Bute

Routes

Wemyss Bay - Rothesay

Colintraive - Rhubodach

From the Edwardian splendour of Mount Stuart House with its wonderfully restored gardens and excellent visitor centre, to some of the best fish and chips you’ll ever taste, the island of Bute packs a lot into a small space.

The jewel in Bute’s crown is surely Mount Stuart, a magnificent gothic palace and the ancestral home of the Marquis of Bute. The house combines powerful architecture with intricate details and lavish design - it’s worth a visit for the stained glass windows alone! The house also boasts one of Europe’s finest gardens and an award-winning contemporary design visitor centre. Mount Stuart's reputation was sealed in 2003 when it hosted the celebrity wedding of fashion designer, Stella McCartney.

Mount Stuart aside, Bute is worth a visit for loads of other reasons. The island’s main town, Rothesay is a splendid Victorian seaside town, complete with palm trees on the waterfront, and a Grade-A listed Winter Gardens housing an innovative visitor centre, The Isle of Bute Discovery Centre. Even the Victorian toilets on the pier are worth a visit.

Enjoy a stroll along the prom as you admire the architecture with a bag of chips from the West End Café, twice winner of the UK Best Fish and Chip Shop Award. A slightly longer stroll is the island’s West Island Way. This easily accessible 30 mile route begins at the beautiful beach at Kilchattan Bay and finishes at Port Bannatyne, taking in coast and country along the way. Bute is also a great place for golf and horse-riding and boasts some of the best fishing in Scotland.

Easily accessible from the Central Belt, Bute can be accessed via our Wemyss Bay-Rothesay route (35 minute crossing) or via our Colintraive-Rhubodach service (5 minute crossing) from the Cowal Peninsula.  Advance bookings are not required for these routes. During the summer season, SPT also offer a special value Mount Stuart ‘Great Days Out’ ticket which includes ferry and train transport from any SPT station as well as admission to the house and gardens.