Argyll - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 55

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village at Carry Farm; dinghy sailing courses usually last a
week, but day-sails are also possible.

ACTIVITIES
Sailing school The Tighnabruaich Sailing School ( T 01700
811717, W tssargyll.co.uk) is located two miles south of the

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING
Colintraive Hotel South of the ferry slipway,
Colintraive T 01700 841207, W colintraivehotel.com.
A favourite with yachties, the Colintraive Hotel is worth
seeking out for its four crisply decorated rooms (two with
views of the Kyles), as well as its delicious fresh dishes. £90

Royal An Lochan Tighnabruaich T 01700 811239,
W theroyalanlochan.co.uk. There's impressive waterside
accommodation at the classy An Lochan , which also serves
exceptionally good s eafoo d bar meals and has wonderful
views over the Kyles. £125

Isle of Bute
The island of Bute is in many ways simply an extension of the Cowal peninsula, from
which it is separated by the narrow Kyles of Bute. Thanks to its mild climate and its
ferry link with Wemyss Bay, Bute has been a popular holiday and convalescence spot
for Clydesiders for over a century. Its chief town, Rothesay , rivals Dunoon as the major
seaside resort on the Clyde, easily surpassing it thanks to some splendid Victorian
architecture, decent accommodation and eating options and the chance to visit Mount
Stuart , one of Scotland's most singular aristocratic piles. The Highland-Lowland
dividing line passes through Bute, which is all but sliced in two by the freshwater Loch
Fad. As a result, the northern half of the island is hilly and uninhabited, while the
southern half is made up of Lowland-style farmland. Bute's inhabitants live around the
two wide bays on the island's east coast, which resembles one long seaside promenade.
To escape the crowds head for the sparsely populated west coast, which, in any case, has
the sandiest beaches.
Bute stages a couple of terrific annual events, namely its own Highland Games Festival
on the third weekend of August, and the Bute Jazz Festival over the May Bank Holiday,
usually featuring renowned international artists.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE ISLE OF BUTE

By ferry Two CalMac ferry services operate from the main-
land to Bute; the main one is from Wemyss Bay to Rothesay,
and the other is the very short crossing at the northern tip

of the island from Colintraive in Cowal to Rhubodach.
Destinations Colintraive-Rhubodach (every 20-30min;
5min); Wemyss Bay-Rothesay (every 45min; 30min).

Rothesay
Bute's only town, ROTHESAY is a handsome Victorian resort, set in a wide sweeping
bay, backed by green hills, with a classic palm-tree promenade and 1920s pagoda-style
pavilion originally built to house the Winter Gardens . Though often busy with
day-trippers from Glasgow, and in need of a lick of paint here and there, there's plenty
that's attractive about the place, with some handsome buildings, a prominent Art Deco
pavilion and occasional flourishes of wrought-ironwork.

Pavilion toilets
The Pier • Daily: Easter-Sept 8am-7.45pm; Oct-Easter 9am-4.45pm • 20p
Rothesay's Victorian toilets , built in 1899 by Twyfords, are a feast of marble, ceramics
and brass so ornate that they're now one of the town's most celebrated sights. The
Victorians didn't make provision for ladies' conveniences, so the women's half is a
modern add-on, but if the coast is clear the attendant - attired in a neat burgundy
waistcoat - will allow ladies a tour of the gents, clad in colourfully painted ceramic tiles
and mosaics, and starring an impressive central stand with six urinals; never has the call
of nature seemed so attractive.