Isle Of Bute

12 miles / 19 km

A walk on the dark side of the moon.... With no public transport on this coast (with the exception of the hourly Rothesay - Kilchattan Bay bus service) and hardly any car traffic at all, this coastline is very remote and far from the beaten tracks in the rest of Scotland. That makes this walk an excellent walk. The landscape is nothing short of brilliant too. This is easily in the top 3 of the best walks in Scotland.
Please note this is a walk which can only be done on a clear, sunny days. This is due to the views towards Kintyre, Isle Of Arran and everywhere else.

Very Hard

The length of this walk makes this a very hard walk. There are not many big hills here. The only one is the crossing from the west coast over the Rothesay. There is a small climb around Scalpsie Bay too. The rest is undulating and remote. The walk is very exposed to the sun and wind. Plenty of high-energy water is a must-have here. We are talking 3 litres or more. Excellent shoes are also a must here, plus protein bars / other life-saving, easy-to-digest food.

Train from Glasgow Central Station/Paisley/Port Glasgow 2 times an hour to Wemyss Bay. Alternatively, take the McGills 901/906 bus from Glasgow/Braehead. The bus covers this distance two times slower than the train and is not recommended.
The Wemyss Bay - Rothesay ferry 1 time an hour. But check out the ferry timetable before leaving.
The Rothesay to Kilchattan Bay bus 1 time an hour

Take this bus from Rothesay to the end of the road at Kilchattan Bay. There is a path going along the coastline here towards the south end of this island. I am planning to do this walk next year when I am in better health.




After I stopped cycling 14 years ago, I never thought I was ever be able to visit Kilchattan Bay. It was one of those never-to-be-achieved bucket list items. Despite this, I have been longingly looking over to this place from Great Cumbrae for the last few years. Then my health improved. I discovered the Rothesay - Kilchattan Bay bus and this route. I cannot deny it was extremely satisfying to finally visit this place. A pretty unremarkable place in the big picture but a big personal victory. Thank you, NHS Glasgow.
.... And this village is pretty too. The same goes for this bay too. A truly lovely, lovely place.






The walk/road is on a blend of pavements and a lonely road (in the most positive sense) out of the bay and up a small hill to the crossroad at Kingarth Hotel. Take the road to the left, to the west... to the west coast of this island. Mentally prepare yourself for some great views when you pass the cemetery where the road is heading north. And after a couple of hundred yards/meters, the views duly arrive.



The road is sligthly undulating here and the open road, with hardly any traffic, makes this road easy going. The views are fantastic here. The miles flies by until the road goes a bit inland to the next crossroad. The Scalpsie Bay - Rothesay crossroad. Take the road to the left here, towards Scalpsie Bay and the return to the west coast again.
The road descends a bit down to the bay before it starts to climb again...



At the top of the climb, the road bends to the left and one of Scotland's hidden gems (yes, this feels like a walk on the other side/the dark side of the moon) comes into proper view. Scalpsie Bay is one of the finest bays and beaches in Scotland. These next two pictures are Scalpsie Bay.






Stop at the view point on the left side of the road and just admire before you continue the walk. The walk now takes you around a corner and another great view... See the next two pictures.







The road now descends a bit down a hill to a new part of the west coast. The impossible-to-pronounce Tignabruich, a village on the Cowal Peninsula, can be glimpsed in the far distance. This part of the west coast is a bit gentler than the coastline up to Scalpsie Bay. The road also runs a bit inland here. The scenery is still brilliant and the road is pretty undulating as the three next pictures prove.



txt






The road is now starting the climb towards the Ettrick Bay - Rothesay crossroad. The views are still brilliant throughout this climb..



The road descends towards this crossroad. Take the road to the right here towards Rothesay. The road now really climbs for mile/ 2 km up this hill before it crests the hill here..



The road now makes a 90-degree right turn before it descends down to a shallow river valley and then climbs again to the first houses in Rothesay.



The road now descends down through Rothesay to the Rothesay Castle before the walk ends on the Rothesay promenade and the ferry harbour. What a fantastic walk !!

Ferry back to Wemyss Bay again and the train or bus back to Glasgow/Paisley/Port Glasgow again 2 times an hour (the train) or 4 - times an hour (the bus).
Please note that the bus is bypassing Paisley by going to Braehead instead.