SCOTLAND - Isle of Bute

For today's trip I took a train to Wemyss Bay (pronounced Weeems) and caught a ferry to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The railway station at Wemyss Bay features a large circular concourse that flows into a curved covered walkway down the pier providing a seamless transition from train to ship - the curves were to aid the flow of large numbers of Edwardian tourists travelling from Glasgow to the island in summer. It was restored to it's original splendour between 2014 and 2016.

The ferry crossing takes about 35 minutes and  although it feels like you are going out into the ocean technically Bute is one of the islands in the Firth of Clyde. My ultimate destination was Mount Stuart, ancestral home of the Marquess of Bute but because of the glorious weather rather than take the normal service bus from Rothesay, I hopped on the open-top bus for a tour of the island on the way.

Mount Stuart is a large Gothic Revival mansion that is completely "over the top" but to be honest I knew it was like that as I have visited two Bute homes already. The family made their money in South Wales, owning the land in Cardiff on which the docks were built which as a result meant that they earned a fee for every ton of coal and other products that passed through the docks. The area of Cardiff between what is now Cardiff Bay and the city centre is called Butetown and the Marquess of Bute owned both Cardiff Castle in the centre of the city and Castell Coch to the north - both of which are also "over the top" 

The Marble Chapel

The Red Lantern in the Chapel

The Marble Hall

Drawing Room Ceiling

The Drawing Room

The extensive grounds slope down to the Firth of Clyde and are mainly given over to trees, there is very little formal or floral planting.

The shoreline below the house

The Rockery is one of the few areas of formal planting

By the time you read this I should be at home, having flown down as it was cheaper than the train. My two recent trips - probably because of the excellent weather on both - have really whetted my appetite for more of the west coast of Scotland so watch this space.

Finally I will bring you up to date on the ice cream flavours sampled - you will recall that last year Iru Bru ice cream was not a flavour I considered a success. This year I have tried two execllent ones - Whisky Marmalade and Tablet - if you don't know what Scottish Tablet is, it's like fudge but harder and more grainy.

There are more trips to come this year as I have some lost time to make up - see you all in Jersey in September!