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I’m thinking about a trip to Jura next year, including walking the west coast, and starting to look at logistics. We don’t want to take a car over, so the passenger ferry from Tayvallich is the obvious option. But that leaves the question of how to get to the start of the walk. There’s a bus as far as Ardlussa, but that’s still quite a long way from the road end. Is there a taxi option on Jura- and if so, how much further does it go? All the way to Kinuachdrachd? 
 

Another option might be a water taxi from Craobh Haven, as there’s likely to be 4-5 of us- dropping off at the north end of Jura- but are there landing stages that would make this possible? 
 

It would also be possible to ‘cut the corner’ and head straight across from the road to Glengarrisdale rather than going right round the northern tip- but is that missing one of the best of the walk?

And, any recommendations for a good place to stay around Craighouse? Would like a proper bed and a good meal at the end…!

Not been to Jura yet but have you considered going via Islay? I went to Port Askaig in April as a foot passenger and it was very reasonable (£15-ish return?). Short hop over to Jura from there. The big Calmac ferry might be a more reliable option if sea conditions are choppy. There was a big free carpark at Kennacraig and I didn't see any time restrictions (although I wasn't looking). I've thought about doing a similar trip.

Yes, it’s a option- but it would feel like more of an adventure to take the passenger launch 😀

would likely be in May, so hopefully the weather shouldn’t be so bad as to be disrupting ferry services- and if it is, the walk would be, interesting….

With that many of you, it wouldn't be too expensive per person to take a car over and have a volunteer to use a stashed bike to retrieve the car.

Th west coast is amazing with a really remote and rugged feel. Quite arduous for the distance covered. I've not done the southern part, just the northern part from the narrows to the tip.

There's definitely at least one taxi on Jura. He lost his shit at the runners standing around on the road after the race a few years back.

was that how you did it Robert? Where did you leave the car? 
 

though I’m still favouring the passenger ferry option if we can get it to work.

Yes, that’s the part we’re looking at- what’s the most northern part round the tip like? One option is to cut straight over to the bothy at Glengarrisdale- but would that be missing out on some of the highlights?

We were doing a school D of E trip and had two minibuses to swap!

The very tip wasn't that interesting but you would miss some lovely bays and beaches if you did not go north of Glengarrisdale. As I recall easier walking than further south where it was very trackless and rough going and we kept getting forced up from the coast itself. On one shorter trip we crossed from the road to Glengarrisdale and it was very rough going but easier crossing back on a sort of track from Corpach. But this was 20 years ago so things may have changed for all I know.

Good grief, that’s a better school trip than any I ever had! 
 

As an aside , I remember reading Richard Gilbert’s “Lonely Hills and Wilderness Trails” a few years back- I’m sure there’s a chapter about him taking a school trip to climb a Himalayan peak- the risk assessment on that would melt the computer these days…

useful to know about the crossing to Glengarrisdale, I don’t imagine too much will have changed

If you do take the Tayvallich ferry, the inn in the village does excellent meals. Some pre or post trip sustenance there would be recommended! (Do book first though. In quiet spells they only have in as many staff as they actually need, so the really really prefer you to book)

Just make sure you get some sort of booking confirmation if you use the rib from Tayvallich. The guy can be pretty unreliable. His booking system seems to be a big book with pages falling out and names scribbled in. I gave up on him for getting to the hill race and started going Calmac to Islay then the wee ferry to Jura. 

The rib took two of our mountain bikes in the back which is really handy on Jura. Best check this beforehand as we did. It was not long after the rib started it's runs so quite a while ago.

The rib took two of our mountain bikes in the back which is really handy on Jura. Best check this beforehand as we did. It was not long after the rib started it's runs so quite a while ago.

I walked the northern coast solo over the Easter weekend this year. 

• Friday - ferry Port Askaig to Feolin. Bus to Ardlussa. 3hour walk to camp overlooking the Gulf.
• Saturday - walk the coast to a stunning camp at Traigh am Miadhair 
• Sunday - walk the coast to bothy at Cruib 
• Monday - walk the coast to catch first bus south to ferry 

Neither of the other ferry options were operating at that time of year. I plan to go back to continue the southern section. The wildest section in the north was definitely from the Gulf to Glengarrisdale, but the rest of it is still spectacular. The public tarmac road only goes about 4-5km north of Ardlussa - any taxi won't be going further than that. 

