Jura Journey - Day 5

From Inverlussa we drive north about four miles. This is as far as we can take a car, as a locked chain blocks the road onwards to Kinachdruchd. 

End of the public road - North Jura

There is a parking area in a quarry here, where anyone without a key to that chain, who wants to explore the north of Jura, has to leave their car. But I was quite happy to leave the car and set out on foot.

Free Parking at the quarry

On a summer visit to Jura, many years after the above photo was taken, I spent a night in the car here (see book 1, chapter 7). The B&B I was going to stay at had lost my booking, and the owners were off the island. As I was planning to hike to Glengarrisdale the next day, a hike that would start at road's end,  I drove up there to spend the night. 

Since it was summer, when it would stay light until the wee hours, after parking I set out to find the village of An Carn, which was deserted in the early 1800s. It lies a mile off the track, and in the waning twilight I headed down across the rough countryside towards the sea. After a half hour of fruitless searching I almost gave up trying to find it. But then, in the half-darkness, I noticed the low ruin of a house. I knew it was An Carn when I then stumbled across a slab of bedrock sticking up through the turf. I had read that cup marked stones were to be found at An Carn, and several cups were carved deep into its surface.

An Carn - looking seaward in the twilight

An Carn - House ruin

Cup Marked Stone - yeah, I know they're hard to see

House ruin - An Carn

An Carn - looking inland in the twilight

I then got a little lost in the darkness, but did manage to find the road and return to the car. It was a chilly night, and I had to start the car up every few hours to stay warm. At one point nature called, and I had to step out into the cold night air. As I did I saw a herd of deer grazing on the hillside, and high overhead a million stars illuminated the night sky. Tune in tomorrow to find out what happened the next day.