Thursday 1st August 2019
Today we got to spend the whole day on the Isle of Bute. The sun was shining, unlike the heavy rain we arrived in, so we started the day with a stroll around the harbour and sea front in Rothesay
As the weather was so good we took the decision not to visit Mount Stewart which was the original plan and hit the beaches. We went round the Island anti clockwise and our first beach to visit was Kilchatten Bay. Kilchatten Bay is a linear settlement of Victorian houses and villas that lies on the south west shore of Kilchattan Bay, a largely east facing bay with a mile-wide mouth offering views to Great Cumbrae, three miles to the east.
After Kilchattan Bay we travelled on to Scalpsie where there are look out places from where seals can sometimes be seen. On the way we passed an old phone box which is now a book exchange as well as having tablet, postcards, cards for sale and an honesty box. It was getting really warm by this point heading into the high 20’s and touching the early 30’s..
Once used for military purposes during the Second World War, today the secluded Scalpsie Bay is a tranquil place to relax and enjoy beautiful scenery.
The reddish sand of Scalpsie Bay is set against the wonderful backdrop of the Isle of Arran, and two viewpoints help visitors spot the area’s fascinating resident wildlife and take in amazing landscapes.
The view points were either a long walk to the beach or rather over grown so we didn’t get to seal view.
One thing we noticed on our travels was that on every sign we saw Rothesay was mentioned and sometimes in more than one direction, one say 7 miles left or 8 miles right!
Our last planned beach for the day was Ettrick Bay which we had planned to co-inside with a late lunch knowing that there was a cafe there. We both had a filled roll, shared some curly fries and had ice cream – hey why not it’s not supposed to be so hot the rest of the holiday. Ettrick Bay is a wide, sandy beach which runs for approximately a mile. Monitored by SEPA.
After Ettrick Bay we completed the loop back to Rothesay and went through Port Bannatyne. Port Bannatyne is a coastal village on the Isle of Bute, Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It is a popular harbour, with a small yacht marina and boatyard and an unusual 13 hole golf course.
We got back to Rothesay in time to heat up some soup with fresh bread and watch the sun set.
