A classic album provides the inspiration for an island adventure on Jura.
Words & Photography Markus Stitz
It was a small boat shed on the southern tip of the Isle of Jura that inspired me to return there in April. Neighbouring the Isle of Islay, Scotland’s whisky paradise with no less than nine working distilleries, Jura is one of Argyll’s least populated islands – home to only about 200 people, about 5,000 deer and one of the best distilleries in Scotland.
Money to burn
Possibly because it is one of the most sparsely populated Scottish islands, Jura has very close connections with two heavyweights of popular British culture – George Orwell and The KLF. Orwell lived on Jura intermittently from 1946 to 1949, renting Barnhill, a farmhouse on the northern end of the island, only accessible by one of Britain’s quietest A-roads and a long and remote section of gravel. Only a stone’s throw away from the raging waters of the Corryvreckan, he completed his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four here before passing away in 1950.
It was shortly after Orwell’s death that two of Britain’s most influential musicians were born in the ’50s. Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty, better known as The KLF, made headlines in 1994 when they burned one million quid overnight in a boat shed on the self-proclaimed ‘Continent of Mu’, as Jura was named in their short film The Rites of Mu. As The KLF, Drummond and Cauty pioneered stadium house and became the biggest selling singles act in the world in 1991, earning much more money than they anticipated.
Fire and sacrifice were recurring ceremonial themes in The KLF’s work: Drummond and Cauty made fires to dispose of their illegal debut album 1987 – What the Fuck Is Going On? In 1991, at the height of their (too) short career in the music business, they celebrated summer solstice on the Hebridean island by burning a 18-metre tall Wicker Man at a ceremony in which journalists were asked to wear yellow and grey robes, join a chant, have their money taken off them and watch it go up in flames. The KLF sacrificed a sheep when leaving the pop industry in 1992 at the Brit Awards and then deleted their entire catalogue. They returned to Jura in 1994 with a suitcase full of £50 notes, burning their international royalties note by note in a small boat shed on the Ardfin Estate between Feolin and Craighouse at the southern tip of the island.
The Lost Continent
On my first visit in 2021 I had planned to find the boat shed, but was put off by a closed gate with spikes and fists holding a spear. Determined to try again and choose a different route, I assembled a fine team consisting of Philippa Battye and Josh Ibbett to assist with the search. As it looked like a rather short route, I was also interested in exploring a way to cross the island from the east between the mighty Paps of Jura, to connect Craighouse with the amazing gravel trails in the west, and add in some cycling on Islay.
Philippa needed some bog pushing experience for the upcoming Highland Trail 550, and while Josh wasn’t planning on wading through bog on his Tour Divide, he opted to test his final set-up for the race on the remote gravel tracks, roads and paths on Jura.
To get our Hebridean bearings before entering the mysterious world of the Continent of Mu, we parked our van at Kennacraig and boarded the CalMac ferry from the mainland to Islay. Taking the road from the ferry terminal to the west coast of Islay provided us with more time to spend on the trails overlooking one of the island’s most scenic beaches at Machir Bay. Grassy tracks sweep through the impressive sand dunes and give way to a more technical and rocky track underneath rocky cliffs, with views across the turquoise sea emerging the higher we climbed. From the top a fast gravel descent took us to a small road and on to Port Charlotte, where we got a warm welcome at the hostel, along with pizza, beer and ice cream, to end a long first day of travelling.
While there is much more to explore on Islay, our aim was to get to Port Askaig as quickly as possible to make the most of Jura. The ferry that took us to the island was similar to the boat used in the Rites of Mu. The colour had changed from red to blue, and we didn’t have our passports stamped by border guards as in the Rites of Mu, but the ‘lost continent’ presented itself in glorious sunshine when we arrived.
Tipsy touring
The sunglasses came out as ‘The Long Road’ took us from Feolin along the coast eastbound, with the turquoise sea sparkling in the sunshine. My eyes were fixated on spotting gravel tracks along the way. Plotting the route online I’d found a track into Ardfin that would avoid the gate that had been shut on my first visit, but on the map a short bit of it was missing. Taking a left, the dusty track took us towards the rocky cliffs of the coast and into the 12,000-acre estate, advertised on the website as “restored and revitalised to combine five-star luxury with a Bob Harrison-designed golf course, already acclaimed to be one of the best in the world”. So far the advertising didn’t lie: the views across the sea towards Islay were stunning, and this was much easier riding than expected. The gates were open and the public were invited to enter the golf course. Passing a beautiful beach with no one in sight we opted for a stop. Not knowing if the ‘Angels of Mu’ would suddenly rise from the sea as in the film, Philippa chose the safe option of a sea swim wearing her cycling helmet, while Josh and I enjoyed the simple pleasure of listening to the sound of the waves.
