• 2 nights bed and breakfast accommodation and one dinner at the 3-star (Scottish Tourist Board) Ardyne Guest House.
• Packed lunch at Mount Stuart.
• Dinner at Mount Stuart.
• Venue entrance fees.
• Guidance by two professional photographers.
• Transport around Bute.

More details are available on the Picture Bute website

This detached cottage is in a wonderful location, perched on rocks with sea views on three sides, and with a rustic, walled garden overlooking the sea.

Its situation is perfect for exploring Bute either by foot, bicycle, car or open-top bus. Or simply relax and enjoy the view.

The cottage is available as a self-catering holiday let and will accommodate up to 6 people.

To check availability and book Montford Cottage please contact Kate Thomson kate@redthimbles.co.uk or call 01892 530140.

Visit the website

This luxurious self-catering development is just three miles from Mount Stuart on the attractive south west coast of the island. Its picturesque setting provides exceptional views over Arran, with Stravannan beach just 15 minutes walk away.

Up to 16 guests can enjoy the sanctuary of these beautifully furnished private lodges – ideally situated next to the Kingarth golf course and just a mile from the warm hospitality of Kingarth Hotel & Smiddy Bar.

Both North Lodge and South Lodge provide immaculate and spacious living space for family holidays, corporate weekends, wedding parties and relaxing breaks. If you are hosting an event at Mount Stuart, the lodges can be used as additional convenient accommodation for your guests.

New Properties
We are delighted to offer a number of beautiful, self catering holiday cottages on the Mount Stuart estate. Recently restored and refurbished to an exactingly high standard, our cottages each have their own unique character. The cottages provide the perfect base from which to explore Mount Stuart and the Isle of Bute.

All of our properties offer immaculate and spacious living space for family holidays, corporate weekends, wedding parties and relaxing breaks. If you are hosting an event at Mount Stuart, the cottages can be used as additional convenient accommodation for your guests.

Kennels, Stables North and Stables South all have 2 bedrooms. These newly renovated and converted historic buildings are beautifully decorated featuring many items made here on the island.

Kerryniven is a 3 bedroom Eco-friendly, energy efficient cottage located within the landscaped gardens with superb contemporary interior design

Visit the Mount Stuart Self-Catering Lodges webpage

Right from the start, the purchase of the forest was seen as the first important step in the community taking charge of its own destiny and leading the social and economic regeneration of the island.

The new Forest Manager, Emma Cooper  arrived in December 2011 just in time to oversee the First Tree Cutting event and the subsequent processing of the same tree through the Wood Miser mobile saw mill. Almost 50 local people turned up to sample mulled wine and real Danish pastries (made by a real Danish lady). It was very interesting and great fun…

There’s loads more information on the Bute Forest web site and you can sign up for regular news updates

The shop has products from over 29 different Isle of Bute producers, ranging from incredibly detailed water colour paintings to beautifully tactile wooden bowls and writing pens.

They offer a wide variety of locally themed gifts and souvenirs both online and in-store. In addition, you can also upload your own photographs to create truly personalised gifts from any of our wide range of available print formats with their  online photo printing service.

Go to the Website at www.picturebute.com

Ascog Hall Gardens and Victorian Fernery
A charming three acre garden in a fairy-tale setting with an awe-inspiring Victorian fern house, a fascinating gravel garden favoured by butterflies and visitors alike, and a rose garden abundantly planted with ramblers and old shrub roses. Elsewhere, meandering paths lead through exotic plantings with a mixture of trees, shrubs, bulbs and choice perennials providing interest and colour from Easter to autumn.
Please see our facebook page for all events and many photographs of the garden throughout the season.
For all other information and enquiries www.ascoghallfernery.co.uk

Ardencraig Gardens
Recently described as having the “best display of summer bedding anywhere in Scotland” this beautiful walled garden and glasshouses at their finest in July & August are run by Argyll and Bute council and have been developed to create a propagation, education and show garden with new cultivars introduced annually. The plants cultivated at Ardencraig are used throughout the Argyll and Bute region. There are a number of aviaries housing a range of foreign bird species that have been built to provide further interest – these are very popular with visiting children! The vibrant, well maintained displays in Rothesay are highly praised and enjoyed by both locals and visitors alike.
http://www.gardens-of-argyll.co.uk/gardens/ardencraig-gardens.html

