Islay & Jura Fly-drive

Much of the romance has been removed from modern air travel, especially on short-haul flights. Flying to Islay couldn’t be more different. In a turboprop craft with 34 seats, cruising at just 8,000 feet over some of the world’s most breath-taking scenery, this is a flight to remember, leaving the bustling city behind and in around 40 minutes landing amidst the tranquillity and beauty of the Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-lah). Collect your hire car at the airport and make for your recently refurbished hotel in the heart of the charming village of Bowmore.

Your hotel on Islay

Situated in the heart of the 18^th-century ‘island capital’ of Bowmore, this historic whitewashed inn by the harbour has seen a host of changes over the years. Most recently it’s been brought up to date with stylish en-suite bedrooms featuring splashes of tweed and contrasting earthy tones, while downstairs you’ll find a new conservatory with gorgeous views across Loch Indaal. What a great spot in which to enjoy a dram.

The hotel’s award-winning restaurant offers an “a la carte” menu incorporating seasonal dishes using the finest locally sourced produce, while for more informal dining, the lounge bar offers an all-day menu.

Once the ancestral seat of the Lords of the Isles, Islay is a fertile island of low heather-clad hills, attractive beaches, numerous historical sites and more whisky distilleries than any other Scottish island! (We can help and advise on arranging tours of any which are of interest.)

A haven for hill-walkers and bird-watchers, it is home to the huge Loch Gruinart bird sanctuary and its vast numbers of migrating geese.  In the island capital, Bowmore (where you will be based) you can visit the unusual Round Church (no corners for the devil to hide in!) or, if history is your thing, the Museum of Island Life in Port Charlotte is well worth a visit, as are the ruins of Finlaggan Castle, home of the Macdonald chiefs, and Kildalton Chapel with its early Christian cross.

Take the short ferry crossing from Port Askaig on Islay to Feolin on Jura and you’ll be immediately struck by the contrasts between these neighbouring islands. Where Islay is fertile and relatively populous, Jura is mountainous, at times visually intimidating and seemingly deserted – and these are Jura’s USPs.

A 30-minute drive from Feolin along an often-empty single-track road brings you to the village of Craighouse, the island’s main settlement, where you’ll find your accommodation for the next two days.

During your stay you will enjoy an exhilarating two hour RiB boat trip with our local guide, and the chance to see some of the island from a very different perspective.

Your hotel on Jura

Right next-door to Jura distillery, this long-established family run hotel, featuring a cosy bar popular with the locals and a much-acclaimed restaurant, is the perfect base from which to uncover the charms of the Isle of Jura. The friendly proprietors are only too happy to impart the wealth of knowledge they possess about their island home and its wild inhabitants, and you’re bound to find yourself in conversation with locals and visitors alike, telling tales of the island and perhaps discovering just that bit more than you’ll find out from the guidebooks.

With just 200-or-so inhabitants sharing the island with over 6,000 deer, it’s pretty easy to get away from it all on Jura. George Orwell lived here in the 1940s in a remote farmhouse while he finished Nineteen Eighty-Four, and a four-mile trek from the end of the road north of your hotel is what’s required to visit the house today. Not for the casual walker!

Jura is teeming with wildlife, with 100 or more species of bird, including golden and sea eagles, hen harriers, buzzards and various owls. Seals can easily be spotted on the shore, basking on the rocks, and if you’re really lucky you might spot an otter or two. Simply walk or drive the road around the island to catch a glimpse of any number of species. There’s fabulous walking on Jura for the novice and expert alike; your hotel hosts will be only too happy to advise you of the best routes at whatever level you prefer. There is bike hire just a short walk from your hotel, and on calmer days this is a great way to see more of the island.