Leaving Bute

I feel that one day wasn't quite long enough to really discover Bute. I'd definitely like to come back in the summer when there are more events going on and the weather is better. I seem to have missed an opportunity to find out about the event that my Grandfather had wittnessed in the 70's. It occured to me later that the Isle of Bute Highland Games takes place in August and such an event as he described would probably have been moved to be part of the highland games.

This Blog was set up to try and find out more about the island that I managed in one day. Any comments and contributions to this blog about life on Bute would be appreciated.

McIntyre's Haggis

While we were waiting for the next ferry I had a chance to pop into McIntyre's Haggis Shop which specialised in local food. I bought a haggis to cook for my flatmates back in London and some Bute cheese which can also be bought in my local supermarket.

The lady proprietor of the shop (I'm presuming she's Mrs. McIntyre) had had all her windows broken at one point. I liked how she had dealt with the problem - a large sign in her shop window describing what had happened and an interesting display of large stones in the window.

Discovery Centre

We missed the ferry..... but that gave us time to visit the Bute Discovery Centre. Note the beautiful iron work. The discovery centre was very interesting in terms of the history of the island but also told us a lot about what was going on there during the summer; jazz festivals, dances at the pavillion and tours of Mount Stuart. It's a shame that it is not such a popular tourist destination as it once was. Not surprising really considering the cheap flights available these days and so many people own cars that if they want to holiday in Scotland they could travel further.

I completely forgot to ask about the drift wood baton and the throwing event. I'm sure that someone at the discovery centre would have been able to give me some information.

Dazzle Bench

Check out this cool bench! A friend of mine took this picture during one of our stops in Rothesay. The pattern has been painted on the origanally white bench in grey and black paint. I'm not sure if it's just graffiti or vandalism but it quite artistic.

We all commented on how the pattern reminded us of the black and white pictures of battle ships that were decorated with dazzle camouflage to avoid being torpedoed by submarines; the pattern made it hard to tell which direction the ship is moving and therefore it is very difficult to target. It's quite fitting considering the relationship between Bute and submariners during the war.

Ettrick Bay

This is Ettrick Bay on the West side of the island. While I'd been searching for information about Bute on the internet I found many pictures of the bay and the stranded fishing boat/trawler in the shallow water. I'm not surprised it has become a bit of a landmark as it is very attractive view over the bay.

In the Ettrick Bay tearoom (famous for it's homebaking) we we're told that in the summer the bay is very popular with artists and photographers. Unfortunately we didn't have time to stop as we had to make our way back to Rothesay for the ferry.

Port Bannatyne

On the way to Ettrick Bay we stopped at a tearoom in idyllic Port Bannatyne and had some cheese and salad sandwiches. Port Bannatyne is a very nice town and it is hard to imagine it as a base for midget-submarines, bustling with submariners and the navy during the war.

More Shield Bricks!

We spotted more of those bricks on the way back through Rothesay! I wondered if there's some kind of connection between the masonary work at Mount Stuart and these bricks in the houses.

St. Blane's Church

We took a drive to St. Blane's at the southern end of the island. St Blane was born on Bute in the 6th century and now there stands the ruins of the monestry and a 12th-century Norman church. A very nice site and worth the visit although watch out for the cows.

Mount Stuart

Mount Stuart is the ancestoral home of the Marquess of Bute and the stuart Family. It's a fantastic example of the Gothic revival architecture of the Victorian period. Most of the original house was destroyed in a fire in 1877 and the impressive new building was built to replace it.

The house was never really finished. One of my friends noticed the large red sanstone blocks on the second floor balcony that had large shield shaped carved in them but the stone mason hadn't added the details. Apparently these blank shields are also present in the interior. They reminded me of the bricks we saw in Rothesay.

We didn't get to see the interior as it wasn't the season but I did check out some photos on the official website and it looks amazing.

Strange Bricks

We decided to see some more of Bute and not worry too much about the 'bute stick legend'. The next stop was Mount Stuart.

On the way back to the car we noticed these bricks set into a garden wall. These rough blocks had a raised shield shape protruding from the face but there was no initials, coat of arms or maufacturer's stamp on the brick. They looked like they were there to help climb over the wall.

Bute Museum

Bute Museum and Natural History society. Interesting displays and info about the islands history; from stone age forts and saints to the war time role and tourism. We learnt some pretty interesting stuff like Port Bannatyne's submarine activity during the second world war and how popular the island was for tourists from Glasgow in the fifties.

Unfortunately the gentleman at the museum at the museum couldn't help us find information about the baton throwing event as he hadn't even heard about it. He seemed sceptical but didn't rule out the possibility of it taking place somewhere on the island but.

Rothesay castle ring

Our first port of call was the museum to find out some information about the wooden object and if the event was still going on. We asked a local youth the directions to the museum and ending up with a bit of a history lesson.

The museum was on the other side of the castle. The helpful chap asked us if we knew much about the castle, one of the oldest castles in Scotland and unique in it’s round design. It is said to have been originally built in 1098 by the Viking Magnus Barelegs and the youth was particularly proud of its role in the battles and conquests of Bute.

Apparently it is an important lanmark for the young people of the island. The guy we met was showing us his Rothesay castle ring that had been made by one of his friends in college in Glasgow. Another of his friends even had a symbol of the castle tattooed on his arm when ne had to leave the island to work. It's amazing to find people who have such a strong pride in where they come from.

Lunch at the West End Cafe

The weathers not to great but for a January day on the West Coast I thinks we’re quite lucky. After our blustery ferry journey it was straight to the West End Café in Rothesay for some fish and chips. Another first for a few of my guests. Fish suppers are always better in a seaside town. Rothesay seems to have a high number of pubs, cafes and tearooms. It must be nice in the summer when it’s a b it more bustling.

The ferry journey

Ahh, the sea air…. Certainly better than London. There’s always something magical about travelling on a ferry. It make it feel like a real holiday. The ferry was quite expensive though! I was wondering if any people commuted to work in Glasgow from the island but with these prices it would cost a fortune in travelling expenses. Maybe they have a special rate for locals or some people leave a car on the mainland.

My Grandfather's stick from Bute

My Grandfather always had this strange wooden object in his house. One wooden face branded with the word Bute and on the other side a faded name and number. I’d seen it many times but only recently asked him what it was. He explained that he had found it on the Lochranza beach on the Isle of Arran but he knew a bit more of the story behind the object.

My Grandfather had been for a short holiday to the Isle of Bute in the late 70’s where he had witnessed an unusual sporting event that involved dozens of local residents hurling these homemade wooden batons into the sea to a roar of “Bute!!” The winner was whoever hurled the object furthest and shouted the loudest. Although found years earlier this is one of the batons used in that traditional event. Not only was the baton branded with the name of the island and the resident but was also carved in the correct shape.

His holiday had been a good over 25 years ago but he remembered that it had been the first weekend after Burn’s night and seemed to be a regular tradition. So, on the 28^th of January 2006 some friends and I decided to go for a day trip to the Isle of Bute. I’d heard of the island before, being from Glasgow the island is only about one and a half hours away but I’d never been there. As a few of my guests had never been to Scotland before I thought it would be a good chance to take part in this unusual event and see some more of the country.