Trip Report: Isle of Bute, Scotland
May 21st, 2022, 11:30 AM
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Trip Report: Isle of Bute, Scotland
I just returned from 9 days in Scotland - 4 on the Isle of Bute and 5 in Glasgow. Since I always find trip reports very helpful when I'm planning a trip (or just entertaining for armchair traveling), I've posted this trip report. As background, I'm a solo traveler, early 60's, who has traveled extensively, particularly in the UK. I enjoy stately homes and gardens, so Mount Stuart has been on my "to do" list for years and several years ago I did a British Isles cruise and visited Glasgow for a day and loved it. So, I decided my first post-COVID trip would combine both spots.
Sunday, May 9: My flight to Glasgow was delayed quite a bit (at least I'm getting compensation), so instead of arriving in Bute early afternoon, my flight didn't arrive until about 6:30 pm. I had researched how to take an airport bus to the local Paisley Gilmore train station, then a train to Weymiss Bay and then the ferry to Rothesay, on Bute. But the last ferry was at 8:05 pm so it had become a bit of a scramble. I took a a cab from GLA to Paisley Gilmore, and had plenty of time to catch the 7:02 train; cab fare was about £7. When you get off the train in Weymiss, you're on a normal platform of a Victorian train station; signs pointing to the ferry lead you to a curving boardwalk of wooden planks under the old iron railway station ceiling which take you to the ticket office. After waiting 10 minutes or so, heard sounds of drunkenness. So we all turn to look up the curving planks and around the corner come about eight youngish guys who must have been to a local soccer game - they’re singing their team songs and having a rowdy old good time. The CalMac ferry was nicer than I had expected with a whole café area and seating in the front and the back, comfortable seating plus an outside deck. I was tired though so just sat inside and rested.
Got to Rothesay at about 8:30 and trudged to the Boat House Suites which was only about five minutes walk from the ferry. The owner had emailed me the code for the front door and the key was in the door to Suite 3. What a great place! Big living room facing the harbor, with a huge bay window and two comfy chairs; sturdy kitchen table & chairs; comfy sofa; well-equipped kitchenette; bedroom with closet, bureau and double/queen bed; and brand new bathroom w/shower. Decor was fresh, unique artwork, and the entire place was sparkling clean. Breakfast fixings are provided: bread, butter, homemade marmalade, yogurt and milk. Very quiet - never heard a word from the other suites (upper, lower or next door). Reasonable price so would definitely stay here again and recommend it to others.
It was late, I was hungry and not sure how late I could find food so I left right away and walked to the co-op food store I had spotted across from the ferry. Saw several bars all of which looked dour, gloomy, and barely open, at least from the outside. The rowdy soccer group from the ferry went into one of them. Saw a Chinese takeaway and a fish and chip shop and that was it. At the co-op, I bought a six pack of Pepsi Max, a tikka masala for the microwave and apple Bramble for the microwave. Back at the room, I got organized, had dinner, watched TV and collapsed into bed.
Monday, May 9 (rainy)
Woke up and it was pouring rain, had been all night. I puttered around a little bit and then heard noise out in the hallway so I stuck my head out and found one of the cleaners, Pat, said hello and then she called Sarah (the owner) to come say hello. We chatted a few minutes and I told them that I was going to go out in the rain anyway & they asked if I had a rain jacket, I said no so they loaned me an umbrella.
The plan was to walk to the visitors center for local maps, etc. but on the way realized I was getting very wet and my fleece wasn’t doing the job (although my Barbour rain hat was super). So I stopped into Oxfam charity shop next to the co-op, and they had a black lightweight puffer-type coat with a hood for £7 - sold!! Between that and the umbrella I was doing OK. The visitor center people were pleasant and pretty helpful. We all decided I should go to Mount Stuart today to do an indoor event since the rain showed no sign of letting up.
I made the online reservation, they explained the bus timing to me, and I had about 30 minutes before the bus so went to the Electric Bakery and bought some pseudo-shortbread cookies, a ham sandwich, and a sausage roll. Walked to the bus stop, across from the main square, and got on the bus – round-trip was about £5.
Talked to two ladies on board, first to ask them if masks are required (they’re not); then we chatted about the rain, Mount Stuart, an old hotel that’s being renovated, and other topics; it was very pleasant to chat. As they got off, we all said goodbye, waved etc. I felt like a local! 😀
The bus ride was great - went past lots of big villas (of varying ages) facing the water, then through some countryside and then to Mount Stuart. A huge red stone building with windows, turrets and lots of adornment. Nice lady at the door; hung up coat, left bag, got my floor plan for the self-guided tour and then it occurred to me that I should buy the guidebook before so that I could read it while in each room. Got the coat back on, went out in the rain to the round house, which is a very small diameter round building about two minutes away where they sell the tickets and it’s their gift shop. It's really tiny - I can’t believe that they don’t have more things in the gift shop; no Mount Stuart tea towels for example. Anyway, bought my guidebook for £3 and went back to the house.
