Isle of Jura Blog » Pictures

Jura Distillery Photo Competition

Ron — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:45:07 +0000

The Isle of Jura Distillery is running a photography competition with some very attractive prices, including a trip to Jura, Olympus camera’s and much more. All you have to do is upload your favourite Jura picture and add a wee bit of text. You shouldn’t wait too long, the competition closes tonight. I have uploaded an image as well and chose the view below, taken from the roadside between Ardlussa and Tarbert, which is one of my many favourite views on the island. If you want to join the competition click here

The view from the road between Ardlussa and Tarbert

Jura Paupers Houses

Ron — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:58:26 +0000

A while back Gavin pointed out a beautiful collection of old Jura images and when I revisited the site I had a closer look at images from Knockrome and Ardfernal. One of the images that raised my interest was a very old one of the Paupers’ Houses dating back 1901. Let me first show you the image and the text belonging to that image:

Jura Paupers Cottage 1910

The Paupers’ Houses The 1861 census records five paupers, all widows or widowers. It was hard for an ageing widow to be self-sufficient. Peat had to be cut, water brought from the well, roof to be thatched, etc. However, the community looked after those who needed help and stacks of peat have been built for their winter fires. The houses are now holiday homes.

The paupers are of course no longer there and the houses are now available as holiday accommodation but it still is interesting to see how the cottages have changed over time. When I saw the old image I tried to find a similar one of the current situation and found it on Uli Sauers Jura pages. When I sent Uli an email he kindly agreed to let me use it on the Jura blog, the result can be found below. An image from more or less the exact same spot, more than hundred years later.

Paupers Houses Today

Jura Cromie Stag

Ron — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:36:15 +0000

When Teresa Morris of Islay Wildscapes sent me the images of the Red Deer Rut on Jura she told me there were some special images of a Cromie Stag. I have done some research on the internet and came up with a fascinating chapter from a book called “The Deer Forests Of Scotland”. This book, written by A. Grimble, was first published in 1896 and contains pages full of interesting information about the Red Deer and particularly about the Jura Red Deer and the Cromie Stags. I will quote the most interesting paragraphs below:

Mention must now be made of an extraordinary curiosity of the Jura Forests, called “the cromie stag,” Gaelic for “crooked.” In Jura only do
these stags exist; how they got there or whence they came no one knows, but there they have been from time immemorial, and confident I feel either that they are a distinct race, or that some stag from foreign lands once managed to get to Jura in days gone by and left his mark behind him. Even in Jura these “cromies” are very scarce, living only in certain parts of the island, where perhaps three or four “cromies” may be seen to one hundred others, and the whole forest may not contain a score of them. In twelve years Mr. Evans has shot but eleven, and for several seasons past none at all, although by this it must not be inferred that absence from the larder means absence from the hill, for, thanks to Mr. Evans’ care, there are still ” cromies ” in Jura.

The horns of the “cromie” slope backwards and are set on the head at a totally different angle to those of the ordinary stag ; likewise the beam is seldom round like the usual horn, but tends to varying degrees of flatness, and in a cast horn, kindly sent me by Mr. Evans, that part above the coronet is nearly quite flat. I consider these “cromie” heads so curious, so interesting, and so difficult to convey any idea of by words, that I have deemed the head of the ” crooked one ” well worthy of illustration, and the drawing shows most accurately the remarkable features of the best ” cromie ” head ever got in Jura, and though at first sight it may appear ugly as compared with that of the usual monarch of the glen, I am sure all deer fanciers will eventually agree with me in regarding the head as a wild and beautiful one, while the sight of it cannot fail to arouse speculation as to its origin.

The online publication contained no images but the magnificent images of Teresa in this post show exactly what is referred to in the quote above. The complete article is available from this link

I’d like to state that the images shown in this post may not be of a 100% pure Cromie Stag but they show the features of a typical Jura stag. I’d like to invite the readers of this post to send in any images of a true Jura Cromie stag, they will be added to this post. Please use the email address in the contact page. Thanks very much for your help.

Craighouse Jura in 1817 from the Canmore Database

Ron — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:14:27 +0000

I’m a big fan of old images and postcards and one of the best resources comes from the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). It’s a mouth full, I know, but there is lots to be found as well. The site has several collections and the one I’m most fascinated of is the Canmore Database. The best explanation for the contents of the Canmore Database can be found on the website itself: “Canmore is a window to Scotland’s places, Canmore features photographs, maps, drawings and expert information on more than 280,000 places of interest, from abandoned settlements to the local high street, and ancient monuments to historic houses.” And since August 2009 the public is invited to add images and text to the database. To give you an example of what there is to find I have included a wonderful print showing Craighouse in the year 1817. There is a lot more from Jura to be found making it an excellent resource for historical information and a great resource to browse on that rainy Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!

Craighouse Jura in 1817

Isle of Jura Panorama Pictures

Ron — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:03:52 +0000

I have changed the layout of the Jura website last week and it now matches the Islay website although the colours are somewhat different. Together with the change in layout I decided to create a new page that contains the panorama images I have from Jura. There are now eight beautiful panorama images online and more will follow in the near future.

Paps of Jura Landscape Panorama

Below is an overview of the current Jura panorama’s or you can have a preview at Isle of Jura Panorama Images

Craighouse and Small Isles Bay Panorama Image

Small Isles Bay Panorama

Jura and Sound of Islay

Small Isles Bay and Paps of Jura

Isle of Jura seen from the Isle of Gigha

Paps of Jura Landscape Panorama

Isle of Jura Landscape Panorama

Paps of Jura Snow Panorama Image

Panorama Picture Jura Landscape

Ron — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 20:50:33 +0000

This is a Landscape panorama created from six images which I took in May 2007. The image is from the North of the island between Tarbert and Lussagiven. I took it from a passing place somewhere along the road. This part of the island is very remote, extremely beautiful and lonely. Every half hour or so a car passes by and the tranquility is overwhelming. Just park alongside the road, have your binoculars ready and carefully observe the landscape. Watch out for deer on the hills and if you’re lucky you can spot Golden Eagles or Hen Harriers.

Panorama Picture Craighouse and Small Isles Bay

Ron — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:46:55 +0000

I took this panorama picture on the 5th of May 2008. The weather was absolutely glorious and already it felt like summer. This panorama image stretches all the way from the Jura Hotel, the Distillery, Jura Stores, Craighouse and Small Isles Bay back to the front of the Jura Hotel. You can see some distortion here and there but don’t forget this picture was created using thirteen images! It’s almost 360 Degr portrayed in one flat image! If you click on the image you get the “big picture”. Enjoy!

Later today I decided to create another panorama picture and included only 7 images from the Small Isles Bay and combined them into a new panorama. Please enjoy the results below!

New High Res Jura Images Available

Ron — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:44:02 +0000

I have created a new Image Gallery today with fifteen stunning pictures from our latest trip to Jura in May 2008 and a few from October 2007.

the images can be used as background on your computer or just to have a look at to wonder away and dream of this beautiful island. Here is a link to the New Jura Image Gallery. I hope you enjoy watching them.