Driving Jura's single-track road
Bring a car if you can. One road, passing places, potholes, deer at night. Don't pull onto the verge - Jura is boggy. Fuel at Craighouse only - fill up at half.
Most visitors to Jura bring a car - it does make things easier and also allows you to do a day trip to Islay easily and a food shop.
There is a knack to driving on a single track road that people often don't realise and a few simple things should make getting around on Jura a lot easier.
First things first - make sure you can reverse well. You'll be doing a lot of it. Secondly, keep an eye on the passing places - you never know when you'll be the one that needs to reverse and the locals will know, so if you find what seems to be an obstinate car in the road it's probably because the driver knows the nearest passing place is behind you. Making a note of them as you pass can save you headaches later.
And potholes. Yes we have a lot of them and you'll get to know them well. If it's been raining you can play Jura roulette - puddle or pothole? - or you can take it easy and save your tyres and car a battering. The road is pretty rough, the more so the further north you get.
We also have a tendancy to give priority to any vehicles heading towards the ferry, because missing it is a pain. Call it island manners!
At night there are often deer on, or near, the road so be vigilant and go more slowly than you think.
And very, very importantly, don't ever pull onto the verge - only using passing places. It may seem like a nice level patch of grass, but Jura is very boggy and it doesn't take much to get stuck. We have no RAC or AA roadside recovery service here so you'll need to flag down a car and try to beg one of the local crofters or estate workers to get a truck or tractor to tow you out. It happens often and it's a pain for everyone and is very easily avoided. Just reverse.
Fuel, both unleaded petrol and diesel, is at Craighouse Pier - self-service now, chip and pin and tap to pay via smartphone.
A good rule of thumb is to fill up when you're half empty - there's no other fuel station and the drive to Ardlussa and back is 50 miles.
Important: EV chargers at the Village Hall are NOT currently operational as of early 2026. If you're driving an electric vehicle, check the situation before you come. It's a long way to run out of charge.
Parking at Bothan Jura Retreat is right on site by your accommodation - no problem. We hope to get an EV charging point some time in 2026, but not as yet.
