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Corran Sands from above, a long curve of pale sand between the sea and the moor.
Isle of Jura

Corran Sands

A long sweep of pale sand at the head of Small Isles Bay near Craighouse, sheltered, shallow and under the Paps of Jura.

Welcome

Corran Sands is a long, sweeping beach at the northern end of Small Isles Bay, about four kilometres out of Craighouse, with the Paps of Jura rising behind it.

There are two car parks. Wee Corran, on the Craighouse side, has bins and a picnic table and is the start of the Corran Path; Big Corran, across the river, is a huge expanse of golden sand with sweeping views of the Paps. The water is shallow and sheltered, and one of the safer places on Jura to swim.

This stretch of the bay was once the island's main deep-water anchorage, and many of the hundreds of people who left Jura for good in the 1700s and 1800s were ferried out from this beach to the ships waiting offshore. Today it is a quiet place for a walk, a picnic or a swim, and in 2026 the island's wood-fired horsebox sauna sometimes stops at Big Corran.

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The Daily for 9 November, from Scotland with love. an autumn-wooded loch reflected in still water, rocks breaking the surface in the foreground

Before you go

Corran Sands is about 4km from Craighouse, with two car parks: Wee Corran, with bins and a picnic table, and Big Corran across the river.

The beach is shallow and sheltered for swimming.

Getting there
Passenger ferry from Tayvallich to Craighouse (April to September), or via Islay: Port Askaig to Feolin.
Parking
Wee Corran and Big Corran.
Swimming
Shallow and sheltered.

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Did you know

Corran Sands and the forestry behind it, from the air.
Did you know

People left Jura for ever from this beach.

This end of the bay was once the island's main deep-water anchorage. Many of the hundreds who emigrated in the 1700s and 1800s were rowed out from the sand to ships waiting offshore.

Waves on Corran Sands with fields and forest behind, from the air.
Did you know

There are two Corrans.

Wee Corran is on the Craighouse side of the river, with a picnic table. Big Corran, across the river, is the long stretch of sand with the view of the Paps.

A low island lying in still, pale water off Jura.
Did you know

It is four kilometres from the village.

The beach lies north of Craighouse along the island's one road, with a place to park at each end.

The Paps of Jura in cloud beyond moorland and a lone cottage, from the air.
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Where it is

Small Isles Bay, north of Craighouse, Jura.

Close byNorth of Craighouse.
  1. Isle of JuraIsle of JuraA wild island of deer and the Paps, with one road, one village and the farmhouse where Orwell wrote 1984.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Orange and black rigid inflatable boat crossing calm water below distant hillsJura Boat ToursSee beautiful Jura from the water with a bespoke boat tour around the coastUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. Bothan Jura Wild SaunaA wood-fired sauna in a converted horsebox that moves round Jura's shore, with the sea to cool off in.3 miles 7 min by road
  4. Skervuile LighthouseSkervuile LighthouseA white Stevenson lighthouse of 1865 on a reef in the Sound of Jura, seen from the road north of Craighouse.4 miles 13 min by road
  5. Isle of Jura DistilleryIsle of Jura DistilleryThe whisky distillery in Craighouse, founded around 1810 and brought back to life by the islanders in 1963.5 miles 7 min by road
  6. Camus an StacaCamus an StacaA great prehistoric standing stone, nearly twelve feet high, on a slope above the Sound of Jura near Craighouse.9 miles 14 min by road
Directions
Tables and chairs in the wood-panelled room at the Antlers in Craighouse.ShoppingThe Antlers4.7 miles
The Jura Community Shop, a timber building with a red telephone box beside it in Craighouse.ShoppingJura Community Shop4.7 miles
Tartan and tweed pieces made at Camella Crafts, folded on a table.ShoppingCamella Crafts4.8 miles
ToursJura Guided4.8 miles
The Jura Hotel's restaurant with its tables laid under a painted ceiling.RestaurantsThe Jura Hotel Restaurant4.8 miles
The dark timber Whisky Island Gallery and Studio at the Pier Garage, Craighouse.ShoppingThe Whisky Island Gallery and Studio4.9 miles
Rows of Deer Island rum bottles with turquoise caps.AttractionsDeer Island Distillery4.9 miles
The inner reaches of Loch Tarbert among the moorland of Jura's west coast.AttractionsLoch Tarbert6.5 miles
The white cottages of Inverlussa along the shore where the river meets the bay.AttractionsInverlussa12 miles

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CollectionScotland's Best Beaches
More on Jura

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