In praise of … holidays “doon the watter” to Bute – Scotland on Sunday Travel

Putters, 99s and the Bute Noir crime festival make Rothesay irresistible

Views of the Clyde from the Isle of Bute. Pic: J Mitchell

Despite being just 15 miles long, a small island in the Fi rth of Clyde has clocked up some pretty amazing honours.

· First home in Scotland to have electricity and a phone – check.

· Home to the Serpentine, a hill with 14 hairpin bends in just a few hundred ridiculously steep metres – check.

Bute Noir, the annual crime fiction festival is held on the Isle of Bute every August.

· An idyllic venue where Rod Stewart, Kate Moss, Hugh Grant and Madonna spent the weekend celebrating Stella McCartney’s wedding – check.

Yet it’s also a place where hundreds of seals call home, where secret Second World War submarines were tested and whose slightly ageing splendour draws me back several times every year.

The Isle of Bute – known to many by the name of its central town, Rothesay – has been tempting Glaswegians ‘doon the watter’ for generations. In its heyday thousands thronged the wide prom during Glasgow Fair Fortnight, enjoying a Zavaroni’s ice cream (yes, that Zavaroni), packing into tiny tenement closes or luxuriating in splendid spa hotels with stunning views up the Kyles.

Now, the town centre, like many seaside resorts, has lost much of its gloss, a fair chunk of its footfall, yet somehow retains an endearing charm.

Bute offers multiple opportunities for outdoor activities including cycling. Pic: J Mitchell

I first holidayed there one summer in the early 1970s; my parents packed all four of us kids into a Ford Cortina estate and set off on an adventure, departing Wemyss Bay on the Ayrshire coast for a half hour ferry ride to another world. Of course, rose tinted glasses mean I remember nothing but sunshine. My delight in finding my two closest friends also holidaying on the island in the same week was heaven-sent, and the freedom we had to explore was unrivalled. We fished off the pier, hunted for shells at the beach, and gorged ourselves on lemonade and sunshine. Culture came in the form of a Kenneth McKellar concert at the Pavilion on the Saturday night.

Strangely, every summer holiday memory I have seems to have taken place on Bute … childhood recollections lie, of course, my mum can only remember us visiting once, perhaps twice at most. Yet whenever I conjure up thoughts of carefree summer days, Rothesay and Bute deliver the goods.

So, in turn, I took my kids to the Clydeside Riviera; we hired a house high up on Ardmory Road, with a telescope for spotting ships and stars, and a wood burning stove for melting chocolate Minstrels on top … the next generation forged their own memories.

Together we explored Mount Stuart House and its outstanding gardens, listening to legends of coal billionaires and racing drivers, and fortunes invested on this little island. We swam at Ettrick Bay, built sandcastles at Ascog and climbed the hill at St Blane’s Chapel to spy the Sleeping Warrior on Arran.

Jenson at Ascog Bay on Bute, a dog-friendly destination. Pic: J Mitchell

Dog-friendly locations www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/staycation/dog-friendly-hotels-scotland-these-are-10-of-the-best-scottish-hotels-that-welcome-four-legged-friends-according-to-online-reviewers-4165477

Fast forward and these days I explore either on two wheels – taking my bike down by train and ferry from my home near Edinburgh for thoroughly enjoyable, if hilly and pot-holed, circuits of the island, or with tartan noir book-loving friends, as we mingle with paperback killers at the Bute Noir crime writers’ festival in August. I generally choose to stay out of town in Port Bannatyne or Ascog, relishing the peace.

I’ve yet to make it to the Highland Games or music festival, nor have I walked the West Island Way or surfed in one of the many sheltered bays. But I’ve scored a hole-in-one on arguably the prettiest pitch-and-putt course in Scotland; as an unpublished novelist I don’t get to putt in the hotly contested Brookmyre Cup at Bute Noir, but finishing my book and then claiming the trophy are on my bucket list.

I’ve eaten delicious cakes in the many cafes, met the tame peacock in Port Bannatyne, bought lots of lovely books and stationery in Print Point, browsed in the tiny, yet packed Victoriana jewellery shop where the owner’s love of a blether is only surpassed by the joy of meeting customers who haggle, and I’m looking forward to tasting the island’s latest offering, Isle of Bute Gin, down in Bute Yard.

Walking along the beach at Ettrick Bay, Isle of Bute. Pic: J Mitchell

It’s easy to dismiss a holiday close to home as a lesser being, but add in a ferry trip and a sprinkle of good weather and it grows a mysticism of its own. A break that offers adventure sports, beaches, good food and great surroundings, all just a short jaunt from Glasgow or Edinburgh, is a very attractive proposition.

Throw in a putter and a 99 cone, and it’s pretty much irresistible.

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