A West Island Way: Southern Bute

Bute is wonderful! And getting there from Glasgow is a skoosh! Jump the 0950h train from Glasgow Central arriving at Wemyss Bay at 1040h for the connecting ferry to Rothesay (35mins) at 1100h.

The wonderful Wemyss Bay train station and ferry terminal (a real architectural gem!).


All going well, this means that by 1135h you're cycling past the wonderful Rothesay Castle into Bute's idyllic back of beyond. Whether its golden beaches, it's archaeologic curiosities, or its topographic variations (the southern half of the island is very different from the northern half), there is plenty to see for the avid visitor to Bute.

Approaching Rothesay.

The cycle route laid out here takes in a fair portion of variety and involves a little walking/hiking with bike in tow. The route (laid out in blue on the map) is self-explanatory and the first part involves heading south to St. Blane's Chapel on the southern tip of the island. 

The chapel itself dates back to the the sixth century when a Celtic monastery is said to have been built on the site by Saint Catan, the uncle of St. Blane. Blane's name is commemorated not only here in Bute, in areas around Glasgow like Blanefield, Strathblane, and Dunblane where the medieval saint is thought to have kicked about.

St. Blane's Chapel

From Blane's chapel it is a short hike up and around the highest hill on Bute's southern half, Suidhe Chatain towards the village of Kilchattan and its beautiful bay. This overland route is way-marked as part of the new West Island Way and so should be not trouble for you to follow (with or without bike in tow). By the time you get down to Kilchattan and its shoreline your feet will be dying for a wee dip in that crystal clear water.

From the shoulder of Suidhe Chatain looking over to Great Cumbrae and the mainland beyond.

Kilchattan Bay

The road back to Rothesay cuts through the sumptuous grounds of Mount Stuart, one of the finest gothic houses in Scotland. The woods too are something to behold with their old oaks and great big redwoods. There is a visitors' centre, cafe and shop for those who want to explore a little more.

Mount Stuart

Arriving back at Rothesay via a fine coastal road that passes some even finer Victorian Hotels, there's a ferry at 1600h or 1645h connecting with the train back to Glasgow from Wemyss Bay, the former getting you back for 1735h, the latter for 1844h. Either way, it's a beautiful day out using all the various modes of transportation: bicycle, train, ferry, foot... brain...and seeing a fair bit of life along the way. It's a real city escape, affordable and well-served by public transport. Not to be missed on a nice sunny day.