For centuries, most of the island was owned by the Campbells, however the last member of the family left in 1938 and parts of the island are now owned by various landlords. Jura is a long and relatively large island 30 miles long and 7 miles wide. The island can be reached in just 10 minutes, on the ferry crossing over the Sound of Islay from Port Askaig to Feolin. Jura belongs to the Inner Hebrides, and sits off the west coast at Scotland between the mainland of Argyll and Islay, with Colonsay even further west, and the famous Corryvreckan whirlpool to the north. Jura falls to the extreme end of the latter. I love every Scottish Island that I’ve visited, but some have been slow-burners, while others were more like a scenic slap in the face. No matter what weather it wears, Jura is an absolute beauty. It was as if these temperamental conditions were deliberate, allowing me to literally see the island in so many different lights. Then, beams of sunlight forced their way through the thick clouds, to illuminate the landscape and highlight the true blue of the water. There were droplets of dew on the grass, and the pebbles on the beach were grey with polka dots from the sporadic sprinkling of rain. When I arrived on Jura, the mist was low and lingering. Was this even the same island I had spent the last two days on? Just an hour earlier, the heavens opened and a luminous rainbow had appeared. It was as if the seasons had shifted, and I was being teased by this glorious outburst. I knew I’d find it hard to leave, and this was definitely not helping. Palm trees, sparkly sea, and the warmth of the sun on my skin.
Jura isle of jura series#
This trip to Jura was on a paid campaign called ‘ The Heart & Soul of Scotland’ with Wild About Argyll and People Make Glasgow.Ĭheck out my other blogs in this series ‘ Islay Bucket List: The Best Whisky, Food & Experiences’, ‘ My Top Ten Ways to Spend a City Break in Glasgow’and ‘ Where to Find the Best Street Food in Glasgow‘
When I embarked on a solo adventure to the island – entirely on public transport from Glasgow via Islay – I quickly discovered that there is so much more to this wildly gorgeous island. Today the distillery is appreciated for the uniqueness of its whiskies which combine the classic Highland style with that of island malts.On the surface, the Isle of Jura can be defined by its famous whisky, the imposing Paps and its abundance of deer. The history of distillation on the Isle of Jura dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, and resumed in 1963 after a long period of interruption following the reconstruction of the distillery in a modernized version: very high stills (more than 8 meters high) were installed, with the aim of distilling differentiated Single Malts.įrom 2010, the Jura Single Malts met with great success, the Scottish distillery following its rivals Glenfiddichand Glenmorangie. dedicated to whisky making since the 19th century In 2003, the distillery even gave its name to one of its whiskies.
Jura is a wild, rugged and remarkable island that George Orwell chose to write his 1984 novel. Numbering a thousand at the end of the 19th century, its inhabitants are today grouped together in the village of Craighouse, where there is also a grocery store, a hotel and the famous distillery.
The Jura distillery, located on the eponymous island off the west coast of Scotland not far from its neighbour Islay, takes its name from the Norwegian term meaning "deer" (it must be said that the island has 200 inhabitants for 5000 deer !) A secluded, wild and sparsely inhabited island.