| Jura, Scotland |
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| islands of the inner hebrides | |
| argyll and bute | |
| national scenic areas scotland | |
Jura ( Scottish Gaelic ''Diùra'') is an Island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland , situated adjacent and to the north-east of Islay . The island is designated as a National Scenic Area . GEOGRAPHY With an area of 142 square miles and only around 180 inhabitants, Jura is much less densely populated than neighboring Islay. The main settlement is the village of Craighouse on the east coast. Craighouse is home to the island's sole distillery, producing Isle Of Jura whisky. The village is also home to the island's only Hotel , shop and Church . Jura is unusual for an island of its size, population and proximity to the mainland, in having no direct ferry connection with mainland Scotland. However, a small car ferry operates across the the road leads to Lagg, Tarbert, Ardlussa and beyond. A private track runs from the road end to the far north of the island. The west coast of Jura has no permanent inhabitants, but is home to a number of Raised Beach es.Between the northern tip of Jura and the Island of Scarba lies the Gulf Of Corryvreckan where a Whirlpool makes passage dangerous at certain states of the Tide . The island has a large population of Red Deer and it is commonly believed that the name Jura was derived from ''hjörtr'', the Old Norse word for deer. The deer prevent the island from tumbling back down to woodland, as was its former state; indeed, before the clearances and abundance of deer, the isle's name was thought to come from 'the great quantity of yew trees which grew in the island'; Statistical account of Scotland - Account of 1791-99 vol.12 p.318 Gaelic for Yew Isle is 'Juarey'. Paps of Jura The island is dominated by three steep-sided conical Quartzite Mountain s on its western side – the ''Paps of Jura'' which rise to 785 m (2,575 feet). There are three major peaks:
The Paps dominate the landscape in the region and can be seen from the Mull Of Kintyre and, on a clear day, Skye and Northern Ireland . The route of the annual Isle Of Jura Fell Race includes all three Paps and four other hills. These hills were the subject of . Kelvingrove Art Gallery Retrieved 4 April 2007. LITERATURE AND FILM Past the road end is Barnhill, a remote house which was home to the novelist George Orwell , and where he finished his masterpiece '' Nineteen Eighty-Four ''. Apart from the connection with Orwell, Jura is perhaps best known for an event which took place on 23 August 1994, when Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty , known then as the music group KLF , filmed themselves burning £1 million in banknotes in a disused boathouse on the island. REFERENCES GALLERY |
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