Although it doesn't have the remoteness of areas further north, looking at the OS map it appeared to have a interesting coastline , very few houses and has the huge benefit that it's only an hour from Glasgow. So on paper it's got lots going for it, but I must admit it wasn't a trip I was particularly keen to do.
In September last year I met an old friend in Glasgow with the plan of paddling out to Alisa Craig. Like all good plans the weather usually has other ideas. With force 4/5 forecast Alisa Craig was defiantly out, so we decided to go for plan B, . Despite the weather we thought we'd stand a reasonable chance of getting round Bute, or at very least explore the east side of the island.
We made an early start from a Marina south of Largs with all the kit for a two day adventure. It's a good place to start, free parking and a relatively sheltered landing at any stage of the tide.
Heading out straight into the wind I wondered whether we'd ever reach Bute, let alone circumnavigate it, never the less we ploughed on past the north side of Great Cumbrae . After nearly 2.5 hours of sweat we reached the shore of Bute and thankfully some sheltered water.
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| A welcome rest and recharge |
After a quick lunch at Scoulag Point we headed north towards Rothesay. I was really surprised by the terrain, steep sided hills strike straight up from the sea and as you paddled north you get fantastic views up into Loch Striven.
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| Looking up into Loch Striven |
The wind was blasting down the narrow Kyles of Bute, but keeping close to the shore of Bute we pressed on.
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| Kyles of Bute |
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| Looking North and hoping for better weather |
One of our big concerns was camping. Looking at the OS 1.50k (see below) there didn't appear to be anywhere immediately obvious to camp. Despite the relatively lax rules on camping in Scotland we always like to find somewhere discrete out of public view.
The map proved to be right, we ended up on a tiny patch of grass at the north of the island.
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| Our compact campsite |
In the morning the wind appeared to have dropped and we started to make our way down the west side of the island. Ten minutes later there we were battling into a force 4 headwind! Heads down 5 hours later we pulled around the exposed headland of Garroch Head and finally had the wind on our backs the south shore of Great Cumbrae seemed to arrive in minutes and another 30 minutes later we arrived back at the Marina, exhausted after an excellent weekend trip.
Summary
I was more than pleasantly surprised by Bute. The scenery is every bit as good and varied as islands like Lismore and although it doesn't have complex tides we certainly found it engaging it a force 4.
Additional information
Distance
70.48km
Tides
The tides don’t appear to be particularly strong
Swell
Although it's is relatively sheltered from Atlantic swell, the Westerly winds can easily create choppy rough water.
Access
Free parking in the car park next to the marina south of Largs
Other information
Limited camping possibilities, so be prepared for rough uneven ground.
Other recommended routes
The shorter tour of the Cumbrae's is well worth doing for a day trip.
Munro Madness
I did this trip with my old friend Andy, him and his girlfriend are attempting to do all the Munros this year whilst holding down full time jobs. They will be accessing some by sea kayak. If you're interested check out their blog http://www.munrosinayear.wordpress.com
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