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How To Get To Isle Of Bute
The Isle of Bute is easily accessible by CalMac ferry from Wemyss Bay near Glasgow (across the Firth of Clyde), or from Colintraive on the Cowal peninsula, across the Kyles of Bute. Most people from Central Scotland are likely to travel via Wemyss Bay ferry terminal to the main town of Rothesay as this is the easiest route from the Central belt. The ferry trip is only 35 minutes and so an easy day trip!
You can take your car on the ferry, or if you prefer just walk on and use public transport on the island. It’s pretty easy to cycle around for adults too. As it’s so close to the mainland Scotland this is the perfect island for a day trip from Glasgow.
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Rothesay To Wemyss Bay Ferry To Isle of Bute
The ferry from Wemyss Bay takes vehicles, pedestrians and bikes. Just ensure you book tickets in advance and arrive for the check-in time, normally 20-30 minutes before the sailing time. There are two ferries on the Rothesay – Wemyss Bay route, the MV Bute and the MV Argyll. They are very similar ferries, offering plenty of indoor seating areas and smaller outdoor seating areas outside. We prefer being outside on the ferry, well actually I prefer being outside to watch the view, the kids prefer being inside unless it’s really warm! But for a short ferry crossing like this it’s definitely more fun being outside!
There is a small cafe inside with hot drinks, snacks and hot breakfast rolls. You can also buy books, toys and soft toys in the shop area too! The soft toys are particularly cute, so do steer clear if you have children who fall in love with soft toys at first glance (I have one of those children!!).
CalMac Island Explorers Photography Challenge
The children’s photography challenge is to encourage children to explore our West Coast islands during the October holidays. Taking photos of different things as they explore the islands. My two are using some of my old cameras, but they can just borrow your phone to take a pic too!
You can then share the photos with the hashtag #CalMacExplorers on social media. All the items on the checklist can be found around all the islands, such as shells, grazing animals and of course a ferry!
10 Best Things To Do On Isle of Bute
The Isle of Bute is only 15 miles long and so it is an very easy island to explore on a day trip! Most of the attractions are outdoors, however, you will also find enough to occupy you on a wet day too!
Visit The Beach
There are lots of great beaches to visit on Bute, but Ettrick Bay is definitely one of the best! It’s a mile long stretch of sandy beach, perfect for walking along, jumping in the sea for a swim or body boarding and excellent for sand castle making.
You can also find beaches elsewhere around the island, with Scalpsie Bay and Kerrycroy also being popular.
Mount Stuart House
The beautiful Mount Stuart House, owned by the Mount Stuart Charitable Trust, is definitely a highlight of a visit to Bute. The marble hall is a truly spectacular sight, especially staring upward toward the horoscope ceiling and Zodiac stained glass windows! The house is truly stunning with plenty of beautiful rooms to explore, plus lots of extra little details to be found.
The staff are excellent at telling you some stories about the house. However if you go with kids I also recommend getting the children’s explorer booklet. It has some fun challenges and puzzles, but also lots of extra facts and snippets of stories. The kids had fun using theirs as we explored the building.
The tea room at Mount Stuart has a range of hot and cold lunches, as well as snacks and drinks. We had a delicious lunch and the staff were very accommodating when we asked for a plain ham sandwich for the youngest and a toastie without chilli jam for me!
The gardens of Mount Stuart are vast and we definitely didn’t have time to explore them all! We did enjoy the view down to the sea and if we had more time would have visited the private sandy beach within Mount Stuart gardens. We did make some time to visit the Wee Garden where little ones can hunt for 6 different wallabies hidden amongst the vegetation. The garden sheet can be found at the ticket office.
Isle of Bute Museum
It is here at Bute Museum that you will learn about the local history of the island of Bute, from Iron Age artefacts to photos of the old light railway that used to run between Rothesay and Ettrick Bay. It also has an area of the museum dedicated to the natural history of Bute, with a salt water tank of rock pool creatures and other animals.
You can also pick up a quiz aimed at 5-12 year olds to complete as they walk around the museum. It directs children to the most interesting items in the collections for younger visitors.
Forest of Bute
The forest of Bute is a great place to explore with kids. There is plenty of nature to find, from fungi, animals and insects to protected bird species. Definitely download some ID charts onto your phone or find a good app.
You can also explore some archaeological ruins and a WWII decoy village bunker. There is definitely a lot to explore. Check on the Bute Forest website for news of any upcoming events.
Ardencraig Gardens
Although this may not be the top place to visit with kids on Bute, it’s still an interesting place if you have time. They are located in Rothesay, so a nice side trip before catching the ferry back.
If you have arty children then it’s also a lovely place to take watercolours and a notebook. Take your time painting some of the beautiful flowers and a nice souvenir to take home from your day out.
Victorian Toilets
The Victorian toilets are actual toilets that are still used today! So although they are a museum women will need to knock on the door to check there are no men using the toilets before going in!
Back in the days when there were steamer ships the men were known to get notoriously drunk on the boats. There were always huge queues for the toilets and not enough toilets for the men to use. So the local authority decided to build toilets at the steamer pier in Rothesay so the men would have a chance to relieve themselves. There was no thought for s’more provisions for women though, just men’s toilets! Maybe they didn’t get so drunk or there were less women aboard?
St Blane’s Chapel
Beside the beautiful Kilchattan Bay is St Blane’s chapel. It is said to be built on the site of a monastery from around AD 500’s. The monastery was founded by St Catan and later succeeded by his nephew Blane. There are still remnants of the old monastery to be found around the chapel.
Explore a Stone Circle
There are several stone circles on Bute, including Ettrick Bay and Kingarth stone circles. Imagine what it may have been used for in the past, with a magical feel to certain locations.
Balnakailly Swing
In Bute forest at Balnakailly you will find an awesome swing that’ perfect for Instagram worthy photos! It swings out over a beautiful landscape and both children and adults will enjoy getting their photo taken here and also just admiring the view!
Look For Seals At Scalpsie Bay
Scalpsie bay is well known for its seal population and you can walk down to the bay to see if you spot any. There is a car park of the road at the top of the hill next to a viewing platform, or park lower down with an easy walk to the beach.
Here Are All My Guides To Visiting The Scottish Islands!
- Shetland Islands – The most Northernly islands in Scotland, but so much to see!
- Orkney Islands – Beautiful islands filled with history and wildlife.
- Isle of Skye – Popular with tourists, great to visit in the quieter shoulder season.
- Isle of Tiree – Popular for Watersports, it has plenty of beaches and hikes.
- Isle of Mull – Rugged island with amazing wildlife, beaches and hikes.
- Isle of Iona – Famous for St Columba, it has fab beaches and hikes.
- Isle of Islay – Often referred to as the whisky island, it also has fab wildlife.
- Isle of Gigha – A small island, but so much to offer, beaches, trails and views.
- Isle of Bute – Great island close to mainland, don’t miss Mount Stuart!
- Isle of Kerrera – A small island with excellent tea room, great for a day trip from Oban.
- Inchcolm Island – Tiny island in the Firth of Forth, great day trip from Edinburgh.
Other Places You May Enjoy Visiting In Scotland
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