To the south the Isle of Islay and Northern Ireland. to the Northwest is Colonsay, to the east, the whole of Kintyre with Arran beyond, Ben Lomond and the Cobbler. To the north is Loch Tarbert, the northern half of Jura, the Garvellachs and Mull. There is a commanding view to be obtained from the top of the Paps on a clear day and it is well worth the effort of climbing one of them, if the weather is settled. On one of the Paps remains of a checkpoint from the second world war can be found. Cora Bheinn, the steep mountain, stands at a height of 569 m/1893 ft to the north-east of Beinn Shiantaidh and, while not considered to be one of the Paps, is part of the same group of mountains. Beinn Shiantaidh, the Sacred Mountain, is 757m/2477 ft and stands to the east of Beinn an Oir, while Beinn a’ Chaolais, the Mountain of the Sound, stands to the south-west and is the smallest of the three at 734m/2407 ft. The highest of the three is Beinn an Oir, the Mountain of Gold, is 785m/2576 ft is the only Corbett, a mountain in Scotland between 25 ft. According to explorer Thomas Pennant, who visited Jura twenty years later, the island “carried a fairly large population right through the period of Campbell domination into the era of emigration and clearance.” The Campbell dominance lasted until 1938 when Charles Campbell, the last Laird of Jura, sold the remaining parts of the Jura Estate and houses.ĭominating the view of Jura from almost any direction are the three, distinctive and easily recognised, Paps of Jura found in the southern half of the island. When explorer Martin Martin visited the Isle of Jura in 1703 he wrote an interesting account of the island and its people. The island entered an era in which it was controlled for a longer period by the Campbell Clan in the early 1600s from which 11 lairds ruled the island. The Macleans in the meanwhile constantly strove to keep the Campbells out of north Jura. In 1506 the Treaty of Camus an Staca took away all MacDonald rights to land and power on Jura and gave them to a cadet branch of the House of Campbell. Somerled’s descendants, named Clan Donald, and more commonly known to history as the “Lords of the Isles” grew to control all of the west coast and parts of north Scotland. At some point the Norseman ruled the island from the Isle of Man until Somerled, whose steady rise to power in the Hebrides was cemented in the famous sea-battle of 1156 of Islay, ended Norse power in the Hebrides. The main stalking season is from August to the end of October.įrom a historical point of view one can say that Jura’s history is in many ways similar to the other islands of the Hebrides. If you wish to walk during the stalking season, please check with the gamekeepers concerned. Jura is ideal for walking and the visitor has almost unlimited freedom to walk almost everywhere and climb the Paps of Jura, visit the Wild west coast with it’s amazing wildlife or visit the Corryvreckan Whirlpool in the north. Jura Hotel runs Landrover trips from Craighouse to Kinuachdrach.Ĭraighouse seen from the Stone Pier Walking on Jura Especially with a strong westerly wind and upcoming tide the whirlpool is best visible. The Corryvreckan Whirlpool as it is called is caused by an underwater mountain reaching almost to the surface of the strait causing the whirlpool to activate when the tides change. Orwell had first visited the island in 1945 and had an almost fatal encounter in the Gulf of Corryvreckan that separates Jura from the smaller island of Scarba to the north. Barnhill – George Orwellīarnhill is also known for the cottage where Eric Blair, better known as George Orwell, lived from 1946-48 while writing his novel 1984. The road ends in the north of Jura, near Barnhill. On the opposite side of the Sound of Islay, the narrow strait with its fast currents, is Port Askaig Islay, a car and passenger ferry links both. The only road on the island, single track all the way, starts at the ferry terminal near Feolin. The west of the island is hard to access but offer some of the finest raised beaches in the world. The main settlement is Craighouse on the east coast, in fact almost all the people live on the south and east coast. Jura is sparsely populated and is currently inhabited by a little over 200 people. Meeting any of these majestic animals is likely while peace, isolation and tranquility are other attractions of this remote and wild island. Early writers speak of a few herds of deer numbering about 300, but the present day population is about 7,000. In Gaelic the word ‘diura’ itself means ‘tough, or durable’. The name Jura is believed to come from the Norse meaning ‘Deer Island’ although it is also said that Jura got it’s name from an earlier language.
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