A Blog about the Isle of Jura off the West Coast of Scotland
Posted in Outdoor on Oct 20th, 2012
The average day tripper to the Isle of Jura will probably never make it much further then Craighouse, Lagg or Tarbert and why should they with so much stunning scenery to be enjoyed. There are some however that go as far as Lussagiven or Ardlussa over the “Long Road” but when the first gate appears [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Nov 14th, 2009
There is a very interesting article in the online Guardian, written by Robert McCrum, about George Orwell, the writer responsible for the novel 1984, which is written in the north of Jura at Barnhill. A quote from the intro text: “Here, Robert McCrum tells the compelling story of Orwell’s torturous stay on the island where [...]
Posted in Travel Reports on Nov 1st, 2009
Jura is not only visited by people for the obvious reasons such as its overwhelming nature, the wildlife, or the fact that the island has three famous mountains called the Paps of Jura which are almost a destination in its own right. Jura is also known as the island where George Orwell lived from 1946-48 [...]
I found an interesting article in the Times Online about the Jura Malt Whisky Writer Retreat programme and the differences between the circumstances Orwell lived and worked in and the writers that join the programme and settle in the Jura Lodge, next to the Distillery in Craighouse. It’s like Clive James wrote in his essay [...]
Posted in snippets on May 14th, 2009
In 2007, Jura Distillery renovated the old manager’s house that sits tall and adjacent to the distillery, overlooking Small Isles Bay and the distillery courtyard. The furniture, fixtures and fittings are an eccentric and eclectic mix of stuff that just plain works, right down to the old black typewriter in the lounge/kitchen at the top [...]
Posted in snippets on Jan 26th, 2009
When George Orwell wrote his book 1948 in Barnhill, in the far north of Jura, he couldn’t have guessed that the house he wrote his famous novel in would become a pilgrimage destination for his fan’s, let alone being the subject of stalking, something he wrote about in his book. And that’s exactly what happens [...]
