Asides

THE PAPS OF JURA

Dominating the view of Jura from almost any direction are the three, distinctive and easily recognised, Paps of Jura found in the southern half of the island. The highest of the three is Beinn an Oir, the Mountain of Gold, is 785m/2576 ft is the only Corbett, a mountain in Scotland between 2500 and 3000 ft. Beinn Shiantaidh, the Sacred Mountain, is 757m/2477 ft and stands to the east of Beinn an Oir, while Beinn a’ Chaolais, the Mountain of the Sound, stands to the south-west and is the smallest of the three at 734m/2407 ft. Cora Bheinn, the steep mountain, stands at a height of 569 m/1893 ft to the north-east of Beinn Shiantaidh and, while not considered to be one of the Paps, is part of the same group of mountains.

On one of the Paps remains of a checkpoint from the second world war can be found. So the Paps are of course aptly named. Voluptuous breasts of a landscape dominate the skyline. It is rare that a whisky site can make any mention of breasts with any justification, so pardon me please for suggesting that a visit to Jura could leave you with more than one fond mammary.

I have to say that this second picture reminds me massively of a famous picture of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The idea that you can start out in luscious farmland and walk upwards into a hostile climate is one of the most amazing things about climbing any mountain, regardless of the height. Having a whisky afterwards is always very rewarding.

© 2008 GrainMash.