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Trip to Rothesay, Isle of Bute

I had a brilliant time when I went for a few days to Rothesay with my son, John, and grandson, Ryan. It’s the first time I’ve been there and I was very impressed.

Rothesay has fantastic beaches and we paticularly loved Ettrick Bay, where the yellow sands stretch out for a mile or so. We splashed around, combed the beach for special shells and Ryan was fascinated by the jellyfish. We stayed for hours and caught the last bus back into Rothesay.

Another lovely beach is Kilchattan Bay with its red sand and we enjoyed a trip there too but it’s not so engrossing as Ettrick Bay. Although when we visited it was a glorious day and it’s a very peaceful place.

We had no bother getting round the Island of Bute as the bus service is brilliant. The buses may just come along once an hour but they are always on the dot and the drivers are the most courteous I’ve come across anywhere, ever. We were asked exactly where we would like the bus to stop. The driver explained that they know where all the locals live and they’re happy to drop visitors off at their accommodation. How’s that for service?

It’s a great way to see the island and the view from the top deck of the bus was superb..  I particularly liked the bay at Kilgarth and the Marina at Port Bannatyne.

Another day we went fishing to Loch Fad and although we didn’t have a bite it was still a great day out as John taught Ryan how to cast. We saw some amazing birds, including a cormorant, which dived for fish for ages. It didn’t seem to catch anything either but we did see a heron swooping and carrying off a fish. Another bird nearly took our heads off. It was huge and whizzed past us at an astonishing speed. It seemed to turn upside down and sounded jet propelled. Ryan was convinced that it was remote controlled.

I managed to taste the trout from Loch Fad when we went to  the restaurant at Mount Stuart.

When I return to Bute next time Jim will  come and we’ll visit  Mount Stuart House  It’s an amazing place and one of the main attractions.  We didn’t get beyond the adventure playground, the Visitor’s Centre and the restaurant, which is well worth checking out.

We had a great meal at the Esplanade Hotel, which claims to be ‘where the locals eat’. It certainly looked like it as there were tables full of maw, paw, the weans and grannies and papas. The choice was amazing, the food delicious and the service excellent. We all left clean plates.

There are some places on the Isle of Bute that you can only get to by car, including Scalpsie Bay, and apparently there’s a good chance of seeing seals there. So along with a visit to Mount Stuart this is on my ‘to do’ list.

Next time we’ll also take the binoculars and a book on birds so that we can check on the species.

Rothesay itself is interesting with the wonderful Victorian Toilets, its Castle, manicured pleasure gardens, some nice wee gift shops and the iconic Zavaroni’s Cafe and Fish and Chip Shop.

Rothesay has a very interesting history, which is well depicted in the Discovery Centre.

We stayed at St Ebba B & B, which was a great choice. It’s in a lovely spot looking over Rothesay Bay – just a short walk from the town, very clean and comfortable with loads of fluffy towels and amazing breakfasts. 

The fare for foot passengers was only £8.50 return from Wemyss Bay and the wee Cal Mac Ferry is lovely. So no excuses not to get yourself doon the watter.

Pat Byrne, August, 2013

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