In the distance I spotted a building, and an aerial view from my drone offered more assurance that our beach was actually only a stone’s throw away from the place where a lot of cash went up in flames. The rather large golf course was completely empty, apart from a few builders working on turning the boat shed into a luxury hideaway.
After Philippa had risen from the sea, we cycled over. Despite the fact that the boat shed had been the reason we were here, there was not much to see. We found ourselves on a building site, with scaffolding on the outside preventing us from having a look inside. A friend of mine, who shares my appreciation for the KLF, visited the island in September on a cycling trip, and by then it had been successfully turned into a luxury café for millionaire golfers. The irony of this couldn’t be starker. A place famous for one of the most anti-capitalist acts in UK pop history, burning a million quid of royalties, had been turned into a café for people who are clearly not short of disposable income.
This didn’t came as a surprise though. Ardfin Estate, which for hundreds of years was the seat of the McDonalds and Campbells, was purchased in 2010 by Greg Coffey, an Australian hedge fund manager, who retired at the age of 41. The purchase attracted controversy and concern on the island as Coffey closed the estate’s public gardens, whose 2,500 visitors a year had formed a significant source of income for the locals. He turned Ardfin into a luxury golf course, disposed of all livestock from the estate’s working farm, and turned the former farm buildings into a luxury hotel, The Quads, for the use of visiting golfers. The fate of the boat house was foreseeable.
On our way out we bypassed Jura House, the heart of the luxury estate, billed as “the perfect venue for extra-special reunions and celebrations”.
Our visit to Ardfin ended on a gravel track, and we rejoined the road shortly afterwards. Arriving in Craighouse with only about ten kilometres to go for the day, the distillery seemed like a great option to enjoy the sunshine and get us motivated for the dark red descent that was showing up on my komoot profile. While Philippa and I enjoyed the drams and could have stayed for much longer, Josh revealed that whisky wasn’t among his favourites, so after a short trip to the shop in the local café we continued our stay in Craighouse with an early dinner, followed by a pint of beer on the outside terrace of the hotel. By the time we left around seven, more tipsy than planned, we had basically paid a visit to every attraction in Jura’s main village except the rum distillery.
Creative juice
After a short detour to a mausoleum we left the tarmac again and aimed westbound, with the impressive Paps of Jura rising in front of us. The gravel track soon turned into a double track across the bog, climbing steeply from the coast while the evening light turned the vast landscape a warm glowing red. I thought that this was a perfect place to erect a large Wicker Man statue as in the Rites of Mu, but even the KLF were possibly not mad enough to drag it up here. After weeks of very little rain, atypical for the west coast of Scotland, the track was rideable most of the time, with only a few sections that required pushing, but it was still a very slow journey up.
Our original plan was to take a walking path to Loch an t-Siob, but we had seriously underestimated how much longer this part of the journey would take. Reaching a saddle with a small lochan to our right, we found some flat patches for pitching our tents.
The next morning we continued on the southern edge of Beinn a’ Chaolais across wide open moorland to eventually reach a gravel track at the western edge of Lochan Gleann Astaile. We found the riding tough and some sections required extended pushing, though most of the terrain was enjoyable to ride on wider tyres. It was only when I ignored a warning from Josh that I suddenly found myself almost waist deep in a bog. Josh and Philippa spotted a few small adders along our route, while I pointed my camera at big herds of deer watching our progress from a distance.
The last section of gravel back to the ferry terminal at Feolin was a hoot. The clouds gave way to glorious sunshine, with three of Islay’s distilleries clearly visible on the other side of the Sound of Jura. To the northwest the small hills of Colonsay faded away on the horizon while the Paps rose in sunshine to the east, no longer standing between us and the sea. This great ride finished with a pub meal in the Port Askaig Hotel, while waiting for the ferry back to Kennacraig.
But before the ride’s finale, atop the hill, a sudden drop of temperature in the evening was training for what Josh would later encounter in the Tour Divide. Tired and cold he opted for a straight dive into his bivvy bag, while Philippa and I enjoyed a few sips from the small bottle of Jura whisky we had smuggled into Josh’s frame bag to make sure he trained properly for his upcoming race.
