Day One: Trip to the Island of Jura

Wow!! What had I just walked into? I had packed a sleeping bag, mat, snacks, clothes, water-proof trousers, gaiters (which you put on your legs from your shoes to your shins to protect from ticks and walking in spiky areas) etc. into a large hiking back pack and a smaller back back. I was now walking up a hill following a meandering goat's trail walking away from our hut accommodation (called a bothy) towards the north coast of the island of Jura to see the third largest whirlpool in the world. We were walking in single file: Graeme first with his walking stick to feel where we should stand so we didn't fall into a bog, me following closely behind trying to remember Graeme's (long) steps, and Camden following my steps (an Australian friend we met at one of The Drovers Inn on one of our previous trips to Loch Lomond). We had just started and I was already feeling hot and panting from the steepness of the hill. I remember thinking: "This is surreal, how did I get here?"

Driving toward the harbour at Craobh Haven, where we would get the boat across to the Island of Jura  

Our boat journey from Craobh Haven in the top right corner, down the black line through the gulf of Corryvreckan (which is in between the islands of Scarba and Jura), and down to approximately where our hut accommodation was on the Island of Jura. 

This map shows the location of the Island of Jura in Scotland. Jura is inhabited by 200 people and around 5,500 deer. The top half of the island is taken over by deer, but the bottom half is inhabited by people. We went to the top half to the wildest place that Graeme had ever been to ;)

On the boat :D It was such an amazing day!! 

Passing the Island of Scarba over the gulf of Corryvreckan, which has the third largest whirlpool in the world. The whirlpool is only seen at certain times, and so it was not noticeable during this trip. The island of Scarba only had two houses on it, where one was a bothy and one was someone's home. Apparently, the island has boar on it, which instantly made me think of Astrix and Obelix ;) Oh the childhood comics :D We were driving in the boat over the top of the island of Jura to get to the top-west side of the island. 

Graeme enjoying the view

Getting close to the island

Taking the smaller boat to the island. Graeme went first with all the luggage in the dinghy.

Trekking with all our stuff from the shore of the island to our accommodation. I felt slightly off balance with both the back packs on the front and the back of me with the two sleeping mats (one for Camden and one for me). Graeme was holding the bags of food and cooking stuff, so I can't complain about what I was carrying ;) 

After we arrived at the bothy we placed our stuff down in one of the rooms. The room consisted of a higher platform to sleep on (fit three sleeping bags on), a table to put our food on, a fireplace and some chairs. We were warned about the mice who eat any food left lying about, so we hung the food up in bags from hooks on the wall. We had some bread (sour dough bread from an amazing new bakery that I recently found in Portobello called Breadshare) and sandwich fillings to eat before setting out for a hike to the most north of the island to see the whirlpool.

The road we took.

The adventurers!! From the right: Me, Graeme and Camden: graduates of the goat-walking school :)

We were passing many bogs. Graeme liked to show us exactly how deep the bogs were, so he placed his walking sticks into them. This one was the deepest we found. 

From here we walked up a mountain along a goat's path. Literally. We were jumping from one mound to another mound, and in between were bogs that we could have fallen into :O

Made it to the top!! We took a quick breather and ate a snack (chocolate). I think it was at this point that we, well me, realised how unfit I was ;)

The path we had taken

Checking the map. I think it was at this point that we realised that the path we had followed had taken us too far towards the centre of the island, rather than north towards the top of the island (which is where we wanted to go). So we decided to not go to the top of the island, because it was now too far to include it in our hike that day.

The middle of the island

One of the streams we had to jump over :D

Glimpsing the sea

Camden and Graeme posing for the picture :) 

One of the streams that I almost fell into :o

Admiring the view from a bird lookout-rock. This was our half way point, where we were going to start heading back from towards the bothy. We sat here for a while eating snacks to gather up the energy to trek back.

Seeing a deer on the way back. He must have been quite young, because he didn't move while we kept moving towards him. He had probably never seen a human before and didn't understand the dangers (talking about humans who have guns).

Stopping briefly at another rock that birds use as a lookout point. The little pointed hillock they've gradually built up over centuries can be seen on top of the rock in the right corner. If you look at the two photos above this one you will see other pointed bird lookout points as well. We used these points quite often as a good vantage point to see the terrain and to decide which way we would go next. 

Looking back where we had come from 

Friendsie!!

Another deer :) 

Climbing over cliffs to get back to the bothy, which is located at the beach you can see in the middle of the image

Photo break ;)

Walking down a rocky cliff

Camden following suit

The drop down from the cliff

View to what we named "Seal Island", because it is seems to be where the seals like to sun-bathe.  If you look closely you might see some seals at the bottom of the island.

Getting closer to our bothy

Graeme helping us jump from one rock to another to cross a stream

After getting back we started thinking about making dinner ;) My feet were really sore because I didn't have the right socks on, so Camden and Graeme kindly left to go to the stream close by to get some water to boil. They were so kind :D

Boiling water for our soup and tea :D Camden brought some lovely mango green tea, and so it was refreshing drinking that outside sitting on a chair listening to an Australian band that Camden liked after such a long (5 hour) hike! Bliss :D

Graeme made the soup with Swiss-style stock, mushrooms, and noodles. It was super tasty!! Graeme said that we could put tomatoes in the soup, but I made sure that he didn't and reminded him that they were for our breakfast the next day ;) I had to constantly remind him of that fact ;) He must really like his cherry tomatoes :D 

The sun setting

The bothy at night

Video showing the bothy: where we ate and slept. Graeme had put the fire on in the room, and because we didn't know that we had to open the chimney, and the windows and doors were closed, the place was filled with smoke. And then the Carbon Monoxide alarm went off :o Luckily the smoke cleared very quickly when we opened the chimney and all the windows and doors!!

Till next tomorrow,

Laura xx (edited by Graeme)