What’s on site

The shed sits in the middle of the site at Knockrome and is open to guests of every unit. It holds the gym, a full-size table tennis table, two bookcases and the freezer. The 10-inch Dobsonian telescope lives here too, wheeled to the doors on clear nights.

It also holds a full bathroom. That matters most to guests of The Shepherd’s Hut, which is off-grid and has only a portable WC of its own — the shed is where you shower.

The gym is in the shed and free to guests. It has a Magic Mirror, a Peloton bike, a treadmill, a Pilates reformer, a yoga inversion chair, gymnastic rings, and a bench press with a full set of adjustable free weights. There are kettlebells, dumbbells, a medicine ball, resistance bands and mats.

Guests use the gym and its equipment entirely at their own risk, and are liable for any damage. We are not liable for any injury arising from use.

The ice barrel is chilled and filtered, and goes on between 08:00 and 09:00 every morning. It needs one to two hours to come down to temperature, so any other time has to be arranged in advance rather than switched on when you fancy it.

Cold water immersion, and what it is actually like on Jura in February, is covered in the wellness guide.

Mrs Leonard’s Cottage, The Black Hut and The Rusty Hut each have their own Swedish wood-fired hot tub. The Shepherd’s Hut does not — it is off-grid. Every unit, that one included, has its own pizza oven. None of them are shared or booked. Mrs Leonard’s also has a private sauna, the only one on site.

We keep frozen dough in the freezer — a two-ball pizza package is £25 and makes two pizzas. It needs 24 hours’ notice to defrost and prove, so ask when you arrive rather than at seven on the evening you want it. Bring your own toppings; there is no shop at Knockrome.

Each unit arrives with a basket of logs for the stove and a crate of logs for the hot tub. That is included. After that, more logs are £10 a crate or £1 each from the log store by the cottage, and hot logs are £1 each from the front of the shed.

A wood-fired hot tub takes a good deal more wood than people expect on a cold night. Most guests buy at least one extra crate.

The freezer in the shed is stocked with pies and pastries from The Antlers Bakehouse & Bar in Craighouse — the same place people also call Deer Island Bakehouse — at £6 a pie and £2 for a bag of two pastries. There is wild Jura venison too: burgers, mince, diced, haunch steaks, roasting joints and stir-fry strips.

It all runs on an honesty box. Everything on it is sold to make the stay better rather than at a profit, and you settle up before you leave — by the cash-free Honesty Box service, by bank transfer, or with cash in the boxes in the units.

If you are arriving on foot we can run you up from the ferry. A lift from Craighouse is £10 each way; from the Feolin ferry slip, at the other end of the island, £20 each way. Ask in advance rather than on the pier — it is a small operation and someone has to be free to drive.

Ferries, timetables and the road itself are covered in getting to Jura.

Mrs Leonard’s Cottage has its own private sauna for two. Separately, we run Bothan Jura Wild Sauna, a wood-fired mobile sauna that pops up at coastal locations around the island and is open to anyone on Jura, not only our guests.

Is the gym included?

Yes. The gym is in the shared shed and free to guests of every unit. It is unstaffed, and used at your own risk.

Do I need to bring firewood?

No. Each unit arrives with a basket of logs for the stove and a crate for the hot tub. After that logs are £10 a bag or crate, or £1 each, and heat logs are £1 each from the front of the shed. A wood-fired hot tub takes more wood than people expect on a cold night.

Can I use the ice barrel whenever I like?

It is chilled between 08:00 and 09:00 every morning. It needs one to two hours to come down to temperature, so any other time has to be arranged in advance rather than switched on when you fancy it.

Does every unit have a hot tub?

Three of the four. Mrs Leonard's Cottage, The Black Hut and The Rusty Hut each have their own Swedish wood-fired hot tub. The Shepherd's Hut is off-grid and does not. Every unit has its own pizza oven.

Is there a shop at Knockrome?

No. The nearest shop, pub and fuel are all in Craighouse, four miles south. There is an honesty box in the shed with pies at £6, pastries at £2 a bag of two, and wild Jura venison.

Can you collect us from the ferry?

Yes, if you are on foot. A lift from Craighouse is £10 each way, and from the Feolin slip at the other end of the island £20 each way. Ask in advance — someone has to be free to drive.

Are dogs welcome?

Yes, at £15 per dog per stay. Every unit has a bird table with feed provided, so we ask that dogs are kept from the feeders.

How do the pizza ovens work?

Every unit has its own. We keep frozen dough in the freezer — a two-ball package is £25 and makes two pizzas — but it needs 24 hours to defrost and prove, so ask on arrival. Bring your own toppings.

Dogs are welcome at £15 per dog per stay. There is no shop, no restaurant and no fuel at Knockrome — Craighouse is the nearest for all three. The Shepherd’s Hut has no bathroom of its own; you use the one in the shed. The gym is unstaffed and unsupervised. And the ice barrel is not available on demand: it needs its hour or two.

What you can do beyond the gate — walks, beaches, whisky, wildlife — is in the Jura guides.