This what we did . It’s sone years ago now and my memory is a bit hazy . We left the car on the mainland and went as foot passengers  . We set off walking after getting off the ferry over from Islay . We walked the whole coast as I remember lookimg down  into the whirlpool ( corrie vrechan ? ) . I also remember having a long very wet day thst ended when we found sonebody has left a large pile of drift wood in the back of a cave . This meant we could get a fire going and dry out . I can’t for the life of me remember how we got back from the end because walking down the track to tarbet would be a right old slog . A few years ago I rode my touring bike all the way up the east coast and camped at the end of the track a couple of km from the tip of the island , finishing off on foot . So I’ve circumnavigated the island with a gap of about 25 years between the two trips . Both trips were good adventures. Mention of Jura always makes me marvel about how relatively easy it is to have an adventure without leaving the uk .

I've also done a version of this in January a few years ago. We used the big ferries. The plan was walk to the NW coast from Glen garrisdale down to Cruib bothy. We stashed a folding bike in the forestry near Target. Had two nights at Glengarrisdale, then one camping and one at Cruib. As you say the terrain is tough, we felt like the only people on earth. I used the bike to cycle to retrieve the car.

The rib took our two touring bikes earlier in the year and we had to stash them at stern where they got splashed with sea water. We spent a a while rinsing them with water bottles once we got to Craighouse.

Apparently dolphins are regular spotted, not by us but the views are pure west coast magic.

Thanks everyone- so a few km past Ardlussa is as far a car will get- but the north end of the island is worth seeing.

Anyone used a water taxi service in that part of the world? Is there anywhere towards the north end of the island where you can get ashore? 
 

Or, looking at the maps, it looks like it would be possible to cut across from the road up Glen Dorch, then down to the west coast by Glen Trosdale- any insights as to what to expect in terms of going underfoot? Waist deep bogs..? 

I noticed there are quite a few caves marked on the map and wondered about using them for bivvying. That was before I scoped out a few in similar situations on Islay and saw the swamps of goatshit ... I also think ticks would be rife.

I recall Roger Deakin describing how well the deer are adapted to living on Jura as the hoof is much more waterproof than human feet - we found the going frequently boggy throughout the west coast and walking poles were essential for balance with big packs on. 
 

We travelled via public transport and I found a boat operator (the boat was called Jenny Wren) who kindly picked us up from the bus stop in Lochgilphead, drove us by car to Croabh Haven then drove us by boat to the quay marked on the OS map in Port an Tiobairt, just north of Kinuachdrachd. It cost circa £100 seven years ago so might not be too bad between a group of you even if more expensive now and a great way to arrive on the island!  Stepping off here was slippery but very doable. We could then pick up the foot/deer track heading north to camp overlooking the Corryvreckan. 
I’d agree the part from here to Glengarrisdale is well worth it. 
we then walked the rest of the way down the west coast camping/bothying over 4 more days to get to the road at the head of Loch Tarbet. Our last night was is Cruib Lodge.
we had planned to walk back along the road to Craighouse but fortunately bumped into our first human contact of the whole trip while fighting through the bogs and tussocks just before the road. They kindly gave us a lift down the road. We then got the passenger ferry back to Tayvallich and had booked this in advance. Busses back to Glasgow from there. 
it’s a fantastic place with a very remote feel. We didn’t see any other people for nearly 5 days. 
 

Bracken being lower in May will help navigation greatly and also hopefully keep off some of the ticks. I would recommend treating your clothes and gear in advance. 

I wasn’t paying much attention but I saw part of a Ben Fogle program last week when channel hopping that showed Jura’s north end. A boat hire was used there and the skipper seemed to know landing points.

Maybe have a look on iplayer for episode 2 and it probably identifies the boat hire details or gives some useful info? If not it shows some of the scenery on Jura.

Anecdotally, ticks are v bad on Jura given high deer numbers. 

Thanks- that’s what I was looking for- but didn’t know if it existed. Looks like this is the boat:

https://www.jennywrenboatcharter.com/boat-trips/

will investigate that option. And good point about the ticks!

Can you remember the name of the programme? Will check that out

Not certain sorry as was only channel hopping; might have been this though (hopefully not just available in Scotland) - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001rvcq 

Having watched yachts zipping through the sound of Jura on the tide, time it right and you'd have an exhilarating end to a west coast trip. I'm not sure how far up the coast the strong tidal currents extend. 