Every room was a surprise to me. So much marble, and real marble – not painted, and super shiny like it had all been cleaned and waxed yesterday. Marble on the floor, marble columns, marble colonnades, marble everywhere. A lot of stained glass - full windows plus top portions of various windows with crests or rondels of scenes. Tons of extremely detailed wood carvings on doors, wall friezes, beds, furniture etc. Lots of acorns and oak leaves since those are part of the Stuart crest. Majority of the decoration is nature related, so very detailed depictions of birds, squirrels, bugs, leaves, flowers, and more. I first noticed this on a huge tapestry in the marble hall which was a scene from the Highland games but the entire border, which was probably 8 inches tall, was birds perched on fruit, birds eating fruit, birds nestling in fruit etc. Very anatomically accurate with vibrant colors etc. vibrant colors. The other theme seen throughout the house was astrological (Zodiac).
The very knowledgeable and pleasant docents in each room complemented the design and decor. They really added to the enjoyment by highlighting special things in each room plus answering questions and providing background about the family etc. One of them suggested I use one of those foldable chairs that look like canes which I did and then in each room I could unfold my chair by the window, take out my guidebook and read all the details about that room. I was quite happy.
After almost 3 hours it was time to go because they were closing; went to the café and for soup and a rest before the bus. It was still pouring rain and the bus was at 3:35 so I went outside to the bus stop with two other women and we started chatting. Bus wasn’t there at 3:45 and the girl from the café came out to wait for the bus I asked her about the delay and she said “oh it’s a school day and buses are diverted to taking kids home from school around 3 o’clock so they don’t have 3:30 buses but it’ll be at 4:05.” Which it was but frustrating to stand in the rain and wind that long; although I did have a nice conversation with the ladies from Glasgow and London.
Hopped off the bus at the main Square and decided to walk around a little bit; raining pretty darn hard at this point but why not? Nearly all the stores were closed; even if the sign with their hours said they were open till five, they were closed up by 4:30. I gather Mondays and Tuesdays are very slow days so a lot of restaurants and stores aren’t open. And, boy oh boy, are there a lot of charity shops in this tiny little village; I must’ve walked past, or into, six of them. Everyone must have very clean closets at home since they’re giving their stuff away to all these charity places. I found another co-op not far from the one in the main square so I went in there and got one of those really great prepackaged sandwiches - chicken with sweet corn on wholemeal bread. Yum Yum.
Walked back to the boathouse; turned the heat on, draped my shoes and coat over the heater and took a shower. Had the sausage roll for dinner along with the chicken and sweet corn sandwich.
To come: lost in a sheep field & Ettrick Bay
Sunday, May 9: My flight to Glasgow was delayed quite a bit (at least I'm getting compensation), so instead of arriving in Bute early afternoon, my flight didn't arrive until about 6:30 pm. I had researched how to take an airport bus to the local Paisley Gilmore train station, then a train to Weymiss Bay and then the ferry to Rothesay, on Bute. But the last ferry was at 8:05 pm so it had become a bit of a scramble. I took a a cab from GLA to Paisley Gilmore, and had plenty of time to catch the 7:02 train; cab fare was about £7. When you get off the train in Weymiss, you're on a normal platform of a Victorian train station; signs pointing to the ferry lead you to a curving boardwalk of wooden planks under the old iron railway station ceiling which take you to the ticket office. After waiting 10 minutes or so, heard sounds of drunkenness. So we all turn to look up the curving planks and around the corner come about eight youngish guys who must have been to a local soccer game - they’re singing their team songs and having a rowdy old good time. The CalMac ferry was nicer than I had expected with a whole café area and seating in the front and the back, comfortable seating plus an outside deck. I was tired though so just sat inside and rested.
Got to Rothesay at about 8:30 and trudged to the Boat House Suites which was only about five minutes walk from the ferry. The owner had emailed me the code for the front door and the key was in the door to Suite 3. What a great place! Big living room facing the harbor, with a huge bay window and two comfy chairs; sturdy kitchen table & chairs; comfy sofa; well-equipped kitchenette; bedroom with closet, bureau and double/queen bed; and brand new bathroom w/shower. Decor was fresh, unique artwork, and the entire place was sparkling clean. Breakfast fixings are provided: bread, butter, homemade marmalade, yogurt and milk. Very quiet - never heard a word from the other suites (upper, lower or next door). Reasonable price so would definitely stay here again and recommend it to others.
It was late, I was hungry and not sure how late I could find food so I left right away and walked to the co-op food store I had spotted across from the ferry. Saw several bars all of which looked dour, gloomy, and barely open, at least from the outside. The rowdy soccer group from the ferry went into one of them. Saw a Chinese takeaway and a fish and chip shop and that was it. At the co-op, I bought a six pack of Pepsi Max, a tikka masala for the microwave and apple Bramble for the microwave. Back at the room, I got organized, had dinner, watched TV and collapsed into bed.
Monday, May 9 (rainy)
Woke up and it was pouring rain, had been all night. I puttered around a little bit and then heard noise out in the hallway so I stuck my head out and found one of the cleaners, Pat, said hello and then she called Sarah (the owner) to come say hello. We chatted a few minutes and I told them that I was going to go out in the rain anyway & they asked if I had a rain jacket, I said no so they loaned me an umbrella.
The plan was to walk to the visitors center for local maps, etc. but on the way realized I was getting very wet and my fleece wasn’t doing the job (although my Barbour rain hat was super). So I stopped into Oxfam charity shop next to the co-op, and they had a black lightweight puffer-type coat with a hood for £7 - sold!! Between that and the umbrella I was doing OK. The visitor center people were pleasant and pretty helpful. We all decided I should go to Mount Stuart today to do an indoor event since the rain showed no sign of letting up.