Mount Stuart
300 acres and 300 years of fascinating and constantly evolving gardening at Mount Stuart make it a must see for all visitors to Bute. Designed upon an exquisite natural canvas provided by the island’s lush habitat and picturesque shoreline, today, they are amongst Europe’s finest vibrant gardens, wilderness and woodland.
Mount Stuart has an exotically planted 5 acre wee garden, an elaborate rock garden designed by Thomas Mawson, a Pinetum, a Kitchen Garden containing culinary and medicinal delights and an elegant glass house pavilion, a contemporary garden surrounding the award winning visitor centre, not to mention countless enjoyable walks through the policies and plants for sale. There are also vast carpets of snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells to delight in depending on the time of year you visit.
www.mountstuart.com

Bute is great for cycling, for lots of reasons: it’s big enough to offer a wide range of cycling options, but not too big that the main town of Rothesay is ever that far away; the short ferry journey means that its ideal for a day out with the bikes; it has some truly splendid views and scenery; it’s relatively flat; there is an excellent bike rental service; and there’s very little traffic. And of course there are a number of cafes and restaurants strategically situated around the island, perfect for replenishment. So it’s no surprise that many people are to be seen biking it on Bute.

The public roads around Bute offer a number of cycling options. There is a 23 mile loop which takes in most of the perimeter of the island, and also roads which bisect it and thereby provide shorter routes.

One excellent choice is the Rothesay-Ettrick Bay loop, which is approximately 10 miles: coming off the ferry turn right out through the town, to and through the village of Port Bannatyne; taking the next left and you are already into the countryside. About ½ mile out this road (A844) take a left turn for Ballianlay. Coming up over the gentle brow of this road is likely to be your first view of the magnificent backdrop that is the Isle of Arran. Following this main road around will take you back into Rothesay, which is well sign-posted. However a few detours are highly recommended: Ettrick Bay Tearoom is a very popular destination, while the village of Straad and St Ninian’s Bay are without doubt one of the island’s most magical spots.

If you fancy something longer do not follow the road back into Rothesay, instead turn right at Greenan Mill and follow the coast road (still the A844) to Seal Point and Scalpsie Bay. Both of these are excellent places to take repose and admire the views. Turning left at the t-junction onto the B881 will again bring you back into Rothesay, while turning right brings you out by Bute Golf Course, Kingarth Hotel and on up the hill to the Mount Stuart estate. After that it’s a few miles downhill and along the island’s east coast back into, yes you’ve guessed it, Rothesay.

There is no shortage of options for off-road mountain bike too. Starting at the Mount Stuart War Memorial monument and heading up over the Moor Road is great fun with some exhilarating views. Also there are some mountain bike trails in the forest along by Loch Fad, and forestry tracks through the woods at the very north of the island.

Osprey, Hen Harriers, Buzzards, Golden Eagles, Red Throated Divers, Gadwalls, Gargany, Bar Tailed Godwits, Golden Plover, Meadow Pippets, Skylarks, Whitethroats & Jays Scotch Argus Butterflies

Red and Roe Deer, Porpoise, Dolphins, Grey Seals , Highland Cattle, Foxes, Mink, A Heronry, Bird Hides and so much more that space simply doesn’t allow.

Below you will read just one of many beautiful, memorable and educational walks to take on the island. For more inspiring exciting wildlife walks for most ages and abilities not to mention a very enjoyable read please visit the website of one of Bute’s very own nature fanatic’s and keen walker Norrie Mulholland:

www.birdseyeviewofbute.com

A walk to the Bull Loch.
This is a short, ( 4m, 6.6 Km) but exhilarating walk from the Rhubodach/Colintraive ferry terminal, walking to the loch and returning a slightly different way.

