Never mind the forecast, the weather sucked. Not only did the morning suggest poor photography, but it also wasn’t the most pleasant conditions for a walk. Grey, gloomy and cold with a cloud base of around 400 metres, it certainly wasn’t the best. Still, I had decided on a walk up the Paps and I was keen to get on with it. In addition to the aforementioned biscuits, I was loaded with hot soup, chilli crisps, outdoor kit and of course lenses… Very heavy lenses! I should have rationalised my load here, but it was one of kitchen sink moments where I convinced myself of the apparent need for every focal length between 10mm and 400mm.”

The most exciting element was guessing whether each footfall would sink 6 inches or 3 feet into the peaty gloop. Climbing up on to the saddle between Beinn an Òir and Beinn Shiantaidh saw matters get a little hairy, and I was now within the cloud base and also above the snow line. I guess motivation was fair to moderate (becoming good) at this stage, having negotiated the lowlands I was now hitting the stairs, so to speak.

Anyone familiar with the paps will know that they are a serious undertaking. Whilst not especially high, they are remote from civilisation, steep, covered in loose scree and most importantly Scottish. This final point (combined with winter conditions) means that you shouldn’t really under-estimate them, and I would only advise experience winter hillwalkers attempt them in these conditions.

I knew that there was a diagonal line across the East face, but finding it in a whiteout was pretty tricky. The next hour or so was to be quite a test as I navigated onwards and upwards in the snow. I’m never afraid of admitting defeat in these situations and I made a decision at around 600m to abandon the climb but when the skies cleared briefly and offerred the first visibility in hours I took this a good sign and within a few minutes I was on the summit ridge. I was met with fierce South Westerlies and the wispy cloud was flying past. The scenery below was flicking in and out of visibility by the second. It was pretty exhilerating to be up there, and I moved freely and happily along the ridge to the actual summit.

In the gallery you can see the actual views James enjoyed and I believe the word breathtaking describes pretty much what he saw that day! Make sure to visit the website of James Deane for lots more beautiful photography on www.jamesdeanephotography.com

Visit the Walking the Paps in Jura in Winter Gallery here

The highly covetable collection of three 15-year-old single malts have been named after one of the most distinctive and mystical mountain ranges on the beautiful Scottish west coast Isle of Jura. Colin said: “I’m very proud to be asked to launch the Jura Paps collection. Not only are they a whisky connoisseur’s delight, but they also celebrate and embody the character of what seems to be one of the most iconic landmarks on the island. Willie Tait, global brand ambassador for Jura, said: “The Paps of Jura are truly a fundamental and integral part of the character of Jura with legends unique to the mountains. “There has been many a dram fuelled discussion about the witch of Jura causing the deep glacial scar that runs down one fell. And many debate whether it’s true that the Paps are the burial chambers of giant Norse warriors. “But where there is no argument is that the Paps of Jura are truly majestic and iconic, and that’s what I have done with the whisky collection with the same name.” The gift-boxed limited edition whisky, which contains a fold-out Pap shaped leaflet, is expected to retail at £100 each, or £300 for the full set.

Although the weather wasn’t too good they certainly did some serious climbing on Friday: “To do all 3 Paps includes a boggy walk in and then almost 5000ft of ascent on very steep, scree covered hills. They managed to scramble up 2 of the Paps in a shade over 9 hours before the long but scenic 6km road walk back to the camp site. From the top of the Corbett, Beinn an Oir (Hill of Gold) there were fabulous views of wild uninhabited land, white sandy beaches and improbably Mediterranean–looking azure seas!” “In summary, the weather prevented much walking and exploration, however in the right conditions this is a picturesque Island with great hills and superb scenery. Make a note to visit Jura – at least once!”

There is a large image available from The Paps of Jura covered in snow.