Ordnance gazetteer of Scotland

AVEN
AVOCH
of an edifice called Monk's House ; is crowned by a light-
house, showing a fixed light, visible at the distance of
16 nautical miles ; and, at the census of 1891, had 7 in-
habitants.
Aven, a modern provincial abbreviation of ' Avona-
Porticosa,' the ancient name of the island Sanda in
Southend parish, Argyllshire.
Aven, Lanarkshire. See Avon.
Aven or Avon, a lake and a river of S Banffshire. The
lake lies at the south-western extremity of the county,
22 miles NW of Castleton of Braemar ; occupies a stu-
pendous hollow amid the central masses of the Cairn-
gorm Mountains ; lies at an elevation of 2250 feet above
sea-level; is immediately overhung by the steep and
almost mural masses of Cairngorm (4084 feet), Ben
Macdhui (4296), and Ben Mheadoin (3883) ; measures
If mile in length from SW to NE, and from 1 to 14
furlong in breadth ; exhibits scenery of solemn and most
impressive grandeur ; and abounds in small black trout
very different from those of the stream which flows
from it. Its water is so clear ' that you can see the
fishes hanging in every pool ; ' at its head is the Shelter
Stone, a sort of cave large enough to accommodate 12
or 15 men, and formed by an immense fallen block of
granite resting on two other blocks in situ. The river
issues from the NE end of the lake ; runs first about
9 miles east-north-eastward, next about 13 miles north-
north-westward, next about 5J miles northward ; and
falls into the Spey at Ballindalloch. It flows mainly
within Kirkmiehael parish, but its last 2J miles lie
within or on the boundary of Jnveravon parish ; it
passes the village of Tomintoul, and has its course
partly along a profound mountain glen, partly along a
deep ravine, partly along a narrow vale. It rose, in
the great floods of 1829, to a height of 23 feet above its
usual level in the ravine of Poll-du-ess, and to a height
of 6 feet more than in the flood of 1768 at its mouth. It
receives the Water of Ailnack, near Tomintoul, Conglass
Water, the Burn of Lochy, and, near Drumin Castle,
Livet Water. It abounds in trout, and, from June till
November, is frequented by salmon. ' The Aven,' says
Sir Thomas Dick Lauder, ' flows with so great pellucidity
through its deep and dark glen, that many accidents
have occurred to strangers by its appearing fordable in
places which proved to be of fatal depth. This quality
is marked by an old doggerel proverb —
'"The Water of Aven runs so clear,
It would beguile a man of a hundred year.'"
The Queen and Prince Consort visited Loch Aven,
28 Sept. 18,61.— Ord. Sur., shs. 74, 75, 85, 1876-77.
Aven or Avon, a river of Dumbartonshire, Stirling-
shire, and Linlithgowshire. It issues from Loch Fanny-
side, in Cumbernauld parish ; runs about 8 miles east-
ward through Cumbernauld and Slamannan, and be-
tween the latter parish and Muiravonside ; then goes
about 12 miles, chiefly north-eastward, along the boun-
dary between Stirlingshire and Linlithgowshire to the
Firth of Forth about midway between Grangemouth
and Borrowstounness. Its chief affluents are Polness
Burn and Ballencrief Water, both on its right bank.
Much of its course winds along a shallow glen amid
softly beautiful scenery ; but its entrance into the Firth
is along a deep muddy cut through a wide expanse of
sands and silts, which lie bare at low water. A splendid
aqueduct of the Union Canal and a grand 23-arched
viaduct of the Edinburgh and Glasgow railway span its
glen on the boundary between Linlithgow and Muiravon-
side parishes.— Ord. Sur., sh. 31, 1867.
Aven-nan-Geren, a stream in Harris island, Outer
Hebrides, Inverness-shire. It is frequented by salmon.
Avennsh, a hamlet in the SW of Ross-shire. Its
post-town is Lochalsh.
