Ferry from Bute to Scotland 

About Bute

Bute is a Scottish island in the Firth of Clyde off the west coast, part of Argyll and Bute council area. Sitting just 33 miles west of Glasgow, it’s one of the most accessible islands in the country by ferry, home to a handful of villages and a main town named Rothesay. Rothesay, with its art-deco and Victorian style buildings, is an up and coming cultural centre, having recently completed a £3m renovation of the Pavilion, which has now been converted into an international arts venue. Palm-fringed promenades and the colourful 1924 Winter Garden surround the newly designed Discovery Centre, housing a cinema and a free multi-media exhibition. The 13th Century Rothesay Castle once defended the Isle of Bute from the Vikings with its unique, vast circular curtain wall. Surviving numerous attacks, it became a royal residence in the 1500s. Today, its ruins contain fascinating dungeons and a restored gatehouse and great hall, costing £3 per adult for admission. Mount Stuart House, on the east coast, is often described as one of the most impressive neo-Gothic mansions in the world, built for the Third Marquess of Bute in the late 1800s. Open at Easter and from May to October, it boasts exotic gardens and custom designed furniture reflecting the original residents’ passion for mysticism and astrology. It’s also noted as the first house in Scotland to be powered by electricity. Although just 15 miles long and 4 miles wide, Bute is packed with wonderfully windswept highlands and long, golden beaches. The West Island Way is an island-long walk with marked trails, giving the best opportunities for spotting seals, porpoises and the countless bird species.

About Scotland

Scotland is the Northernmost of the four countries that form the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean to the West and North, the North Sea to the East and across the border to the South you’ll find England. Scotland is a lively and friendly country, rich in history and heritage dating back thousands of years. People flock here to visit not only the beautiful mountains and valleys, rolling hills, forests and rocky coastlines but also for the experiences that Scotland has to offer. Whether you’re looking to play a game of golf at the very place it was invented or to visit one of the many distilleries for some whiskey tasting, Scotland has much to offer any visitor. In terms of arriving by ferry to Scotland, from Northern Ireland there’s a choice of year round services from and to numerous ports with sailings operated by modern and well-equipped ferries. There are no longer any direct ferries from continental Europe to Scotland however there are numerous crossings to England and Ireland that get you close enough.