![]() Housekeeping are at your beck and call should you need them. On our arrival, after a warm welcome from Catriona, we were thoughtfully provided with all the basics we might initially need, from bread and milk, to a basket of fruit, bottles of wine, Jura whisky and breakfast for the next morning (the breakfast, not the wine and whisky). Most views from the property look out over Craighouse, its jetty and towards a cluster of islands in the Souind of Jura known collectively as the Small Isles. From here you can marvel at the ever-changing colours over the sea as the sun rises or sets. ![]() The master bedroom offers beautiful views over the bay at Craighouse, as do the two living areas on the second floor above. ![]() On the first floor of the accommodation there are four double bedrooms, all en suite. In short, the accommodation is perfectly in keeping with the island. And, if that wasn’t enough, there’s also Archie, the resident suit of armour in the living area, and purportedly a ghost underneath the farmhouse dining table in the kitchen. Jura Lodge is lavishly adorned with antlers on the walls and with various quirks, from the unlucky 13th step to the wooden seagull in one of the bedrooms that, if you rub it, will bring you luck for the duration of your stay. The moment we arrived on the island, after the 5-minute ferry crossing from Port Askaig to Feolin, we were greeted by three red deer peering down upon us as we travelled along what must surely be the UK‘s bumpiest A-road.Īfter a short drive along this single track, we reached the island’s only significant settlement of Craighouse, home to the island’s one shop, one distillery, one hotel (and pub/campsite/petrol station) and one very unique lodge. Furthermore, we had the privilege of staying in the beautifully stylish Jura Lodge, next door to the Isle of Jura Distillery in Craighouse. We were blessed with weather not usually associated with Scotland but, for the week we have been away, we have enjoyed glorious sunshine and blue skies more reminiscent of a holiday in the Mediterranean than the west coast of Scotland. From there, it was a short drive and a ferry crossing before reaching Jura. Our first glimpse of the island and its three Paps was just before touching down on our flight from Glasgow to Islay. It is a walkers' paradise, with deer, walking trails and stunning views across the island.We have just returned from an utterly unique and memorable stay on the remote Scottish island of Jura. The Isle of Jura – home to only 200 people, the island of Jura is truly a wilderness to behold. In 1985, Charles Mackinlay was sold to Invergordon Distillers (owners of Tamnavulin) - who were then taken over themselves a decade later by Whyte & Mackay. The new distillery was producing malt more akin to the Highland style rather than the heavily-peated whisky of near-neighbours Islay, a strategy that has continued to bear fruit for Jura (although more experimental peated bottlings from the late 1990s are now finding their way to market, to some acclaim). Delmé-Evans was most involved with Jura, however,remaining on the board until his retirement in 1975. The new distillery's architect was William Delmé-Evans, who had previously been involved with Tullibardine and later went on to build Glenallachie. The present Jura distillery was built between 1960-63 by Robin Fletcher and Tony Riley-Smith (in partnership with Scottish& Newcastle's blending company Charles Mackinlay & Co.) on the grounds of a previous distillery (also called Jura) that had been founded in 1810 but closed and dismantled in 1901.
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