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The Paps of Jura over moorland and water.
Argyll and Bute

Isle of Jura

A wild island of deer and the Paps, with one road, one village and the farmhouse where Orwell wrote 1984.

Welcome

Jura is a long, wild island beside Islay, some thirty miles by seven, with around two hundred people and something like six thousand deer; its name may come from the Old Norse for deer island.

Its three great hills, the Paps of Jura, each about 2,500 feet high, are its most distinctive feature from Islay and the mainland. One single-track road runs round the south of the island and up the southern two-thirds of the east side, and most of the island beyond it is hill and moor with no road at all.

Craighouse, the only village, has the Jura Hotel, the shop, the hall, the parish church and the distillery, first set up in 1810. At the far north, George Orwell lived at the farmhouse of Barnhill while he wrote 1984 in 1948, and off the northern tip roars the Corryvreckan whirlpool, loud enough at times to be heard a dozen miles away. The ferry crosses the Sound of Islay from Port Askaig to Feolin.

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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
A little further outCaol Ila DistilleryThe distillery on the Sound of Islay near Port Askaig, the Islay Home of Johnnie Walker, with tours from £21 and views to Jura.35 min by roadSee itCaol Ila Distillery

Before you go

The ferry from Port Askaig on Islay crosses the Sound of Islay to Feolin.

Ferry
Port Askaig to Feolin.
Village
Craighouse.
Size
About 30 miles by 7.

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Where it is

Beside Islay, in the southern Hebrides.

Close byOn Jura.
  1. 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
  2. Corran SandsCorran SandsA long sweep of pale sand at the head of Small Isles Bay near Craighouse, sheltered, shallow and under the Paps of Jura.Under 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. The AntlersThe AntlersA bakehouse, café and bar in Craighouse opposite the shop, with sourdough, pies, bakes and island rum.5 miles 7 min by road
  6. Bunnahabhain DistilleryBunnahabhain DistilleryIslay's unpeated exception, at the end of a long road on the Sound of Islay, looking across to the Paps of Jura.18 miles 45 min by road
Directions
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
Shelves of Jura whisky bottles in the distillery shop.AttractionsIsle of Jura Distillery4.8 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
Camus an Staca standing alone on the moor above the Sound of Jura.AttractionsCamus an Staca8.6 miles

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