I made the online reservation, they explained the bus timing to me, and I had about 30 minutes before the bus so went to the Electric Bakery and bought some pseudo-shortbread cookies, a ham sandwich, and a sausage roll. Walked to the bus stop, across from the main square, and got on the bus – round-trip was about £5.
Talked to two ladies on board, first to ask them if masks are required (they’re not); then we chatted about the rain, Mount Stuart, an old hotel that’s being renovated, and other topics; it was very pleasant to chat. As they got off, we all said goodbye, waved etc. I felt like a local! 😀
The bus ride was great - went past lots of big villas (of varying ages) facing the water, then through some countryside and then to Mount Stuart. A huge red stone building with windows, turrets and lots of adornment. Nice lady at the door; hung up coat, left bag, got my floor plan for the self-guided tour and then it occurred to me that I should buy the guidebook before so that I could read it while in each room. Got the coat back on, went out in the rain to the round house, which is a very small diameter round building about two minutes away where they sell the tickets and it’s their gift shop. It's really tiny - I can’t believe that they don’t have more things in the gift shop; no Mount Stuart tea towels for example. Anyway, bought my guidebook for £3 and went back to the house.
Every room was a surprise to me. So much marble, and real marble – not painted, and super shiny like it had all been cleaned and waxed yesterday. Marble on the floor, marble columns, marble colonnades, marble everywhere. A lot of stained glass - full windows plus top portions of various windows with crests or rondels of scenes. Tons of extremely detailed wood carvings on doors, wall friezes, beds, furniture etc. Lots of acorns and oak leaves since those are part of the Stuart crest. Majority of the decoration is nature related, so very detailed depictions of birds, squirrels, bugs, leaves, flowers, and more. I first noticed this on a huge tapestry in the marble hall which was a scene from the Highland games but the entire border, which was probably 8 inches tall, was birds perched on fruit, birds eating fruit, birds nestling in fruit etc. Very anatomically accurate with vibrant colors etc. vibrant colors. The other theme seen throughout the house was astrological (Zodiac).
The very knowledgeable and pleasant docents in each room complemented the design and decor. They really added to the enjoyment by highlighting special things in each room plus answering questions and providing background about the family etc. One of them suggested I use one of those foldable chairs that look like canes which I did and then in each room I could unfold my chair by the window, take out my guidebook and read all the details about that room. I was quite happy.
After almost 3 hours it was time to go because they were closing; went to the café and for soup and a rest before the bus. It was still pouring rain and the bus was at 3:35 so I went outside to the bus stop with two other women and we started chatting. Bus wasn’t there at 3:45 and the girl from the café came out to wait for the bus I asked her about the delay and she said “oh it’s a school day and buses are diverted to taking kids home from school around 3 o’clock so they don’t have 3:30 buses but it’ll be at 4:05.” Which it was but frustrating to stand in the rain and wind that long; although I did have a nice conversation with the ladies from Glasgow and London.
Hopped off the bus at the main Square and decided to walk around a little bit; raining pretty darn hard at this point but why not? Nearly all the stores were closed; even if the sign with their hours said they were open till five, they were closed up by 4:30. I gather Mondays and Tuesdays are very slow days so a lot of restaurants and stores aren’t open. And, boy oh boy, are there a lot of charity shops in this tiny little village; I must’ve walked past, or into, six of them. Everyone must have very clean closets at home since they’re giving their stuff away to all these charity places. I found another co-op not far from the one in the main square so I went in there and got one of those really great prepackaged sandwiches - chicken with sweet corn on wholemeal bread. Yum Yum.
Walked back to the boathouse; turned the heat on, draped my shoes and coat over the heater and took a shower. Had the sausage roll for dinner along with the chicken and sweet corn sandwich.
To come: lost in a sheep field & Ettrick Bay
May 21st, 2022, 02:37 PM
#2
I'm enjoying your report, thank you. I have a friend in Tighnabruaich on the Kyles of Bute to the west and don't know how we missed going to Mount Stuart, though I enjoyed the views of Bute from her house. I was confused at first when you mentioned Mount Stuart, having been to Mount Stewart in N. Ireland. In any case I'll be looking forward to the next episode.
May 21st, 2022, 07:49 PM
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Thank you very much vickiebypass for your report which I enjoyed enormously. MmePerdu mentions having a friend in Tignabruaich, the village I was born and brought up in. As a kid, irregular visits to Rothesay and sometimes Dunoon were real adventures. Bill
May 22nd, 2022, 06:26 AM
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I'm glad you're enjoying this - I love reading detailed trip reports, so am providing the big & small pictures. The Boat House Suites was wonderful - highly recommend it.Tuesday, May 10 (sunny)
Had toast w homemade marmalade and waited for rain to die down. Decided to do the Skipper Woods walk leading to the Ardencraig gardens. Walked up the steep road next to the Kettledrum to the woodland path. Very nice - through woods, very mossy (deep moss); various wildflowers (wild garlic and bluebells); mini-streams going under the path; lots of birdies and sun appeared.