I have paddled through the Corryvreckan at the North end of Jura at slack water, planning and timing is everything

I went to Jura twice, or maybe 3 times, in the 1980s, once to a cottage near the N end of the road, the other time/s on foot and camping. Memories are so vague as to be useless to you, but take a look at the first dozen or so here for a flavour of what can be a wonderful island.

https://www.streapadair.com/Scottish-mountain-landscape/The-Islands

Final question for those that have done the walk- what did you wish you had known about in advance, or wish you had brought with you, but didn’t..?

I thanks- will take a look

Thanks - some amazing images!

So we went to Jura 5-6 years ago and got a cab from Islay (Port Ellen) to the ferry and then to the road end on Jura...from memory it was c. £120 ish but obv that was a few years back then. We then did what you suggest and walked cross country to Glengarrisdale as we didn't have the time to go right round the northern end. I don't think we got a cab right up to Kinuachdrachd as that would have meant passing Barnhill (where Orwell lived for a while - which I would have needed to stop off at!) so it was somewhere between there and Ardlussa. 

Tough-ish going cross country but a stunning place. We then walked along the coast for a few days before coming inland at Cruib Lodge and getting the bus back to Craighouse. Then a long haul back to Islay...though the ferry back to N. Ireland was cancelled so the trip got extended by 24 hours giving us a day in the distillery!

PM me if you want to know more....

The Cicerone book on Jura is very good as is the BackpackingBongos website....

I've taken a bike across on the ferry from Islay, which might enable a good itinerary.

Northern end is very rough going, but if you like watching tides through the Gulf worth doing. There are quite commonly people at Glengarrisdale Bothy through spring and summer, particularly around weekends.  West Coast feels remote, the raised beaches on the South shore of Loch Tarbert are huge and more impressive IMHO than those on the North side.

Very high tick population, and also alot of adders, so many that I wouldn’t recommend taking dog.

What makes it such rough going? Is it pathless bracken thrashing? Or intricate picking lines of weakness through crags? Or insecure boulder hopping? Or a mix of all of the above?

I’m wondering whether crossing directly from Ardlussa to Corpach bay would be a good alternative? The stretch from there to Ruantallain looks like the most spectacular- and maybe easier going?

And a lot of otters and wild goats.

Crikey! That's a stunning set.

Not so much of the boulder hopping but beaches can be a slog in places...the terrain underfoot is very wet/rough, plus there's the bracken (I remember chest high on Islay in high summer)...there's also quite a bit of route finding when hugging the coast to find the best way so there's a lot of up/down/in/around to avoid crags/inlets etc...

Only had a few trips to Jura, found the terrain up towards Corrievreckan more gnarly and harder going than down towards Shian Bay....but worth the visit.

No help with the logistics - we took a car as part of wider trips round Islay/Colonsay/elsewhere.

A few reports give some ideas about terrain:
https://kinleyhazel.wordpress.com/category/jura/
 

Exactly as I remember it! Endless up and down and round about but then the havens of paradise bays.

Order a van load of smidge.

I crossed back from Corpach and remember a boggy sort of track. Definitely better than the tussock hopping over to Glengarrisdale!

The tough bit as I remember it was Corpach to Glengarrisdale. Easier going north and south.

Thanks- those reports are useful reading - and a remarkable amount of wildlife!

Thanks Robert- definitely coming round to the idea of crossing Ardlussa —> Corpach —> Ruantallain

and anyone got any info about the Jura hotel in Craighouse? A night in a proper bed and a good meal would make a nice end to the trip, but it doesn’t seem to be taking bookings after the new year 🤔

Halfway through day two, (Gulf to Traigh a' Miadhair), I came to realise the goats know best. They live there and have tracked the coast for millenia so rather than trying to decipher my way through the cliffs and outcrops, I just followed the hoof prints. To be fair, the bracken was only just emerging so they were easy to see. I wish I had known that earlier as I'd have avoided some dead-ends and backtracks. 

Don't expect the caves to be habitable - the goats/deer have made that improbable. 

There's a decent mobile signal on the west coast, assume there's a mast on Colonsay 20km over the water. 

Make sure to find the remains of Julie Brook's wooden 'shelter' under an arch where she lived in the 1990s. https://www.juliebrook.com/ 

As was discovered to pleasant surprise when someone in one of our groups managed to break their pelvis......

arrgghhh...nightmare

how were they extracted?

Yes, good grief- not the ideal spot for that sort of thing! 😳

Helicopter.