In
Kilchattan village there is a Post Office & General store which is
open every morning from 9.30a.m. (10.30 Sunday’s) you can also buy
newspapers and everyday items there. In Rothesay there are plenty of shops
and a Safeway supermarket located at the top of the High Street behind
the seafront.
Special
Functions
Dinner Parties
Weddings
Meetings
St
Blanes Hotel
Kilchattan Bay
Isle of Bute
PA20 9NW
Tel:
+44 (0)1700 831224
Fax: +44(0)1700 831381
email
us
Predating
the chapel an earlier circular structure of stones is visible just within
the boundaries of the old monastery, it is known as the devils cauldron
and is considered some form of prehistoric construction.
If
you turn left as you come out of the hotel, a pleasant walk to the lighthouse
takes in the wetlands with its unique flora and fauna, and the view over
the firth to Cumbrae. Once you have reached the lighthouse those with more
experience may wish to carry on over to the very south end of the island.
Local
to Kilchattan
Should
you wish to purchase maps or obtain more information, the Discovery Centre
located on Rothesay sea front has an excellent choice and has wonderful
interpretive displays
of all aspects of the island - both past and present
If
travelling from the hotel by foot please ask at the hotel for one of our
OS maps which we have highlighted to show the way. Alternatively, by car
travel back up to the Kingarth Hotel, at the crossroads turn left and then
left again past the cemetery where after a few miles you will come to a
turning point and car park with a signpost leading up to the chapel.
For
those with a more adventurous spirit a further walk from the ruins to the
vitrified Iron Age fort is a must. The best place to start from is the
lay-by just opposite Dunagoil Farm. The walk takes approximately twenty
minutes, and the views over the bay are spectacular. The fort itself was
excavated several times and the archaeological finds are on display in
the Bute Museum.
Please
remember when setting out walking round the less inhabited parts
of the island, to let someone know where you are heading & if possible
carry a mobile phone.
The
Hotel takes its name from an early Christian saint thought to be born on
Bute in the 6th century. St Blane established a monastery on the
island and we highly recommend that you take time out to visit the ruins.
St
Ninians Bay - park your car at the village of Straad
to explore the cockleshell beach and ruins of St Ninians Chapel.
Places
of Interest in Brief - Further Afield
Mount
Stuart House and Gardens - a spectacular
Victorian Gothic house built for the 3rd Marquis of Bute, set among 300
acres of garden and woodland.
Rothesay
Castle - The Stuart Kings spent their summers here, a
stronghold whose circular design is unique in Scotland.
Bute
Museum - explore the world of the past with displays
of the famed Clyde steamers and sections devoted to archaeology.
Rothesay
Creamery - galleried walkways where you can see the
cheese making and sample the end product in the shop.
Asgog
Hall Fernery and Gardens - Built in 1870 this has a
splendid sunken Victorian fernery with glassed iron roof.
Scalpsie
Bay - the beach and viewpoint give many opportunities
to observe the seal colony, with a fine sandy beach.
Ardencraig
Show Gardens - Traditional, classic show gardens. A
highly colourful 'must see' in the height of summer.