To the left, the path overlooks the water and the backs of all the houses which I love seeing from the rear. It’s about a mile from start to end on the Woodland Trail and as you get further south, there are big backyards/fields. Walk was flat but muddy; very pleasant overall. At the end, turn right and left in a few yards at the blue sign for Ardencraig gardens. Walk through a modern house development until you see the gardens. The gardens are very, very small. Some greenhouses and planting beds that were empty at this time. In the back, there's an aviary with cockatiels, parrots, lots of Australian finches and other birds-wonder how they ended up here? Quite warm in the sun and of course I forgot my sunglasses. Lots of benches so nice place to rest my feet.
Decided to go to Kilchattan Bay and see what there is, plus see more of the island beyond Mount Stuart via bus. Turned right out of the garden's street and down to the main waterfront street where there was a bus stop right there -Montfort. I barely had to wait at all before the bus was there. Saw the same lady who I had talked to on the bus the day before and she recognized me, so we chatted about how I liked Mount Stuart and where I was going today; turns out the lady she was talking to works at Mount Stuart. When they got off the bus, they both waved goodbye to me very cheerily. Got off at the very end at Kilchatten, where the bus turns around. Lots of cars and an info board with map telling me this is the beginning of the West Island Walk.
The ladies on the bus had recommended walking to the Lighthouse “it’s a wee walk” so that was my plan. The sun was out, I had sturdy walking shoes, fleece, hat, etc. Enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so – right along the water, with sheep & lambs munching grass, lots of gorse and high hills to my right. I saw a sign referring to “path erosion and be careful” but felt confident. Well, the path was definitely eroded – lots of narrow, stony & muddy sections. But the scenery was great and I still felt good. Lots of clambering over stones and after another 30 minutes, I saw the lighthouse. Didn’t walk out to it, since at this point I was tired. The map had seemed to indicate that there was a shorter loop where I could turn right at the lighthouse and get back to the starting point, versus walking all the way around. Well, that didn’t happen.
It’s turned into an adventure in my mind now, and a funny story, but at the time, I was worried and even a bit scared. Basically, the trail I was following from the lighthouse petered out and I was lost in sheep pastures, couldn’t find the trail (any trail), my phone was running out of power, there was no one anywhere within sight, just a bunch of sheep, and the fences were barbed wire which I decided I couldn’t climb over or through. Over three hours I covered almost 7 miles heading north, parallel to the water, and finally realized I needed help. I tried to call the local police but the call didn’t go through, so I called the woman who runs the place I’m staying and explained to her what was going on. She said she would call the Coast Guard and they would send a helicopter to find me; I had visions of those people that go hiking out in the US west and have to be rescued at great expense to the state and everyone thinks how stupid they were; then she said maybe she could call the police and they could come find me so she wanted to know what I could see. Trying to describe rocks, gorse, hills and tussocks is difficult to identify anything unusual. But, the only thing I could see was an antenna tower in the distance, which seemed to me to be a pretty good way to locate me- I was due west of it. She said she would call the police and she would call me back. Then, w-a-a-a-a-y up the hill I saw two people walking, so I waved like I was stopping a train - both arms waving madly and jumping; they saw me and waved back but started to walk away, so I shouted wait, wait. They waited & it turns out there was a gate near them, so after about a quarter mile of slogging through the tall grass, water patches and gorse, I reached them. (Forgot to mention, I didn’t have any water because I thought I was going for a 20 minute gentle walk to the lighthouse – ho ho ho ho).
I was huffing and puffing, leaning on the gate post to catch my breath and they seemed a bit surprised at me and my saga but offered to walk me back to the path that led to Kilchattan. I called my landlady and told her I found two people, her words were “thank God”; I told her I didn’t need the police so she cancelled them. I was feeling safe now but the walk back to the village was a steep, slippery, muddy, rocky descent (I don’t know who, let alone the senior citizens I saw who had walked this walk could do it - these Brits are a tough race) but I made it. I’m not even sure what lessons I’ve learned other than bring water; more likely the lesson is don’t go walking on my own since the walks are always longer & tougher than the map says; and although I started the day with a fully charged phone, I should have brought my external charger. It was actually scary; I knew I wasn’t going to die because at some point a farmer might come along but I didn’t want to spend the night in the sheep pasture.
I limped into the Kilchatten tea room which is a combo post office, general store and tea room (a little rough at the edges). Bought a water and Diet Coke which I drank outside, in addition to taking a Celebrex, waiting for the taxi (I couldn’t face waiting for the bus). Taxi driver was a pleasant young guy who’s a plumber & had worked at Mount Stuart for about four years so we had a whole conversation about the plumbing, his apprenticeship. I asked him where I could watch the Aston Villa versus Liverpool game; he suggested the Golfers Bar (which is where the ferry drunks went) and I asked if it was a rowdy place; he laughed and said no. Cab ride was £20; he dropped me at the co-op where I bought my favorite chicken and sweet corn on whole meal sandwich and then I walked back, slowly. Stopped at the patisserie, Helmi’s, and they were closing up for the night so I asked if they had anything sweet left and he listed off a bunch of stuff including an apple pie for one, which I bought for £4. Took a hot shower and sat with my feet up; lots of muscle aches. That apple pie was so good, the filling was very cinnamony, not gloppy but like the apples had been marinated in cinnamon or something; The crust was very crumbly & buttery - the whole thing was worth £4 and very very good.
