The Paps are three conical quartzite mountains on the west side of the island: Beinn an Òir ("mountain of gold", 785 m), Beinn Shiantaidh ("holy mountain", 755 m) and Beinn a' Chaolais (734 m). Their shape is unmistakable from the Mull of Kintyre, from Islay, and on a clear day from Skye and Northern Ireland.
One of the simplest ascents starts near Craighouse, but this is still a long, pathless day over bog and loose scree — take a map, a compass and plenty of time. Fell runners take in all three Paps and four other hills in the annual Isle of Jura Fell Race. The painter William McTaggart made them famous in 1902; that canvas hangs in Kelvingrove in Glasgow.