Have you been to Jura?
You’ll know of the long island with far more red deer than people; with the Paps of Jura thrusting into the sky in its southwest, opposite the Isle of Islay; of the Corryvreckan whirlpool between its northern shore and the Isle of Scarbha; and of course, of the novelist George Orwell writing 1984 at the house he rented there, Barrhill.
But have you been to see this Argyll island?
If you haven’t, go now – and bring friends. There is an accessible fast passenger ferry from Tayvallich on Loch Sween that runs down the loch, passes the McCormaig Islands at its entrance and heads across the Sound of Jura, with the Paps in the background, going direct into Craighouse, the main village – the only village really, on the island.
This is a beautiful sea route and Craighouse has the fabulous Australasian Gardens at Jura House, the new Antlers restaurant, the Jura Hotel and the Isle of Jura distillery. The ferry will also carry your bike.
So why are we exhorting everyone to get to Jura as soon as possible?
Because if you don’t, you will no longer have the opportunity to take this intriguing sea route to Jura and the island will no longer have the fast access to the Argyll mainland that this ferry had given it and that has eroded its sense of isolation.
The island’s estimates of usage, while not excessively optimistic have nevertheless proved sufficiently wide of the mark for the service to have fallen below the minimum it needs to earn to ensure its survival.
Its three year trial period is coming to an end. Argyll and Bute Council informed all community transport initiatives of the maximum finding it could make available to them in the current year – and the Jura ferry is already over the limit.
It’s a seasonal ferry – so we can save it for Jura and for ourselves – simply by using it.
This isn’t charity. This is enjoying Argyll by going to see it and learning about the relationship of land to water as these journeys used to be made. This is pleasure – and then there’s Craighouse to explore at the other end as well.
Many of us are staying at home this summer – there’s the recession; the undignified business of air-travel – treated like packages in the Royal Mail at its worst and threatened with air strikes by pampered trolley dollies at any moment; there’s Eykafjallajokull, keeping its powder dry just now – but who knows; and there’s the great and beautiful unknown of Scotland on our doorsteps.
So start with what is absolutely on the doorstep for Argyllachs and get across the Sound of Jura from Tayvallich to Craighouse.
Discover Argyll and keep Jura in contact. We’re going.
Details
The Jura Passenger Ferry costs £17.50 each way. It takes one hour. It runs 6 days a week – with no services on Wednesdays. It offers two services in each direction on Mondays, Tuesdays, Frodays and Saturdays – with one service each way on Sundays.
The Sunday service is effectively two one way journeys, with mainland access to Tayvallich from Craighouse in mid afternoon and Jura access to Craighouse from Tayvallich in early evening.
Full details are on the Jura Passenger Ferry website. This may be the last chance you get to take this route and see Jura easily.
The boat carries only 12 passengers so booking is essential.
It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Passenger Ferry to Jura life, both personal and business. Meetings in Glasgow, medical appointments etc can be achieved in one day instead of many hours travelling and an overnight stay. Many more people can come over for the weekend, for events such as the Music Festival and the Fell Race, who otherwise could not make it to and from the island in time because of work commitments. People come over for the day from the mainland and bring crucial business to the village, supporting whatever activity is going on, eg the weekly Craft Fair in the Village Hall, vital income for those who work through the winter to make goods for summer selling. Food and drink need to be bought, so the shop, the new restaurant The Antlers and the Jura Hotel all benefit. We sooooo need this ferry to continue, island life is fragile at the best of times, we need all the help we can get!
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I would absolutely agree with the comment aove. As a visitor it was obvious what a differencethe passenager ferry must make to Jura residents, in terms of time, money, and also the company of visitors. It’s also great for visitors, emaning you can visit just for the day, if youa re short of time. It’s a wonderful place, with a unique atmosphere. Go and see for yourself, and lobby anyone who has influence!
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