Wednesday, May 10 (sunny)
Rained all night but when I got up, the skies were blue and there was no rain so I decided to go to Ettrick Bay. Got the bus from central square and really enjoyed the nice ride across the island through farm land – not wild and crazy gorse in the hills like yesterday. Passed a cemetery with a sign for Commonwealth graves and a ruined church which I would have explored if I had a car. The bay beach and Café is at the end of the bus route. The cafe owner & chef were very welcoming and I got a delicious breakfast sandwich on a soft fluffy white roll with bacon and a fried egg and a Pepsi Max & ate it outside looking at the water. It’s a busy café, people came and went the whole time I was there. Then the rain started. I’ve discovered that rain here is often torrential but then it blows through and since I saw patches of blue, I waited about 40 minutes until the rain stopped and the sunny blue skies appeared.
There’s a nice walking path, flat, that curves along the bay to the left of the café with fields and sheep and farms on one side and the ocean on the other side. Sunlit uplands (I’m always looking for them.)
Then I walked the beach - lots of water activity, wavelets and curving shore; long sand bars; ripples in the sand; patches of rocky sea bottom; and some of those rocks had bright green hairy seaweed on them. Nothing other than sea life on the sand in the shore (no shells or crabs). I walked a fair way along the beach, realized that the tide was coming in and some of the areas near me had gotten water logged, so I had to jump a few streams or wade through them, hopping on the rocks to avoid the deepest water. Enjoyed watching people walking their dogs and playing with them in the water. The Cafe was still busy and I went inside for another soda, toilet stop, and a slice of cake to take away since I had heard that their cakes were to die for (addition to reading this in multiple places, some walkers I met the day before had told me about the wonderful cheesecake). So I got a slice of coffee walnut cake. Also bought a copy of a local author’s latest mystery (I’m a sucker for Scottish Noire). When I got back on the bus, I asked the driver if he could drop me at the church with the cemetery and then if I could pick up the next bus in an hour - he said of course, in fact there’s a bus stop right there – who knew? So off we go on the bus through gentle rolling hills with sheep and cows; various size farms and crofts. I know it’s a cliché, but it was a green patchwork, lit by sun, dappled with passing clouds and bird calls.
We stopped at the church and out I hopped; driver warned me to be careful walking on the road because the cars are very fast. (I had to walk a bit on the nonexistent shoulder to get to the entrance of the cemeteries). Since there were three separate graveyards with no gates between them, I walked to the furthest one which contained the ruined church. I’ve never seen a deserted church in an active cemetery. There was no roof, no insides and no glass in the windows-in fact a tall, bushy tree was growing up inside the church. The wooden doors of the church were there but all corroded & rotted. Since they were wedged open in rubble, I stepped in a few feet. The belfry ceiling had collapsed and there was wood and cement pieces in the entryway; it doesn’t look like people have been squatting or doing anything illegal which they would certainly do in the US in a deserted building. There were For Sale signs on the church, which I don’t get. How can you sell a church, even if it’s deconsecrated, if it’s in the middle of the cemetery? Who’s going to buy it? And what are they going to do with those bodies and headstones?
The grass in the cemeteries generally was very spongy with a moss base, and quite nice to walk on. Wandered around the cemetery; noticed a headstone in sparkling white marble for a lieutenant commander in the RAF, who died Borneo in 1964. I will look that up because I didn’t know there was anything going on a Borneo in the 60s and what would a Scottish RAF be doing there? Found the Commonwealth graves; all the same shape size and appearance. About 10 of them, all for people who died on ships in World War II so I wrote down the ship names and the date so I can look those up.
Other interesting things: I noticed a number of people born in Bute but died in Canada so they must’ve emigrated. Also in the 19th century, a number of headstones said “accidentally killed” on them; it must’ve been important to explain if someone died other than in old age. (The 21st century headstones were not nearly as interesting.). The church and cemeteries were surrounded by sheep fields with many young lambs who were baa-ing nonstop. I liked it but I guess it could be a piercing noise, if you lived next-door to it. I spent an hour and caught the bus back to Rothesay.
I headed to the Bute Museum since it was closing in an hour. It’s right behind the castle; on the way, I stopped in a little store and bought some postcards and the girl was so interested in my trip and why I came that I chatted with her for about 15 minutes. It is a small museum - one side is all the history of Bute through the ages and the other side is natural history so I opted for the history side. Lots of odds and ends that people had found so it was a somewhat haphazard exhibit. But, interesting photos of the town in the old days; lots of info about the ferries, their bells, ship models, etc.
I ask the curator about the deserted church that was for sale and he knew exactly which one I was referring to but didn’t know it was for sale, so I showed him my photo with the for sale sign on it. He said the church is owned by the Mount Stuart trust but that is not Mount Stuart phone number. We had a long discussion about all the impediments to buying and building on a site in the middle of the cemetery (especially one attached to a very active and heavily used cemetery). Then he showed me a great big wedding photograph from 1897 of a popular farmer on the island who was getting married. He explained that at that time, farmers were probably the wealthiest people on the island. In this photo all the men, including guests, are wearing white tie or at the very least, formal black suits. He pointed out a few other interesting things like the women wearing widows peaks (funny little hats that they were when they were widow). He also noted that when women were widowed they wore black for seven years in gradually lightning colors, so start off with jet black and end up in shades of gray leading into white. He also explained that taking a photo took a long time so people would get tired and pointed out a baby who had fallen asleep. I could have talked to him for hours!
