Glenburn Hotel Places to Explore

Standing proudly in the middle of Rothesay’s immaculately maintained waterfront lawns, the Winter Gardens started life as an open air bandstand, and, indeed, the stage area dates from this time. Later, in 1924, Walter McFarlane’s Saracen Foundry produced the attractive circular hall in cast iron which enclosed the seating area. The building has a more angular sister at Ryde on the Isle of Wight. It is an elegant design with Art Nouveau details, corner towers and a wide, curving expanse of windows overlooking the bay.

Photography: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Rothesay Castle is a ruined castle in Rothesay, the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in western Scotland. The castle has been described as “one of the most remarkable in Scotland”, for its long history dating back to the beginning of the 13th century, and its unusual circular plan. The castle comprises a huge curtain wall, strengthened by four round towers, together with a 16th-century forework, the whole surrounded by a broad moat.

Photography: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Mount Stuart is a 19th century country manor house with extensive gardens on the Isle of Bute. The spectacular Gothic house was the ancestral home of the Marquess of Bute. Mount Stuart is an award-winning attraction featuring magnificent Victorian Gothic architecture and design together with contemporary craftsmanship, surrounded by 300 acres of gloriously maintained grounds and gardens.

Photography: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Enjoy a day playing on one of Scotland’s most scenic golf courses in a picturesque setting with panoramic views covering the seven Counties surrounding the Firth of Clyde. Over the course of the 20th century most famous golfers played and enthused about the course. The course circles around Canada Hill which at about 400ft gives spectacular views of the Firth of Clude, the Cowal Hills, Lochs Ridden and Striven, the Mull of Kintyre, the isle of Arran and the Ayrshire Hills.

Ettrick Bay is a wide, sandy beach which runs for approximately a mile. Monitored by SEPA, the bay is popular with both visitors and locals who enjoy paddling in the beautiful, clear waters.The Ettrick Bay Stone Circle is found further up the valley and comprises of eight stones, and to the south of the bay is a bird hide where you can look out for curious seabirds. Ettrick Bay Tearoom overlooks the beach and here you can enjoy home cooking, ice cream and stunning views of Arran.

Photography: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Scalpsie Bay is also on the west coast of the island. It is a beautiful and secluded bay with reddish sand. Scalpsie was used for a variety of military purposes in WWII. The timber posts sunken into the sand are the remains of WWII anti-glider defences as the area was thought to be a possible landing site for a German invasion. The small cottage above the beach was more recently used up until the Cold War as a listening post for enemy submarines patrolling the Firth of Clyde.

Photography: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

The gentlemen’s toilets in Rothesay are a veritable palace of public convenience. Described by Lucinda Lambton, architectural historian and well known cludgie connoisseur as “jewels in the sanitarian’s crown”, they are one of the finest examples of late Victorian lavatories left in the UK. The interior is magnificient with walls entirely clad in decorative ceramic tiles, ornately patterned in rows.

Bute Museum is an independently run museum where visitors can explore the Natural and Historical Heritage of the Isle of Bute. The History & Archaeology Gallery has displays covering aspects of Bute’s History from Mesolithic and Neolithic times through to the closing years of the 20th century. The Natural History Gallery allows visitors to explore the geology, plants, animals and birds of the island.

Ardencraig is located near Rothesay on the Island of Bute reached by Ferry from Wemyss Bay or Colintraive. Travel east from Rothesay to Mount Stuart Road, uphill from there to Albany Road, signposted. The existing gardens originally formed part of the larger layout designed by Percy Cane for the owners of Ardencraig House. The walled garden was acquired by Rothesay Town council in 1970,and latterly by Argyll and Bute Council, and has been developed to create a propagation, education and show garden.

Loch Fad (Rainbow and Brown Trout) – 175 acres, the ‘long loch’ is situated on the lovely Island of Bute off the west coast of Scotland and lies directly along the Highland fault line. It is classified byScottish Natural Heritage as a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) for its scenic beauty and its huge diversity of bird life and vegetation. The loch is surrounded by wooded hills, including one of the first commercial Douglas Fir plantations dating from the 1840’s.