We were greeted on our first island the Island of Bute by high winds that battered poor Vinnie throughout the night resulting in a night of intermittent sleep mesmerised by the sound of the wind.

After a really blustery night we were met with a calm sunny sky and headed off along a coastal walk, a little precarious in places where the footpath had been eroded but well worth the views. Passing along the way inland lakes and St Blanes church which originated in the early 1200s and then destroyed by the Vikings and rebuilt by the Archbishop of Paisley but is now in total ruins.

The following morning we drove the coast road exploring the western beaches of Bute including Scalpsie Bay. Interestingly at a viewpoint on the northern side of the bay you could see where an early volcanic eruption on the nearby island of Arran had sent a larva flow along the highland fault line which cuts the island of Bute diagonally from Rothesay to Scalpsie. To the north of this line the rock is shist and to the south is old red sandstone. We continued our drive around the coast into Rothesay the main town of the island. In its day it had obviously been a thriving major holiday resort for visitors from Glasgow and other mainland towns. Sadly like a lot of bustling Victorian seaside towns it has suffered with the loss of the tourist trade. The Pavilion a grand building which in its day hosted dances for the visitors is now in ruins but undergoing a major refurbishment. Despite this the town still has a sense of vibrancy. As always we had to visit the local museum which was extremely interesting highlighting the many famous people connected to the island ie the founder of Dobbie’s garden centre originated here as did the leader of the Scottish co- operative movement, Andrew Baird who designed and built his own monoplane married a local girl and moved to the island and Birdie Bower one of Scott’s explorers had a mother and sister who moved to the island so he visited often and did a lot of his training on the island.

Before leaving the island we visited Mount Stuart, home of the Marquess of Bute which was approached by what seemed like an endless tarmac drive flanked on both sides by a hedgerow of the most beautiful yellow mollus azaleas. The house itself was gothic in design and one of the grandest I have visited. Entry was on timed tickets accompanied by a tour guide so as we had an hour to wait we went for a stroll around the “wee” garden five acres? The tour was certainly enhanced by our guide who had a wealth of information at his fingertips which he shared with a good sense of humour. Originally started as a Georgian property in 1719 but burnt down in the late 1870s and rebuilt in its current Victorian gothic style. It is the family seat of the Stuarts of Bute who are an incredibly wealthy family their fortune coming from the entrepreneurial activities of the first marquess who amongst other things built Cardiff docks and controlled all trade going in and out of the docks.

We both loved the island which appeared to have a great sense of community a really good and regular bus service, beautiful scenery and overall a sense of tranquility. Would recommend to anyone and would definitely return.