Bought my sandwich for dinner, bought postcards and a Rothesay tea towel in the postoffice and sat on a bench in the sun to write them. Walked home.
Thursday, May 11 (sunny)
Left the boathouse at 9:30 for the 10 o’clock ferry. Sunny day, so I spent the whole ferry ride on the upper deck looking at the views. When we got to Weymiss, I bought a ticket for the train and then noticed a used bookshop run by the Friends of the Weymiss Railway Station; went in and bought two books plus a postcard (£1 per book). Biography of Vera Lynn and a biography of Sue Perkins. I got swept up in looking at the books and realized I only had two minutes before the train left, so zipped over there and got a seat (plenty of seats actually). Arrived at Glasgow Central Station by 1030, found my way to the news stand to pick up my keys and trundled off to the apartment. The apartment is probably only a 10 minute walk from Central Station but my suitcase felt heavy not mention the backpack of the stuff I’ve bought. Will create a new thread for my Glasgow days.
Overall, I really enjoyed Bute. I wish I had a car, but car rental rates were so high that I couldn't justify the cost. Although 3 full days was more time than I really needed, I enjoyed taking a leisurely approach and spending time chatting with locals OR sitting in front of my bay window, watching the clouds, mist, boats, etc. The visitors center sold various "Walks in Rothesay" booklets which I would do another time. With the exception of Kilchattan Bay, I would recommend everything I did and would do it again.
Had toast w homemade marmalade and waited for rain to die down. Decided to do the Skipper Woods walk leading to the Ardencraig gardens. Walked up the steep road next to the Kettledrum to the woodland path. Very nice - through woods, very mossy (deep moss); various wildflowers (wild garlic and bluebells); mini-streams going under the path; lots of birdies and sun appeared.
To the left, the path overlooks the water and the backs of all the houses which I love seeing from the rear. It’s about a mile from start to end on the Woodland Trail and as you get further south, there are big backyards/fields. Walk was flat but muddy; very pleasant overall. At the end, turn right and left in a few yards at the blue sign for Ardencraig gardens. Walk through a modern house development until you see the gardens. The gardens are very, very small. Some greenhouses and planting beds that were empty at this time. In the back, there's an aviary with cockatiels, parrots, lots of Australian finches and other birds-wonder how they ended up here? Quite warm in the sun and of course I forgot my sunglasses. Lots of benches so nice place to rest my feet.
Decided to go to Kilchattan Bay and see what there is, plus see more of the island beyond Mount Stuart via bus. Turned right out of the garden's street and down to the main waterfront street where there was a bus stop right there -Montfort. I barely had to wait at all before the bus was there. Saw the same lady who I had talked to on the bus the day before and she recognized me, so we chatted about how I liked Mount Stuart and where I was going today; turns out the lady she was talking to works at Mount Stuart. When they got off the bus, they both waved goodbye to me very cheerily. Got off at the very end at Kilchatten, where the bus turns around. Lots of cars and an info board with map telling me this is the beginning of the West Island Walk.
The ladies on the bus had recommended walking to the Lighthouse “it’s a wee walk” so that was my plan. The sun was out, I had sturdy walking shoes, fleece, hat, etc. Enjoyed the first 20 minutes or so – right along the water, with sheep & lambs munching grass, lots of gorse and high hills to my right. I saw a sign referring to “path erosion and be careful” but felt confident. Well, the path was definitely eroded – lots of narrow, stony & muddy sections. But the scenery was great and I still felt good. Lots of clambering over stones and after another 30 minutes, I saw the lighthouse. Didn’t walk out to it, since at this point I was tired. The map had seemed to indicate that there was a shorter loop where I could turn right at the lighthouse and get back to the starting point, versus walking all the way around. Well, that didn’t happen.
It’s turned into an adventure in my mind now, and a funny story, but at the time, I was worried and even a bit scared. Basically, the trail I was following from the lighthouse petered out and I was lost in sheep pastures, couldn’t find the trail (any trail), my phone was running out of power, there was no one anywhere within sight, just a bunch of sheep, and the fences were barbed wire which I decided I couldn’t climb over or through. Over three hours I covered almost 7 miles heading north, parallel to the water, and finally realized I needed help. I tried to call the local police but the call didn’t go through, so I called the woman who runs the place I’m staying and explained to her what was going on. She said she would call the Coast Guard and they would send a helicopter to find me; I had visions of those people that go hiking out in the US west and have to be rescued at great expense to the state and everyone thinks how stupid they were; then she said maybe she could call the police and they could come find me so she wanted to know what I could see. Trying to describe rocks, gorse, hills and tussocks is difficult to identify anything unusual. But, the only thing I could see was an antenna tower in the distance, which seemed to me to be a pretty good way to locate me- I was due west of it. She said she would call the police and she would call me back. Then, w-a-a-a-a-y up the hill I saw two people walking, so I waved like I was stopping a train - both arms waving madly and jumping; they saw me and waved back but started to walk away, so I shouted wait, wait. They waited & it turns out there was a gate near them, so after about a quarter mile of slogging through the tall grass, water patches and gorse, I reached them. (Forgot to mention, I didn’t have any water because I thought I was going for a 20 minute gentle walk to the lighthouse – ho ho ho ho).
