Eilean Dhiura

Tuesday, May 25, 2010, 17:30 hours

Today we took the ferry Eilean Dhiura (Island of Jura) to ... the Isle of Jura !!! From Port Askaig it's only about a 15 minute ride. After you drive off the ferry your options are limited as there is only one primary road. There are some "off shoots" but for all intents and purposes your drive will be along a twisting-turning, upsee-downsee, most-of-the-time-one-track, and occasionally very rough road. We passed many folk riding bicycles, and a fair number of walkers, but I think you need to have much time and be in phenomenal physical condition to last more than a wee while.



The road is more than 30 miles long and runs along the coast through, or past settlements and wee villages, ruins many years old and some not so old. It's difficult to describe the landscape and a picture taken without a proper wide-angle lens cannot accurately depict what it's like to drive down a road that seems to be "in the middle of nowhere" and when you least expect it there is a house (new or old) or even a small group of houses, or a working farm, Many of these are situated
quite close to the water. Many more ruins, iron age and other, are accessible only by walking some distance.



I chatted with one native (he says he "belongs to Jura") that was training for a foot race that runs up/down several hills including The Paps and is about 17 miles. He says it takes him about 5 hours to do the course. He is a fisherman (I think he said the only one) and told me about a diver who gathers scallops. Others work for one of the several estates that own most of the land, or they work for the hotel. The population numbers only about 200 folk so you can see that much of the land is unoccupied.



We had lunch at a very nice bistro called "The Antlers". Jacqueline had a seafood bisque because there was no more Cullen Skink, and I had a venison burger. Dessert was Tablet Ice Cream and it was very good !!! We hope to get back to the Ardbeg distillery Old Kiln Cafe later this week for some Cullen Skink (Gordon rates theirs a "10") and Sticky Toffee Pudding.



I think that Jura, much like Islay, would require several trips in order to see most of the sites there are to see. I know that I am becoming more and more interested in walking out to many of the more remote, but historic, sites on both islands. This surprises me because I thought this trip would probably be my last to Islay. We shall see.