By the time Philippa went to her tent at about 11pm there was still some light left, which slowly faded away behind the silhouette of the Paps. It was totally quiet here; a far cry away from the hectic reality of city life. The more I looked at the vast night sky, the more I understood Jura’s appeal to creative souls like Drummond, Cauty and Orwell. Filling my cup with more golden juice until the bottle was empty, I pressed play on my phone and enjoyed listening to The KLF’s ‘Built A Fire’, one of my favourite tunes, while staring at the dark skies.
Why Bother?
If you want to ride on a Scottish island while having it virtually for yourself, then Jura is a must. If you like whisky too, then both Jura and Islay offer you a great choice of distilleries. The late April conditions proved to be ideal for the ride. A bit more than a week later I returned to Jura with Mark Beaumont to cycle the boundary of Argyll, this time on gravel tracks from Port an Tiobairt south to where we had left ‘The Long Road’ on this trip.
While the route described in this article took us mostly through barren moor and mountain landscapes, the north of the island is home to some great woodlands. Another great loop on the west coast of Jura can be found in Great British Gravel Rides (Route 26) or on the Wild About Argyll komoot page.
If you fancy something a bit different for riding, both Islay and Jura offer perfect opportunities to get off the beaten track. There isn’t too much choice on Jura when it comes to mountain biking, but the few tracks that are there offer amazing views on a good day. If you are a person who doesn’t like having a choice, then Craighouse is perfect – there’s just one whisky distillery, one rum distillery, one cafe, one hotel and one shop. The locals are a friendly bunch. Accommodation on Jura is limited, so if you’re not too keen on camping then staying on Islay and taking the ferry will be the best option. There are also two bothies on Jura.
Islay offers much more choice, but can get much busier than Jura in peak season. Due to the number of distilleries there are frequent ferries to the Scottish mainland, and the facilities on board make the two-hour journey a great experience. If you want good value for money, the Youth Hostel in Port Charlotte is a great choice, with plenty of secure space for bikes, and the beautiful Machir Bay just a short ride away. The Port Askaig Hotel offers great seafood freshly caught, while Bowmore is your best bet to get supplies. For self-catered, Ballitarsin Lodge is recommended.
If you are fit, the whole ride could be done in a day – best starting and finishing in Port Askaig or Craighouse. The route can be ridden clockwise or anticlockwise, but the direction described here is the better choice.
The Knowledge
- Distance: 100km
- Elevation: 1,100m
- Time: 10–11hrs
- Map: OS Landranger 60 (Islay) and 61 (Jura)
Accommodation
Both islands have B&B, self-catering accommodation and hotel options. There are campsites and a hostel on Islay, but none on Jura. Responsible camping in accordance with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code is possible on both islands.
Port Charlotte Youth Hostel
A great choice with beds and private rooms and plenty of secure space for bikes. The beach invites swimming, and the hostel also offers pizzas and breakfast.
hostellingscotland.org.uk/hostels/port-charlotte-islay
Port Askaig Hotel
Good rooms and seafood, with a small shop for supplies as well.
portaskaig.co.uk
Ballitarsin
Luxury self-catered accommodation in the heart of Islay, with stunning views and great facilities.
ballitarsin.co.uk
Jura Hotel
Rooms, restaurant and bar all in one.
Food and drink
As well as the Port Askaig and Jura Hotel, there’s:
The Antlers, Craighouse
Open throughout the day from 9am, 7 days a week, some nights open for dinner.
facebook.com/people/The-Antlers
Travel Information
The greenest choice to get to Jura is by bus/ferry/bike. The Citylink 926 from Glasgow to Campbeltown stops at Kennacraig, bikes need to have at least the drive train covered to be carried in the hold.
By car, the CalMac ferry from Kennacraig to Port Askaig or Port Ellen is the best choice. A few sailings also leave from Oban over Colonsay to Port Askaig – bookings for cars are strongly advised.
The Jura Ferry from Argyll and Bute Council runs hourly between Port Askaig and Feolin. Only the late crossing needs to be booked in advance. These take bikes for free and usually without prior booking.
argyll-bute.gov.uk/port-askaig-islay-feolin-jura-ferry-timetable
The Jura Passenger Ferry from Tayvallich to Craighouse runs twice a day between April and September. Book in advance. Bikes cost extra.
Venture West runs private charters from Crinan Harbour to Jura for groups, or can drop cyclists off on one of their regular trips.
For more information about Argyll, Scotland’s Adventure Coast;
Bike Shops
Be prepared and take spares, there are no bike shops on Jura.
Islay Cycles for rental and repairs:
Kayak Wild Islay has hire fatbikes:
The Massive Gallery
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