(Note that it's a 7-8 mile hike from the end of the road to the view of the whirlpool.)Ĭycling is a popular way to see the island and bikes can either be brought on the ferry or hired from the Jura Hotel. This track provides the best access to a footpath leading to view of the Corryvrekkan whirlpool which lies between the northern tip of Jura and the island of Scarba. This track passes Barnhill, where the writer George Orwell lived towards the end of his life and where he wrote his famous novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'. A private vehicle track runs from the road end to the far north of the island. The left fork takes you past a sign which says 'End of Public Road 3 miles'. The right fork takes you to the hamlet of Inverlussa, where it is possible to wild camp. The road continues past Craighouse and heads northwards through the smaller settlements of Lagg, Tarbert and Ardlussa and provides some stunning views of the Paps and Jura's rugged coastline. The single-track A846 road stretches from Feolin to Craighouse and beyond. Don't be fooled by the fact that there is no posted speed limit - you cannot reach over 40 miles an hour due to factors such as the number of bends in the road and the wild animals wandering in the road. It is also possible to hire cars on Islay. Many visitors to Jura bring private cars over via the Kennacraig/Islay and Port Askaig/Feolin ferries. It may be possible to book the bus for private hire. The bus operates only on request for some journeys, notably the 0725 from Craighouse to Feolin on school holidays and Saturdays, so you must book in advance for those journeys. A public bus operated by Garelochhead Coaches does run between Feolin and Craighouse up to four times a day, with some journeys extending to Inverlussa and/or Lagg. Jura lacks good public transport because of its remote nature and few roads.

The ferry often leaves up to 15 minutes before the scheduled time, so get there early! From Feolin Ferry it is 8 miles to the island's main settlement, Craighouse. The ferry runs roughly hourly from 6AM to 6:30PM every day (though Sundays have reduced hours). Public transport runs from the airport to Port Askaig.Ī small car ferry operates across the Sound of Islay between Port Askaig on Islay and Feolin Ferry on Jura. Loganair operates two return flights per day (one on Sundays) from Glasgow International Airport to Islay, and Hebridean Air Services operate two return flights per week from Oban to Islay via Colonsay. In addition, an infrequent West Coast Motors bus, service 449 (Lochgilphead - Campbeltown), stops at the end of the causeway linking the A83 with the ferry terminal.ĬalMac also operate ferries from Oban and Colonsay to Port Askaig on Wednesdays and Saturdays between March and October.

The crossing takes 2 hours to Port Askaig and 2 hours and 10 minutes to Port Ellen.įor those arriving by bus, the Kennacraig ferry terminal is served by the Citylink 926 service linking Glasgow with Campbeltown, and the West Coast Motors 448 service linking Lochgilphead and/or Tarbert with Claonaig (for Arran) and Skipness. Vehicle bookings should be made in advance as these sailings are often fully booked. In addition, a few licensed boat owners provide a private water taxi service from the Tayvallich and Crinan area, who will drop you at various points on the island.Ĭaledonian MacBrayne (CalMac) runs a number of vehicle ferries per day between Kennacraig (on the Kintyre peninsula, around 105 miles from Glasgow and 6 miles south of Tarbert) to Port Askaig or Port Ellen on Islay. Advance booking is compulsory tickets cost £20 each way. The ferry runs from Easter to the end of September with up to two crossings daily except Wednesdays. The village of Craighouse is also home to the island's only distillery and only functioning church.Ī seasonal fast passenger ferry runs from Tayvallich on the mainland (around 2.5 hours drive from Glasgow) to Craighouse on Jura, taking around 45 mins to an hour to complete the crossing and often linking up with West Coast Motors buses from Lochgilphead. This is also where you will find the only two places to eat out on the island - the Jura Hotel and the Antlers Bistro. This is where you will find the island's only shop (run by Spar), hotel and pub. The west coast of Jura is currently uninhabited but is home to a number of raised beaches.Ĭraighouse is the island's main settlement.

Much of the island is designated as a National Scenic Area and is dominated by three conical mountains known as the Paps of Jura which rise to over 2500 feet (762 m). Jura has a large population of red deer (it is commonly believed that the name 'Jura' was derived from 'hjörtr' - the Old Norse word for deer). Jura, though fairly large in size, is a sparsely populated island with a population of approximately 200 people.

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