Crossing from the mainland to Rhubodach sets us down on the 23 mile loop around the isle of bute, some distance from the main settlement of Rothesay.

The island is hilly rather than mountainous, with a landscape of woods mixed with harvested cereals and fields of sheep & cattle. It is a few miles around the loch to the main town.

It takes a while to get beyond first impressions of Rothesay. Shop fronts are tired and tatty, with scaffolding and peeling paintwork out front. But look up to the rooftops and a grander side peers across the harbour and the busy ferry terminal.

Indeed, looking out from our top floor window one can appreciate the once-grand days of the Victorian wealthy, arriving on steamers to walk the promenade and enjoy the sea air. The renovated Victorian Toilets take bragging rights as the top sight in the town for visitors. Indeed, they are a splendid place in which to spend a penny or, even, take a shower!

Away from the harbour and the centre, the buildings become grander, built by the wealthy as summer residences overlooking the water.

Going out on a tour of the island, the road follows the coastline with small lanes disappearing down to beautiful, sandy bays. Past the big estate (Stuart House, open to the public) Kilchatten Bay is the only other place of any size, a single strip settlement of Victorian houses on the end of the local bus route with a small harbour at the end, once used for bringing in lime for the farms, then for exporting clay tiles for field-drainage and then for bringing in on steamers the wealthy who built holiday homes here.

Scalpsie Bay is a popular beach, a short walk from the road, best seen from the clifftop.

The coastline is dramatic, with farms merging down to wide beaches and, in the far distance across the Kyle of Bute, the sharp, molars of the peaks of Arran dominate the horizon.

Attrick Bay has two personalities. Firstly empty sands attract wild campers, excited dogs and their owners and folk chewing on their cud at one with the elements.

At the other end of the beach, sand-castle-building families, kite flyers, swimmers, leaded pooche owners, lycra-tight cyclists are attracted to the cafe where tea & bacon sandwiches bulk up intrepid wild swimmers as they take on the water…..but hey, it is suprisingly warm, just like old days at the seaside!