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Ruined stone castle walls rise above a grassy moat surrounded by water
Argyll and Bute

Isle of Bute

An island in the Firth of Clyde, a train and a short ferry from Glasgow, with a round moated castle, Mount Stuart and sandy bays.

Welcome

Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde, fifteen miles long and five wide, and one of the easiest islands in Scotland to reach: a train from Glasgow to Wemyss Bay and a ferry of about 35 minutes bring you to Rothesay, the island's town.

Rothesay greets you with a seafront of palm trees and flowers and, in the middle of town, Rothesay Castle, unusual for being circular and surrounded by a moat. On the pier are the Victorian toilets, so grand they have been called a national treasure.

The Highland Boundary Fault runs through the middle of the island, so the north is hilly and the south is gentle farmland. Mount Stuart, the Gothic fantasy house of the 3rd Marquess of Bute, stands in 300 acres of woods and gardens on the east coast, and on the west are the sands of Ettrick Bay and Scalpsie Bay, where seals haul out on the rocks. Look out for porpoises on the crossing.

A short drive awayMusickerA vegetarian café on Rothesay's High Street, opened in 2002 for good coffee and good music.5 min by roadSee itThe white shopfront of Musicker on Rothesay's High Street, its name on a green sign above the windows.
Before you go

Trains run from Glasgow to Wemyss Bay, and the ferry to Rothesay takes about 35 minutes.

Getting there
Train to Wemyss Bay, then the ferry to Rothesay.
Size
15 miles by 5.
Where it is

The Firth of Clyde.

Close byOn Bute.
  1. Rothesay's seafront terraces rising above the bay.Rothesay TownBute's Victorian resort town on a wide bay, with a moated castle, a royal charter of 1401 and celebrated toilets on the pier.2 miles4 min by road
  2. The castle walls reflected in the moat.Rothesay CastleThe round, moated castle of the Stewarts in the middle of Rothesay, with Scotland's only circular curtain wall.2 miles4 min by road
  3. Display cases of birds and finds in Bute Museum's hall.Bute MuseumThe island's own museum on Stuart Street in Rothesay, by the castle, with the archaeology, history and wildlife of Bute.2 miles5 min by road
  4. The Kettledrum café on its corner in Rothesay, a red shopfront with CAFE in white letters above the door.Kettledrum CaféA family-run café and bistro on East Princes Street in Rothesay, for fish and chips, pies and early dinners.2 miles5 min by road
  5. The wide sands of Ettrick Bay at low tide.Ettrick BayA mile of golden sand on the north-west coast of Bute, looking across to Arran, with a tearoom at the back of the beach.6 miles9 min by road
Directions
The white shopfront of Musicker on Rothesay's High Street, its name on a green sign above the windows.CafeMusicker2.2 miles
The front of Ambience on Victoria Street, Rothesay, under its blue awning.RestaurantsAmbience Café2.4 miles
The low brick café at Ettrick Bay on a sunny day, with blue pillars and doors, benches and parasols along the front.CafeEttrick Bay Café2.4 miles over the water
The roofless gable of St Mary's Chapel among the graves.AttractionsSt Mary’s Chapel2.5 miles
Scalpsie Bay's sand and the green fields behind, from above.AttractionsScalpsie Bay3.9 miles
Mount Stuart's red sandstone front across the lawns.AttractionsMount Stuart5.7 miles
A bus on the shore road round the wide sandy bay, the village beyond.AttractionsKilchattan Bay9.0 miles
The ruins of St Blane's under a blue sky.AttractionsSt Blane's Chapel10 miles
Viking longboat beside the Battle of Largs 1263 monument signAttractionsVikingar, Largs15 miles
Stay nearby

Places to stay near the island, and when each is next free.

The Hollies, Argyll and ButeThe Hollies
  • Sleeps 18
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 8 miles from Bute
Check datesA white harled house with crow-stepped gables catches the sunset glow above a loch, yellow flowering shrubs in the foreground.Glenstriven House
  • To stay
  • In Argyll and Bute
  • 9 miles from Bute
Free 25–27 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in Argyll and ButeAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.