I was huffing and puffing, leaning on the gate post to catch my breath and they seemed a bit surprised at me and my saga but offered to walk me back to the path that led to Kilchattan. I called my landlady and told her I found two people, her words were “thank God”; I told her I didn’t need the police so she cancelled them. I was feeling safe now but the walk back to the village was a steep, slippery, muddy, rocky descent (I don’t know who, let alone the senior citizens I saw who had walked this walk could do it - these Brits are a tough race) but I made it. I’m not even sure what lessons I’ve learned other than bring water; more likely the lesson is don’t go walking on my own since the walks are always longer & tougher than the map says; and although I started the day with a fully charged phone, I should have brought my external charger. It was actually scary; I knew I wasn’t going to die because at some point a farmer might come along but I didn’t want to spend the night in the sheep pasture.
I limped into the Kilchatten tea room which is a combo post office, general store and tea room (a little rough at the edges). Bought a water and Diet Coke which I drank outside, in addition to taking a Celebrex, waiting for the taxi (I couldn’t face waiting for the bus). Taxi driver was a pleasant young guy who’s a plumber & had worked at Mount Stuart for about four years so we had a whole conversation about the plumbing, his apprenticeship. I asked him where I could watch the Aston Villa versus Liverpool game; he suggested the Golfers Bar (which is where the ferry drunks went) and I asked if it was a rowdy place; he laughed and said no. Cab ride was £20; he dropped me at the co-op where I bought my favorite chicken and sweet corn on whole meal sandwich and then I walked back, slowly. Stopped at the patisserie, Helmi’s, and they were closing up for the night so I asked if they had anything sweet left and he listed off a bunch of stuff including an apple pie for one, which I bought for £4. Took a hot shower and sat with my feet up; lots of muscle aches. That apple pie was so good, the filling was very cinnamony, not gloppy but like the apples had been marinated in cinnamon or something; The crust was very crumbly & buttery - the whole thing was worth £4 and very very good.
Wednesday, May 10 (sunny)
Rained all night but when I got up, the skies were blue and there was no rain so I decided to go to Ettrick Bay. Got the bus from central square and really enjoyed the nice ride across the island through farm land – not wild and crazy gorse in the hills like yesterday. Passed a cemetery with a sign for Commonwealth graves and a ruined church which I would have explored if I had a car. The bay beach and Café is at the end of the bus route. The cafe owner & chef were very welcoming and I got a delicious breakfast sandwich on a soft fluffy white roll with bacon and a fried egg and a Pepsi Max & ate it outside looking at the water. It’s a busy café, people came and went the whole time I was there. Then the rain started. I’ve discovered that rain here is often torrential but then it blows through and since I saw patches of blue, I waited about 40 minutes until the rain stopped and the sunny blue skies appeared.
There’s a nice walking path, flat, that curves along the bay to the left of the café with fields and sheep and farms on one side and the ocean on the other side. Sunlit uplands (I’m always looking for them.)
Then I walked the beach - lots of water activity, wavelets and curving shore; long sand bars; ripples in the sand; patches of rocky sea bottom; and some of those rocks had bright green hairy seaweed on them. Nothing other than sea life on the sand in the shore (no shells or crabs). I walked a fair way along the beach, realized that the tide was coming in and some of the areas near me had gotten water logged, so I had to jump a few streams or wade through them, hopping on the rocks to avoid the deepest water. Enjoyed watching people walking their dogs and playing with them in the water. The Cafe was still busy and I went inside for another soda, toilet stop, and a slice of cake to take away since I had heard that their cakes were to die for (addition to reading this in multiple places, some walkers I met the day before had told me about the wonderful cheesecake). So I got a slice of coffee walnut cake. Also bought a copy of a local author’s latest mystery (I’m a sucker for Scottish Noire). When I got back on the bus, I asked the driver if he could drop me at the church with the cemetery and then if I could pick up the next bus in an hour - he said of course, in fact there’s a bus stop right there – who knew? So off we go on the bus through gentle rolling hills with sheep and cows; various size farms and crofts. I know it’s a cliché, but it was a green patchwork, lit by sun, dappled with passing clouds and bird calls.
We stopped at the church and out I hopped; driver warned me to be careful walking on the road because the cars are very fast. (I had to walk a bit on the nonexistent shoulder to get to the entrance of the cemeteries). Since there were three separate graveyards with no gates between them, I walked to the furthest one which contained the ruined church. I’ve never seen a deserted church in an active cemetery. There was no roof, no insides and no glass in the windows-in fact a tall, bushy tree was growing up inside the church. The wooden doors of the church were there but all corroded & rotted. Since they were wedged open in rubble, I stepped in a few feet. The belfry ceiling had collapsed and there was wood and cement pieces in the entryway; it doesn’t look like people have been squatting or doing anything illegal which they would certainly do in the US in a deserted building. There were For Sale signs on the church, which I don’t get. How can you sell a church, even if it’s deconsecrated, if it’s in the middle of the cemetery? Who’s going to buy it? And what are they going to do with those bodies and headstones?
The grass in the cemeteries generally was very spongy with a moss base, and quite nice to walk on. Wandered around the cemetery; noticed a headstone in sparkling white marble for a lieutenant commander in the RAF, who died Borneo in 1964. I will look that up because I didn’t know there was anything going on a Borneo in the 60s and what would a Scottish RAF be doing there? Found the Commonwealth graves; all the same shape size and appearance. About 10 of them, all for people who died on ships in World War II so I wrote down the ship names and the date so I can look those up.
