Chaimbeul was born into a well-known literary family in Ness, Lewis. Her father, Tormod Caimbeul (also known as Tormod A" Bhocsair and Norman Campbell), and her uncle Alasdair Caimbeul are both published writers in Gaelic, as was her grandfather Aonghas Caimbeul (Am Bocsair) and her great-uncle Aonghas Caimbeul (Am Puilean). Her mother, Mary Jane Campbell, is a Gaelic singer.
Chaimbeul attended the University of Edinburgh (Master of Arts in Mental Philosophy).
The family’s connection with Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the National Centre for the Gaelic Language and Culture, now part of the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI), has included periods as writer-in-residence for both Tormod and Alasdair Caimbeul, and Mary Jane is a lecturer at the centre. In January 2013 Catrìona was appointed for a one-year term as writer-in-residence at Sabhal Mòr. 2006 Wigtown Book Festival Gaelic poetry prize.
