilltop to the convertor station. One network of overhead lines or pylons would run to the planned Pairc windfarm and to Eishken. Another run of overhead lines on wooden poles would leave Gravir by following the village road heading for the sub-station by the River Creed.

[edit] External links


[[de:Gravir]

An interconnector coming into Gravir is not however going ahead - there was public outcry at the proposal. Mr Openheim of Eisken estate, who is happy for the interconnector to go directly into his estate via a more southerly sea loch should it ever be required.