Date: Friday 4th May 2018
Company: Just myself
Distance: 15.8km Ascent: 670m
Time: 5Hrs
With low cloud down to around 100m, I was not particularly inspired to ascend a hill. However, given I had come so far to get to Jura, and given I am meant to currently be accumulating steps for my work's pedometer challenge, I decided to leave my van parked at my overnight spot in Craighouse and ascend nearby Glas Bheinn.
Click here to see a map of the route undertaken
From the pier at Craighouse, I set off walking past the hotel and distillery and then along the main road heading north.
Jura Hotel:
Jura Distillery:
The walk along the main road is great for wildlife. Within less than a kilometre of walking, I spotted Mute Swans, Greylag Geese, Merganser, Mallard, Shelduck, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch and many more small brown ones.
Mute Swan:
Looking back towards hotel and distillery:
Jura Parish Church:
On reaching the turn-off for the cemetry, I walked to the cemetry, went inside and then out via a gate at the rear of the cemetry leading towards the waterworks.
Keils sign:
Cemetry at Keils:
Beyond the waterworks, the ground was somewhat wet and I had to go under a rusty fence and cross a burn before gaining access to the open hillside.
Tricky ground beyond the waterworks:
Once on the hillside, I followed a deer track heading in the general direction of Glas Bheinn.
Onto open hillside:
The photo below shows the ground to negotiate to get from the waterworks to the open hillside.
Looking back to waterworks, burn crossing and path leading up to this point:
Once on the hillside the terrain was not fantastic. I followed a deer track as far as a rusty fence and then ascended trackless ground following the fence uphill to its high point.
Following a faint deer track towards the hill:
Looking back along the fenceline:
After leaving the fence, I again followed various deer tracks towards the hill.
Following another deer track:
Again following a deer track:
On reaching the ridge, I picked-up a faint vehicle track which I followed towards Glas Bheinn.
Onto a vehicle track:
I eventually reached the large cairn at the summit also visiting several nearby rocks one of which is deemed to be the actual summit. There were no views whatsoever from the summit.
Large cairn near the summit of Glas Bheinn:
Instead of following the same route back, as I had some doubts about being able to re-cross the burn, I instead decided to follow another ridge off the hill with a view to picking up the old Paps of Jura track marked on the map. I had to repeatedly refer to my GPS to ensure I was heading generally in the correct direction. This side of the hill was rockier and stonier than my route of ascent.
Initial descent over quartzite stones:
In descent, navigation became considerably easier on being able to see further than circa 10m ahead.
Descent:
During the descent, I made my way towards two very prominent cairns and then to another cairn a few hundred metres beyond. I assume these cairns are there to mark the location of a nearby track.
Two prominent cairns:
Alas on picking up the old Paps of Jura path, it was a complete bogfest. Walking out circa 3km along such a mess was not exactly pleasant.
Not the best of landrover tracks to follow out!:
Due to the considerable wetness it was somewhat of a relief to reach Jura Forest and then the road beyond leading back to Craighouse.
House within Jura Forest:
It was also nice to walk along sections of beach to get back to Craighouse.
Walking back along the beach:
Ship at Craighouse:
I am now making my way back towards home having hillwalked on seven consecutice days. Great to re-visit, Arran, Islay and Jura and re-ascend two Arran Corbetts and do four new Marilyns on Islay and four new Marilyns on Jura. I will definitely be back hopefully in the not to distant future.