Park at the car park at the terminal.  There are buses to this point but are infrequent for this short walk. Head past the ticket office and you will come to a gate with a sign saying ‘Rhubodach Shore Walk’. image no (I) Through this gate and follow the path to the brow of the small hump, then carry on the path, then as the path becomes non-existent, head to the shores, and along the high water mark till you come to the Ballnakailly Burn.  Follow it upstream till you see the way across it, used by tractors etc, then as you wade across it (depending how much rain we have been having) or the state of the tides.  Just before you come to the crossing place, look to the edge of the woods and you will see a galvanised gate, Image no (2) head for this gate.. If you happen to have a heavy dog, the gate will pull out at the bottom, allowing access for your canine friend.  As you climb over this gate (no hinges) watch out for the barbed wire on top of the post.
Follow the faint path till it all but disappears, then look at image no (3).  Keep heading the way that you were walking, and as you start to climb you will see that there is a deep track to your right, this was caused by the horse and carts heading to Ballnakailly .  If you see these tracks, then you are on the right way up, with the stream to you left, with a big drop down to it.

Carry on upwards till you come to an S bend on the stream and also on the path.. On a tree to your left you will see a bird box, which is one of many being used by tits, pied flycatchers etc, and by bats in the winter months.  Go round this tree and swing to your left, then about 50 yds onwards your path takes a right turn,

 and you should end up at  a moss covered small wall with an iron post atop of it.  Image no (4)
Drop down over the wall, then move about 5 yds to your right and you will see the way through the pine trees, which form an arch coming to a round stone with a deep hollow in it.( possibly for grinding corn) Image no (5).  Then in front of you are the Ballnakailly ruins. image no (6) , keep them on your right and you will be on a boggy path heading uphill once more.. After about 100 yds, on your right you will come across piles of pine needles which is the home of Wood Ants, and if it is sunny then they will be busy and if you hold your hand over them, they will spit formic acid on to you which smell like vinegar, but don’t get too close as they also have a tendency to bite.

Up, and onwards till you come to the turning area for lorries, then on to the Landover track till you come to the main Landover track.. As you come to this junction you will see a post with an arrow on it on your left, this is the way that you will return after a visit to the loch. Carry on the main track heading upwards, until you notice that the pine trees are well below you. Look out for a large stone with a near horizontal crack on it at the edge of the woods, this is letting you know that you are on the right track and nearing the final turning point.
Onwards and upwards until it levels off a wee bit looking out for a pine tree that is right at the track on your right, that means that you are 50 yds from your next turning.  Look out for the pine trees to stop and being replaced with smaller broad leaved ones, this is the sign that you are almost there
Ahead and on your left high up is a solitary small pine tree, head for this, and when you get to it, look to your right and you will see a gap between the trees with the path in the middle.
Head up this path, and swing to your left at the top.  Carry on along and down following a well used path through the heather, coming to boggy bits, then more heather, then more boggy bits, then as you get to level ground be very careful as what you may think is a path, maybe a ditch which may be very deep. Onwards to the loch which is now in sight and is only minutes away from you.

Tea/Coffee time, then back up the hill and head to the Landrover track. Turn left, heading downhill till you come to that sign that I mentioned before.  Swing to your right and on to the next sign, turn left and you will eventually come to the main road.  Go left, and walk along the grass verge to your car.

I hope that you have had a good walk and may try more that I will write about.

Norrie Mulholland

Commissioned by Rothesay Harbour Trust in 1899 during Rothesay’s hey-day as a holiday resort, the gents lavatory, a most unusual survivor of the Victorian era, was always intended to impress.
The interior is magnificient with walls entirely clad in decorative ceramic tiles, ornately patterned in rows. The floors are designed with ceramic mosaic, with the crest of the Royal Burgh of Rothesay at the entance.

Open 7 days a week, the Victorian Toilets are fully functional Public Lavatories. As part of the £300,000 restoration project in the 1990′s there are modern ladies toilets with mother and child facilities, disabled toilets with father and child facilities and ladies & gents showers.

A bit more information is available on this web page