Swimming in the Scottish Inner Hebrides

We start our journey on the island of Jura and island hop amongst some of the most beautiful islands of the Inner Hebrides until we reach the mainland at the picturesque hamlet of Craobh Haven. This tour includes the opportunity to swim the Corryvrekan, as featured on Robson Green's Wild Swimming Adventure.

Our first two nights are spent in Jura's main town of Craighouse, so there's ample time to check out the local distillery as we camp in front of the Jura Hotel which is two minutes from the distillery. With abundant wildlife that matches the adventure of the Corryvrekan, don't be surprised if a friendly seal swims alongside or a minke whale comes up for air; this tour is truly a natural extravaganza.

Day 1
Monday We meet at the Jura Hotel in Craighouse, Jura. Following this we hold a full trip briefing where we discuss the plan for the week in more detail. After this we head down to the local beach for a short acclimatisation swim near our campsite followed by supper in the historical Jura Hotel.

Day 2
Tuesday Up in good time for a camp breakfast before setting out to walk to Loch a’ Bhaile-Mhargaidh, just outside Craighouse. The swim here is idyllic with the Paps of Jura guiding our way. Lunch is taken back in Craighouse. In the afternoon, we walk up the eastern shore of Jura and swim to Pladda Island to swim with a local colony of seals. Having completed the swim and walk we finish the day with supper at the Jura Hotel.

Day 3
Wednesday A busy day as we catch a bus to the start point of our walk to Loch Tarbert underneath the Paps of Jura. Lunch is taken in front of the Astor family’s hunting lodge at Glenbatrick. We take a swim in the Loch before hopping onto our boat and heading to the island of Scarba, our base for the next 2 days.

Day 4
Thursday This is the busiest day of swimming with the crossing of the Gulf of Corryvreckan in the morning. The sheer cliffs of Scarba are a dramatic site and wild deer can often be spotted as you swim. The afternoon is taken up by the longest swim of the trip from Scarba to the island of Luing.

Day 5
Friday We strike camp, load the main escort boat and head for Black Mill Bay on Luing. A short and scenic walk across Luing ends at the picturesque hamlet of Toberonochy which is the start point for our swim to the deeply forested island of Shuna. From Shuna we start our final crossing back to the mainland via fish farms, a mainstay of the Scottish economy before landing at Craobh Haven and the end of our trip.

Weather Caveat
Weather Caveat: As regards safety, for obvious reasons we rely on decent weather conditions when carrying out any crossings. As a consequence, open water swimming does require an inherent degree of on-trip flexibility, so required changes in the planned itinerary will not be uncommon and will undoubtedly add to the uniqueness of your tour.