The Inner Hebridean Island of Jura is situated only 100 kilometres from Glasgow. As the crow flies that is. And since we did not have wings it took us two bus rides, two ferries, a hitch-hike and all day to get from the airport to the island’s main settlement Craighouse. Initially we had intended to catch the island’s last bus which would have brought us to the end of the public road at Ardlussa. It did not wait for the slightly delayed ferrie though, so the only option we had on arriving on the island was to hitch a ride. The car only went as far as Craighouse, so we decided to use the unofficial campsite, the lawn in front of the only hotel. No hot showers, but a couple of palm trees and a fine view over the bay made for a nice place to spend the night.
Barnhill and Kinuachdrachd
The next morning another hitch hike had us dropped where we had been hoping to arrive the night before, at the last stretch of tarmac. There is a 4WD track to Kinuachdrachd, which passes Barnhill, the last refuge for George Orwell where he wrote his novel 1984. No chance for big brother spying on you there, then as well as now, as it is very isolated.
Corrievreckan
We camped not far from the most northerly tip of the island. While eating our dehydrated meals we were treated to a splendid sunset. Next day we woke to a clear blue sky. Not something we expected beforehand and a real treat. A short walk brought us to the most northerly point on Jura, from where we overlooked the narrows of Corrievreckan. The immense tide and some underwater geology make this one of the potentially most dangerous stretches of water to navigate. From our high vantage point it looked quite tranquil though.
From there it was south all the way. We followed the west coast where there are no paths or tracks, just very rough ground where we had to try and find the route ourselves. Just around the corner we got what we came for. A beautiful bay with white sand and rocky cliffs.
We were tempted to pitch our tent, but agreed on just having lunch as it was still very early in the day. This turned out to be wise as one stunning beach after another appeared around every corner. As we decided to make camp there was still a lot of day left to relax and enjoy the views. Soon it turned out we were not the only inhabitants when a herd of deer looked at us, wondering who were those coloury creatures who occupied their feeding grounds.
Again we were treated to a marvellous sunset.
The following day was my birthday. My present: dehydrated chocolat mousse, which sounds a bit desperate. But actually it was the best possible present, concerning where we were. I did not have it for breakfast though, but saved it for dinner.
Glengarrisdale bothy
Next meal of the day was lunch though, which we had in one of the island’s bothies at Glengarrisdale. Beautifully restored, this was our intended refuge had the weather turned bad. It did not, so we used it only for a short stopover.
After the bothy we were forced to stay a bit higher, coastal cliffs barring travel further down.
It had been overcast most of the day. Suddenly the clouds broke a bit, bathing us in beautiful late afternoon light. It made this part of the world even more beautiful than we already found it. As this was the last light of the day, it also meant we had little time left to find us a place to camp.
Some goat tracks led us through a breach in the cliffs, past a waterfall with a perfect bathing pool to the best camping spot of the week. Cliffs all around, a flat patch of grass to pitch the tent and abundant driftwood to make a proper fire. Bliss!
The next day we tried our luck following a ledge along the coast, hoping it would lead us to higher ground. It did not, but we discovered some nice rock formations and caves.
Corpach Bay and Shian Bay
We returned and climbed along a waterfall to the flattish ground above. We passed a couple of rocky beaches before reaching the wide expanse of Corpach bay.
Still early in the day we decided to go on to Shian Bay, which according to the guide book was one of the most beautiful beaches on Jura. It was a nice enough bay, but lacking rocks and seastacks it was not nearly as nice as most of the beaches we had passed so far.
Ruantallan Bothy and Cruib Lodge
When we woke up we saw the spell of splendid weather had finally ended. The sky was grey and some showers forced us to don rain jackets. Luckily another bothy, Ruantallan, provided us with some shelter to eat our lunch in dryness. This one too was beautifully restored and maintained.
From the bothy a faint cart track appeared. Clerarly we were approaching civilisation. Our was not over yet though, as we spent our last night in the most beautiful bothy of all: Cruib Lodge. There were two rooms, both of which had a sleeping platform and a fireplace. Obviously this bothy was maintained very recently, as the platforms looked very new and the doow and windows looked like they had been painted. Als everything was very neat and tidy. There was even some peat and coal provided! There was not a lot of driftwood around to get the fire going, but careful woodplanning and a decent amount of persistence gave us a nice fire in the end.
During the night rain splatterd on the windows and roof of the bothy. Obviously we were not in the slightest concerned about that. Tomorrow was our last day and we had had outstanding weather all week. Even the last day turned out to be good. Showers and intermittent sharp clearings made for beautiful light. And a perfect conclusion to our explorations of this beautiful island.
Back to Scotland
Harolds Hikes 
Hello Harold
I really enjoyed reading the account of your walk; you have some lovely pictures too. I take your point about Shian Bay; I have to admit that part of the reason I’m so fond of it is that I have so many good memories from there, often benefiting from beautiful weather as well. Actually my favourite place to camp is Am Miadar at the south end of Corpach Bay. I like the look of your campsite with shower and bath! From reading the bothy books or posts online it’s surprising the extent to which people follow the itinerary in the book, when the great beauty of the place is the endless possibility to explore and choose your own routes and campsites etc. I’m working on the 3rd edition of the guidebook just now and I think I’ll emphasise this point.
All the best
Peter
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Hi Peter,
thanks for your comments. Jura is indeed a beautiful place. I had the luck to be blessed with beautiful weather, so the camping was a bliss. The showe and bath were rather chilly though.
I have, of course, prepared my walk and used your guide for that, amongst other sources. My goal on this trip was mainly to follow the coast as much as possible, mainly because my companion was not so fond of walking up mountains. I will definately return though, and explore a bit more inland. And also climb a pap or two.
Good luck with the next edition of your guide book.
Cheers
Harold
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