The sun made its appearance today which made it a perfect time to take the small ferry from Port Askaig to Jura, the long and narrow island known for its soaring mountains, whisky, swirling whirlpools and wild roaming deer which far outnumber the island’s residents. It was also the home of one of the greatest writers of the 20th century – George Orwell. Orwell, a.k.a. Eric Blair, moved to Jura in April of 1946 to a remote farmhouse, Barnhill, on the north end of the island. It was here, while battling tuberculosis which would eventually take his life, that he wrote perhaps his greatest novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
The most stunning feature in Jura’s landscape are the Paps of Jura, three mountains on the western side of the island. Their highest point is 2,575 feet (785 m). They are steep-sided quartzite hills with distinctive conical shapes resembling breasts. The word pap is an ancient word of Old Norse origin for the breast. The paps can be seen from several places on Islay as well as from the Mull of Kintyre and even Ireland. While I had often seen them from various vantage points on Islay, this time I could see them on their own territory! They are stunning, especially with the low clouds drifting across their peaks.
Jura is also known as the “deer isle” and I was definitely in search of them as I drove on the single track road that serves as the main artery on the island. The road runs from the ferry dock on the southwest side of the island to Kenuachdrach at the northern tip (near Barnhill). There is just the one road and once you have reached the end you must turn around and go back the way you came. I came across several deer but they were far off the road and my telephoto lens could only capture so much – but I did get the photos! (I am still in pursuit of my iconic Scottish red deer buck with massive antlers!)
I treated myself to a plate of delicious, locally caught langostines for lunch at the Antler restaurant. As with many of the restaurants on these islands, the eatery was fully booked for lunch!
Another distillery tour was also in order and I spent some time at the Jura Distillery – even sampling a few of their distillery-only drams. I made it back to the dock in time for the 4:30 ferry back to Islay. It was a most enjoyable, and interesting, day!
