Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 119

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WALKING THE PAPS OF JURA
Ordnance Survey Explorer map 355
Perhaps the most popular of all the hillwalks on Jura is an ascent of any of the island's
famous Paps of Jura - Beinn an Oir (2571ft), Beinn a'Chaolais (2407ft) and Beinn
Shiantaidh (2477ft) - which cluster together in the south half of the island. It's possible to
do a round trip from Craighouse itself, or from the Feolin ferry, but the easiest approach is
from the three-arched bridge on the island's main road, three miles north of Craighouse.
From the bridge, keeping to the north side of the Corran River, you eventually reach Loch
an t'Siob. If you only want to climb one Pap , then simply climb up to the saddle between
Beinn an Oir and Beinn Shiantaidh and choose which one (Beinn an Oir is probably the
most interesting), returning to the bridge the same way. The trip to and from the bridge
should take between five and six hours; it's hard going and care needs to be taken, as the
scree is unstable.
If you want to try and bag all three Paps , you need to attack Beinn Shiantaidh via its
southeast spur, leaving the loch at its easternmost point. This makes for a more di cult
ascent, as the scree and large lumps of quartzite are tough going. Descending to the
aforementioned saddle, and climbing Beinn an Oir is straightforward enough, but make
sure you come off Beinn an Oir via the south spur, before climbing Beinn a'Chaolais, as the
western side of Beinn an Oir is dangerously steep. Again, you can return via the loch to
the three-arched bridge.
Every year, in the last bank-holiday weekend in May, hundreds of masochists take part in
a fell race up the Paps, which the winner usually completes in three hours. Given the number
of deer on Jura, it's as well to be aware of the stalking season (July-Feb), during which you
should check with the Jura Hotel (see opposite) before heading out. At all times of year, you
should take all the usual safety precautions (see p.42); beware, too, of adders, which are
quite numerous on Jura.

Craighouse
Anything that happens on Jura happens in the island's only real village, Craighouse ,
eight miles up the road from the Feolin ferry. The village enjoys a sheltered setting,
overlooking Knapdale on the mainland - so sheltered, in fact, that there are even a
few palm trees thriving on the seafront. There's a shop/post office, the island hotel
and a tearoom.

Jura distillery
Opposite the Jura Hotel • Guided tours Mon-Fri 11am & 2pm • Free • T 01496 820601, W jurawhisky.com
Established in 1810 by the Campbells, the Isle of Jura distillery has endured a
somewhat chequered history. It went out of business in the early 1900s, before
reopening in 1963 on the premises of the then-derelict distillery. It now produces five
distinctive single malts, with two notable success stories, the ten-year-old “Origin”, and
the sixteen-year-old “Diurachs” - you'll get to sample one or both of these on one of
the free guided tours.

Corryvreckan Whirlpool
W whirlpool-scotland.co.uk
Between the islands of Scarba and Jura is the raging Corryvreckan Whirlpool , one of the
world's most spectacular whirlpools, thought to be caused by a rocky pinnacle some
100ft below the sea. Exactly how the whirlpool appears depends on the tide and wind,
but there's a potential tidal flow of over eight knots, which, when accompanied by gale
force winds, can create standing waves up to 15ft high. Inevitably there are numerous
legends about the place - known as coire bhreacain (speckled cauldron) in Gaelic
- concerning Cailleach (Hag), the Celtic storm goddess. From the land, the best place
from which to view it is Carraig Mhór on the northern tip of Jura.