Jura, Scotland

This article is about an island of Scotland. For other uses, see Jura.

Jura
Scottish Gaelic nameDiùra [ˈtʲuːɾə] ⓘ
Old Norse nameDýrey
Meaning of name"deer island"[1]
Craighouse from the pier with the Paps of Jura in the background
Craighouse from the pier with the Paps of Jura in the background
Location
Jura is located in Argyll and Bute
Jura
Jura
Jura shown within Argyll and Bute
OS grid referenceNR589803
Coordinates56°N 6°W / 56°N 6°W / 56; -6
Physical geography
Island groupIslay
Area366.92 km2 (142 sq mi)
Area rank8 [2]
Highest elevationBeinn an Òir, 785 m (2,575 ft)
Administration
Council areaArgyll and Bute
CountryScotland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Demographics
Population196 (2013)[3]
Population rank31 [2]
Population density0.5/km2 (1.3/sq mi)[3][4]
Largest settlementCraighouse
Lymphad
References[4][5]

Jura (/ˈdʒʊərə/ JOOR-ə; Scottish Gaelic: Diùra) is an island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland, adjacent to and northeast of Islay. With an area of 36,692 hectares (142 sq mi), and 196 inhabitants recorded in the 2011 census,[3] Jura is more sparsely populated than Islay, and is one of the least densely populated islands of Scotland: in a list of the islands of Scotland ranked by size, Jura comes eighth,[6] whereas by population it comes 31st. The island is mountainous, bare and largely infertile, covered by extensive areas of blanket bog.[7]

The main settlement is the east coast village of Craighouse, on the Sound of Jura.[8] The Jura distillery, producing Isle of Jura single malt whisky, is in the village,[9] as is the island's rum distillery which opened in 2021. Craighouse also houses the island's shop, church, primary school, the Jura hotel and bar, a gallery, craft shop, tearoom and the community run petrol pumps.

North of Craighouse are a number of other small settlements on or near the east coast: Keils, Knockrome, Ardfernal, Lagg, Tarbert, Ardlussa (home of Lussa Gin) and Inverlussa. George Orwell lived on Jura intermittently from 1946 to 1949, and completed his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four while living at a remote farmhouse.[10]

Between Jura's northern tip and the island of Scarba lies the Gulf of Corryvreckan, where a whirlpool makes passage dangerous at certain states of the tide. The southern part of the island, from Loch Tarbert southwards, is designated a national scenic area (NSA),[11] one of 40 such areas in Scotland.[12] The Jura NSA covers 30,317 hectares (117 sq mi): 21,072 of land and 9,245 of adjacent sea.[13]

  1. ^ Mills, A. D. (2011). "Jura (island)". A Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191739446.
  2. ^ a b Area and population ranks: there are c. 300 islands over 20 ha in extent and 93 permanently inhabited islands were listed in the 2011 census.
  3. ^ a b c National Records of Scotland (15 August 2013). "Appendix 2: Population and households on Scotland's Inhabited Islands" (PDF). Statistical Bulletin: 2011 Census: First Results on Population and Household Estimates for Scotland Release 1C (Part Two) (PDF) (Report). SG/2013/126. Retrieved 14 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 47
  5. ^ Anderson, Joseph (Ed.) (1893) Orkneyinga Saga. Translated by Jón A. Hjaltalin & Gilbert Goudie. Edinburgh. James Thin and Mercat Press (1990 reprint). ISBN 0-901824-25-9
  6. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) p. 502
  7. ^ Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 49–50
  8. ^ "Isle of Jura". The Internet Guide to Scotland. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
  9. ^ isleofjura.com[permanent dead link‍] Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  10. ^ "The Best Things To See And Do In Jura The Scottish Island Where Orwell Wrote '1984'". Culture Trip. 28 May 2018.
  11. ^ "Jura National Scenic Area". NatureScot. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  12. ^ "National Scenic Areas". NatureScot. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  13. ^ "National Scenic Areas – Maps". SNH. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.