Journey 1
Thomas Pennant
Jura
Why climb the ‘mountain of gold’?
Jura was Pennant’s first island destination. When he landed here in June 1772, he promptly set out to climb Beinn-an-Oir, one of the most challenging climbs in Scotland.
A 2575ft scree slope, Pennant called conquering this ‘mountain of gold’ “a
task of much labour and difficulty”. Retracing his footsteps, Nick Crane dubs it “a
purgatory of rubble”.
Why did Pennant opt for such a daunting start to his journey?
The answer lay in the view from the top.
With no maps to guide him, Pennant needed to create his own. And by reaching the highest point for miles around, he was able to chart the landscape from it. His mountaineering ordeal was a cartographer’s dream.