Avich"(Gael. abh-ach, ' field of the water'), a beautiful
little loch m the Dalavich portion of Kilchrenan-Dala-
vich parish, Lorn, Argyllshire, 1J mile W of Loch Awe,
to which it sends off the Avich rivulet. Rudely resem-
bling a triangle, with apex to the WSW, it is 34 miles
long by 5 J furlongs at its foot ; lies 811 feet above sea-
level ; and is flanked to the N by Cruach Maolachy
(1239 feet), Cruach Narrachan (1223), and Meall Odhar
(1255), to the S by Cam Duchara (1407) and Tom an
t'Saoir (1191). A ruined castle stands near its head on
an islet famous in Fingalian legend ; its waters abound
in trout, bright hued, well shaped, and two or three to the
lb. ; but salmon are stopped by a fall upon the rivulet.
Aviemore (Gael, abh-mor, ' great water '), a station on
the Highland railway in Duthil parish, NE Inverness-
shire, 12J miles SW of Grantown. Here is a post office,
with money order, savings bank, and telegraph depart-
ments; and 3 furlongs to the N is Aviemore House.
The Can-bridge section of the new through line, from
Aviemore to Inverness, was opened in July 1892.
Avoch (Gael, abh-ach, ' field of the stream '), a village
and a parish on the E side of the Black Isle district of
Ross and Cromarty. The village stands on a small bay
of the Moray Firth, 1 j mile SW of Fortrose, and 9 NNE
of Inverness, and has a station on the Black Isle branch
of the Highland railway. It carries on an extensive
fishery ; exports some grain and wood, whilst importing
coal, lime, bone-dust, and salt ; and has a post office
under Inverness, with money order, savings bank, and
telegraph departments, an inn, a pier, and parish, Free,
and Congregational churches. A water supply was intro-
duced to Avoch and Fortrose in 1893. Pop. (1891) 1217.
The parish is bounded N by Resolis and Rosemarkie,
SE by the Moray Firth, S by Munlochy Bay, separating
it from Knockbain, SW by Kilmuir-Wester, and W by
Urquhart. Its greatest length, from NE to SW, is 4J
miles; its greatest breadth is 3 miles, and its area is about
8030 acres. The surface, in a general view, is a declina-
tion from the lower part of the Ardmeanacn or Mullbuie
broad range of hills to the Moray Firth ; but, over the
lower half, is crossed by several ridges running parallel
to the main range ; so that it presents an agreeable
diversity of hill and dale. A steep romantic ridge of
conglomerate rock extends along the coast from the
village to the northern boundary, and is covered with
wood and with a rich variety of indigenous plants. A
large mass of conglomerate rock occurs also at the en-
trance of Munlochy Bay, and is so completely denuded
of soil, and so weathered into small corries and rounded
summits as to present a close resemblance to a miniature
volcanic hill. The intermediate parts of coast and all the
beach are sandy and gravelly. Devonian sandstone and
conglomerate rocks predominate ; but a high granitic
ridge, to the NE and N of the village, has so upheaved
them as to tilt their strata into all sorts of irregular
inclinations, yet does not, to any great extent, over-
top them. The Moray Firth is 5 miles wide here,
from Avoch village to Campbelltown ; looks, in conse-
quence of the projection of Chanonry Point at Fortrose,
like an inland lake ; and, with Fort George at one end
of its reach beyond Chanonry Point and Inverness at
the head of its reach beyond Kessock Ferry, presents a
highly picturesque appearance. Avoch Burn rises mainly
within the parish, runs to the Firth at Henrietta Bridge
close to the village, and has water-power enough to drive
a wool-carding mill and 3 corn mills. A beautiful pool,
called Littlemillstick, lies near the burn's source ; and
another sheet of fresh water, Scadden's Loch, lay near
the north-eastern boundary, and covered 14 acres, but
many years since was drained. Vast improvements in
reclamation of waste land, in planting, in building, and
in the introduction of the best methods of husbandly,
have been effected by Mr James Fletcher, since his pur-
chase in 1864 of the estate of Rosehaugh from Sir James
Mackenzie for £145,000. To Rosehaugh he has added
the estates of Bennetsfield, Ethie, and Avoch ; and on
Rosehaugh he has built a fine new mansion in the Re-
naissance style (Trails. Highland and Agricultural
Society). Avoch Castle stood on a rocky mound, about
200 feet above sea-level, J mile W of the village ;
appears to have been a structure of great strength ; was
the death-place of the regent Andrew Moray (1338) ;
belonged afterwards to the Earls of Ross ; and passed
eventually to the Crown. Arkindeith Tower stood on
a hill-side a short way above the offices of Avoch ; be-
93