Scotland By Rail - Rothesay, Isle of Bute (+ a 6km circular walk)

Previous related blog posts

- Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

- Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

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This blog post - a 6km ish circular walk starting and ending at Rothesay ferry terminal.

The ferries to the Isle of Bute are so frequent and the journey so short that you really can nip across for just a couple of hours. I had about five. I started by exploring Rothesay town - cafes, some excellent charity shops, gallery, tourist info centre in old Winter Gardens pavilion, a moated castle (currently closed)... Then I bought picnic lunch and headed west, climbing a steep residential road out of the town to arrive in gentle countryside. Moorland farmland with tree patches here and there and views of mountains (Arran and mainland) in the distance. Lots and lots of bird life. Quiet country road then traffic free footpath the very quiet access tracks took me north and gradually downhill all the way to the shore at Port Bannatyne. From there a couple of kilometres walk back along the coastal road to the ferry, stopping for supplies at Ardbeg Mini Market village shop.

A great, easy walk to give a bit of a feel for Bute. Here it is:

Rothesay Ferry Terminal (spot the ferry)

Isle of Bute Discovery Centre

plans for Rothesay - Bute Yard

Serpentine Road, Canada Hill, Rothesay (14 hairpin bends)

Rothesay Castle and moat

and out into the countryside, blue hills of Arran in the distance

Rothesay road and Arran hills

mixed corvids 💚

I found a nice elevated place a bit off track to get my watercolours out.
This is as far as I got before the wind forced me to stop. It nearly blew my carrot cake away!

trees, gate, farm with silo, Arran

nice farmland track leading to lovely woodland stretch.
Look for these signs, the West Island Way (yes, Island)

spot the spots

the remains of an old fountain. Port Bannatyne down below

Port Bannatyne shore, looking to the mainland. I love this scene.

Port Bannatyne to Ardbeg shore

Ardbeg playpark. I have to take photos of playparks to let Oren see which ones he hopes to try.

Bute Cycle Network. Craigmore beyond Rothesay at far right

See that far off roadside shelter. There are several of them.
Really lovely sheltered places to sit with benches facing in all directions.

The road back from Ardbeg to Rothesay

rock pipit

Skeoch Wood, a short walk from the ferry

derelict swimming pool site

derelict swimming pool site

back in Rothesay, ferry approaches

 Previous related blog posts

- Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

- Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

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Getting to Bute:

Trains from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay are hourly and the journey takes about 50 minutes.

Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk

Ferry from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay takes only about 35 minutes and ferries depart hourly from both Rothesay and Wemyss Bay.

Check Calmac timetable and website - www.calmac.co.uk/article/7826/Bute-Wemyss-Bay---Rothesay

-----------------------

Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.

Spread the word and let me know about your own favourite railway days out. 

Scotland By Rail - Wemyss Bay station and the ferry to Rothesay, Isle of Bute

Previous blog post - Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

Next blog post - a 6km circular walk from Rothesay.

This blog post - Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

What a station.

I've been visiting recently in preparation for a set of commissions I am soon to undertake for the Friends of Wemyss Bay Station who have their bookshop and gallery in this part of the main station concourse:

And here is the inside of the bookshop and gallery space. Full of interest, history, books, cards, gifts to buy:

Mostly Wemyss Bay station is a place you travel to to:

- see the station, bookshop, cafe...

- travel onwards to the isle of Bute

Even while you're still in the station you hear and see the sea. Walking down the (stunning) covered ramp between station concourse and ferry ticket office I could hear and smell seabirds, wonderful. From the windows shags and gulls and other seabirds were visible:

pair of shags

same spot, zoomed out

Now on the ferry, about to depart:

The end of the ferry opens to allow cars in and out. I had to video it for our son:

On MV Argyll soon after departing Wemyss Bay.
Isle of Bute & Rothesay town ahead & MV Bute just visible forwards left.

The journey to Rothesay on Bute takes only about 35 minutes and ferries depart hourly from both Rothesay and Wemyss Bay, run by Calmac. There are two ferries, MV Argyll and MV Bute. They pass each other half way across.

MV Bute passes MV Argyll (which I was on), Bute heading for Wemyss Bay, Argyll for Rothesay

Toward Toward Lighthouse (yes, that's correct) on the Cowal peninsula

Bute already

looking north-north-west towards Loch Striven, Kyles of Bute...

now sadly derelict bath house

Note the Winter Gardens (sage green with terracotta roof).
Now Isle of Bute Discovery Centre (ie Tourist Info +)

Rothesay with mountains of Arran behind

And don't forget the Black guillemots:

Rothesay Ferry Terminal

marina

Rothesay Ferry Terminal + ferry.

Next blog post - a 6km circular walk from Rothesay.

Previous blog post - Port Glasgow, on route to Wemyss Bay

-----------------------

Getting to Wemyss Bay:

Trains from Glasgow Central station are hourly and the journey takes about 50 minutes.

Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk

Ferry Wemyss Bay to Rothesay:

The journey takes only about 35 minutes and ferries depart hourly from both Rothesay and Wemyss Bay

Check Calmac timetable and website - www.calmac.co.uk/article/7826/Bute-Wemyss-Bay---Rothesay

-----------------------

Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.

Please spread the word and do let me know of any of your favourite railway days out. 

Scotland By Rail - half an hour in Port Glasgow, + video

Next post - Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

Third post - on Bute, a 6km circular walk from Rothesay.

On my way to Wemyss Bay and the ferry to Rothesay (see future posts) I broke my journey in Port Glasgow. I wanted to see John McKenna's newly installed 33ft tall sculpture, Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow. I had half about half an hour before my next train and the walk to the shore and Shipbuilders is no more than five minutes, so fifteen minutes to enjoy looking out over the River Clyde, at the not-yet-finished ferry MV Glen Sannox, at the colossal Shipbuilders, at other public art I didn't know was there, and at a black guillemot. 

The Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow are truly outstanding. Here they are:

Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, John McKenna

Shipbuilders of Port Glasgow, John McKenna

And here they are again in this short video / video blog / vlog I put on my:

- facebook

- instagram

- twitter

Take your pick!

The Clyde:

The River Clyde, looking north-west towards Helensburgh, the Rosneath peninsula and beyond.
Click here for previous Helensburgh Scotland By Rail blog post.)

MV Glen Sannox, under construction..

Black guillemot. Living on the east coast I rarely see them.
The moment you get to a bit of west coast shore - there they are.
DYK they have bright red feet and inside-mouths to match?

Another shipping sculpture:

And other public art:

An excellent set of murals at Port Glasgow station:

I'll go for more than half an hour next time.

Next blog post - Wemyss Bay and ferry to Bute

Third post - on Bute, a 6km circular walk from Rothesay

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Getting to Port Glasgow:

Port Glasgow is 20 miles west of Glasgow. The journey takes roughly half an hour from Glasgow Central station with three trains an hour on weekdays and Saturdays and two an hour on Sundays.

Check ScotRail 'Buy Tickets' in advance of your journey - www.scotrail.co.uk

-----------------------

Thank you for reading my Scotland By Rail blog.

Please spread the word and do let me know of any of your favourite railway days out.