Paps of Jura

The Paps of Jura are three quartzite hills on the western side of Jura, an island in the Inner Hebrides. Their steep sides and conical shapes give them the look of breasts, which is what the Old Norse word pap means. The highest point reaches 785 metres, and the hills stand out clearly against the island’s landscape. From places like the Mull of Kintyre they can be seen, and on a clear day they are visible from Skye, Northern Ireland, and Malin Head. The annual Isle of Jura Fell Race includes all three Paps along with four other hills. These hills have long drawn attention. William McTaggart painted them in 1902, and the work now hangs in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. When viewed from Kintraw in Argyll at midwinter, the sun briefly shines between two of the Paps just before setting. Beinn an Òir, the highest hill, stands at 785 metres and is a Corbett. Beinn Shiantaidh reaches 755 metres, and Beinn a' Chaolais is the lowest at 734 metres. A simple path to the summits starts from Craighouse on the island’s east coast. The route passes through open moorland and rocky slopes before reaching the broad tops. From the highest point the view stretches over Jura’s hills and down to the sea. On clear days the islands of Islay and Colonsay can be seen to the south. The landscape shows the quartzite rock that gives the Paps their pale colour and sharp shapes.