Isle of Bute: Ferries

Two Caledonian MacBrayne ferries operate between the mainland and the island, one from Wemyss Bay in Inverclyde and the other from Colintraive on the Cowal Peninsula to Rhubodach in the north of the island.

My photo below shows the MV Loch Dunvegan at Colintraive getting ready for the five minute crossing over the narrowest part of the Kyles of Bute

Below, the ferry, MV Bute, coming into Rothesay from Weymss Bay.

Alas, this completes my collection of Bute photos until I can visit again
(hopefully sometime this year)!

The Caledonian MacBrayne website is found here

Isle of Bute: Rothesay Harbour

Some of my photos taken around the harbour and pier

A short video from the pier (with a bit of unavoidable wind noise!)

Isle of Bute: Rothesay Esplanade

A few of my photos taken on the Esplanade (there's a bit of overlap between this and my next blog of the harbour area)

Isle of Bute: Rothesay Winter Gardens

When I began this blog I thought the Winter Gardens was the name given to the formal gardens alongside the Esplanade in Rothesay. I've now found out that it's actually the Grade A listed building in my photos below. Built in 1924, many famous music hall entertainers performed here. Redeveloped in the 1990s, it's now called The Discovery Centre, housing the tourist information office and shop, a 90-seat theatre/cinema, and restaurant.

The surrounding gardens are very attractive and well looked after.

The statue of Alexander Bannatyne Stewart (1836-1880), Convenor of Bute. He gave thousands of pounds of his own money to charities on the island and cultivated flowers at his house, Ascog Hall, growing superb varieties of orchids.

The statue is in a bit of a mess but there's not much that can be done to stop seagulls from standing on his head!

This one was drinking water from a hole on the putting green - I just missed a better photo when his whole head disappeared down the hole!

The Rothesay coat of arms on a post near the Winter Gardens

Isle of Bute: Ettrick Bay

Another beautiful bay, perhaps the most beautiful on Bute, 3 miles west of Rothesay on the opposite coastline.

A stranded kite

Below is the Ettrick Bay Tearoom which had actually just closed when we arrived, to our disappointment, it being quite late in the day. However, the owner, Alex Gibson, who was inside baking amazingly large lemon meringue pies, actually opened up to allow us some welcome coffee and cakes, which we appreciated very much. There is a photo of him on the tearoom website here. (Next time we are on Bute we will come here for lunch because the food is renowned and Alex is an experienced and excellent cook. The menu was very enticing!)

Geoffrey enjoying his coffee. This was just before our smiles vanished as I lost my car keys and we were sure I'd locked them in the boot of the car. It was very kind of Alex to help us search for them - they were found eventually after I went back and forth between the car and the cafe several times. What a carry on!!