Jura

Up very early to catch the ferry - this is the Knap Guesthouse in Tarbert - the entrance is the white door left of The Harbour Gallery - no wonder I missed it yesterday.

MV Hebridean Isles

First close up view of Jura - the middle mountain is where I am going tomorrow

The throbbing metropolis that is Port Askaig.  The little blue ferry runs between Islay and Jura - at over £8 for 800m it must be one of the most expensive routes in the world.

So much for 'remote support' - the man in the Astra has come all the way from Glasgow to fix an IT problem at the distillery.

In the trailer: malted barley. In the ugly shed: a lot of Jura Whisky.  Why are bonded warehouses all so ugly - those in Dumbarton particularly so...

An Ugly Whisky Warehouse in Dumbarton.  There are very many like this. This image copyright Google

There is only one proper road in Jura - A846 - it runs up the East shore.  Once you leave the the road - nothing but wilderness

There are 5000 Red Deer on Jura.  This is where some of them end up (16% culled each season - which is much lower than Fallow Deer in the Wyre Forest - where the figure is more like 30%).  Surprisingly the "Estates" struggle to make money through stalking and the export of venison. The Jura economy is described at length here

There is a doctor on Jura (normally):

GP Vacancy: Isle of Jura - fewer than 200 patients - typical ratios being between 1000 and 3000 per GP.

 There is no permanent GP at present - so cover is provided from neighbouring islands:

4 day journey for a 4 hour shift

The Jura Hotel - the important word is THE.

The new owners have put a lot of effort into refreshing the building (still in progress which I was there) - it is going to be very nice indeed.  The previous owner has only moved a few metres and is operating a seasonal restaurant (in midsummer I understand what with hotel guests, holiday lets, campers, day trippers and locals the hotel restaurant is put under serious strain).  Note the RBS Bank-In-A-Van - not doing much business - as neither was the island shop - it was closed every time I paid a visit - even when I timed it to walk down with locals-carrying-shopping-bags (in the expectation they would not plan to a wasted trip)

The view from my bedroom window - that is the distillery - which periodically emits interesting, if not fully explained, noises (I think it might be boiler blowdown)

View from the hotel carpark - is this really the Inner Hebrides in March?  Looks and feels more like Tenerife

In the evening I went for a jog - up past the bonded warehouse, toward the ferry and back:

It was too dark to get a photo - this is from Google Streetview

I was watched all the way by a giant stag standing motionless on the skyline crag.  It was dusk and I thought it might have been a statue or sign placed there by the tourist board to welcome new arrivals - but no - I am informed it must have been living - and supremely confident it was not going to get shot.