Other interesting things: I noticed a number of people born in Bute but died in Canada so they must’ve emigrated. Also in the 19th century, a number of headstones said “accidentally killed” on them; it must’ve been important to explain if someone died other than in old age. (The 21st century headstones were not nearly as interesting.). The church and cemeteries were surrounded by sheep fields with many young lambs who were baa-ing nonstop. I liked it but I guess it could be a piercing noise, if you lived next-door to it. I spent an hour and caught the bus back to Rothesay.
I headed to the Bute Museum since it was closing in an hour. It’s right behind the castle; on the way, I stopped in a little store and bought some postcards and the girl was so interested in my trip and why I came that I chatted with her for about 15 minutes. It is a small museum - one side is all the history of Bute through the ages and the other side is natural history so I opted for the history side. Lots of odds and ends that people had found so it was a somewhat haphazard exhibit. But, interesting photos of the town in the old days; lots of info about the ferries, their bells, ship models, etc.
I ask the curator about the deserted church that was for sale and he knew exactly which one I was referring to but didn’t know it was for sale, so I showed him my photo with the for sale sign on it. He said the church is owned by the Mount Stuart trust but that is not Mount Stuart phone number. We had a long discussion about all the impediments to buying and building on a site in the middle of the cemetery (especially one attached to a very active and heavily used cemetery). Then he showed me a great big wedding photograph from 1897 of a popular farmer on the island who was getting married. He explained that at that time, farmers were probably the wealthiest people on the island. In this photo all the men, including guests, are wearing white tie or at the very least, formal black suits. He pointed out a few other interesting things like the women wearing widows peaks (funny little hats that they were when they were widow). He also noted that when women were widowed they wore black for seven years in gradually lightning colors, so start off with jet black and end up in shades of gray leading into white. He also explained that taking a photo took a long time so people would get tired and pointed out a baby who had fallen asleep. I could have talked to him for hours!
Bought my sandwich for dinner, bought postcards and a Rothesay tea towel in the postoffice and sat on a bench in the sun to write them. Walked home.
Thursday, May 11 (sunny)
Left the boathouse at 9:30 for the 10 o’clock ferry. Sunny day, so I spent the whole ferry ride on the upper deck looking at the views. When we got to Weymiss, I bought a ticket for the train and then noticed a used bookshop run by the Friends of the Weymiss Railway Station; went in and bought two books plus a postcard (£1 per book). Biography of Vera Lynn and a biography of Sue Perkins. I got swept up in looking at the books and realized I only had two minutes before the train left, so zipped over there and got a seat (plenty of seats actually). Arrived at Glasgow Central Station by 1030, found my way to the news stand to pick up my keys and trundled off to the apartment. The apartment is probably only a 10 minute walk from Central Station but my suitcase felt heavy not mention the backpack of the stuff I’ve bought. Will create a new thread for my Glasgow days.
Overall, I really enjoyed Bute. I wish I had a car, but car rental rates were so high that I couldn't justify the cost. Although 3 full days was more time than I really needed, I enjoyed taking a leisurely approach and spending time chatting with locals OR sitting in front of my bay window, watching the clouds, mist, boats, etc. The visitors center sold various "Walks in Rothesay" booklets which I would do another time. With the exception of Kilchattan Bay, I would recommend everything I did and would do it again.
May 25th, 2022, 11:07 PM
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How can you sell a church, even if it’s deconsecrated, if it’s in the middle of the cemetery? Who’s going to buy it?
Borneo: for some years in the 1960s Indonesia was trying to take North Borneo by force, and British forces were sent out to support the local resistance.
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/indonesian-confrontation
May 26th, 2022, 03:53 AM
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I'm glad people are enjoying this trip report - I liked Bute very much and am thinking about a return visit.
PatrickLondon - thank you for the link to the National Army Museum site re: Borneo. I always visit the NAM when I"m in London and have attended some absorbing lectures there, so appreciate the reminder about the breadth of info available. Interesting about how the Burma & Malaya experiences changed the actual method of fighting in this conflict and the concept of implementing projects to win local support.
PatrickLondon - thank you for the link to the National Army Museum site re: Borneo. I always visit the NAM when I"m in London and have attended some absorbing lectures there, so appreciate the reminder about the breadth of info available. Interesting about how the Burma & Malaya experiences changed the actual method of fighting in this conflict and the concept of implementing projects to win local support.
Jun 4th, 2022, 01:37 PM
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What a wonderful report. I like your travel style, and of course your absorbing descriptions.
Wouldn't a helicopter have been embarrassing, even if life saving?
I have a September week in the UK before meeting my daughter back in London, and hope to get to rural Scotland just a bit. (I've been on a genealogy kick and discovered some long-ago Scot ancestors, so would like to put my feet on some of that spongy ground, smell the air.) Looking forward to your Glasgow.
Wouldn't a helicopter have been embarrassing, even if life saving?
I have a September week in the UK before meeting my daughter back in London, and hope to get to rural Scotland just a bit. (I've been on a genealogy kick and discovered some long-ago Scot ancestors, so would like to put my feet on some of that spongy ground, smell the air.) Looking forward to your Glasgow.
