Things you didn't know about... the Isle of Jura

The Isle of Jura is home to one of the natural wonders of Europe

To the north of the Isle of Jura is the Corryvreckan whirlpool, a spectacular and dangerous phenomenon. The noise from this maelstrom at full spate can be heard on the Scottish mainland 20 miles away. George Orwell nearly lost his family when he ill-advisedly sailed them out to see it.

George Orwell wrote 1984 on the Isle of Jura

Orwell stayed here at Barnhill, and was inspired by the island's desolate beauty and rich variety of wildlife.

You look up to the beaches on the Isle of Jura

The strange raised beaches on the west of the Isle of Jura look exactly as they sound. They owe their odd elevated position to the ending of the ice age, when the melting ice relieved the weight load on the beach shelves, causing them to rise up.

The Isle of Jura mountains: higher than the Himalayas...

Well, at least they were some 350 million years ago.

The ice age is well and truly over on the Isle of Jura

You won't catch a touch of frost on the Isle of Jura. The gulf stream ensures that the temperature never drops below zero, creating a temperate zone that's home to some spectacular gardens.

Did Odysseus visit the Isle of Jura?

Some believe that much of Homer's Odyssey was set around the Isle of Jura. Many local features and legends appear to correspond with Homer's epic, including sirens, whirlpools, and the description of Jura's three iconic peaks known as the Paps. There is certainly documentary evidence of visits to the island by Greek sailors before 350 BC.

One million pounds went up in smoke on the Isle of Jura

In 1994 the "situationist acid prankster band" KLF allegedly burned £1m in £50 notes in a "sacrifice" for no apparent reason. The event, which took place in a shed on the island, was filmed, and took 67 minutes. Some have since disputed whether KLF really burnt quite that much cash.

The Isle of Jura may be the legendary Isle of Hinba

St Columba, the monk who brought Christianity to the "Pictish lands"—now north and east Scotland—lived in a monastery on the "Isle of Hinba". Its location has never been established, but the Isle of Jura is a prime candidate.