LOCAL INFORMATION & TRAVEL
Planes, trains and automobiles and not forgetting a ferry or two! There are various routes to Bute, please use our guides below to assist withyour #routetobute
VISIT BUTE
Discover all that our beautiful island has to offer from food and drink spots, places to shop and available accomodation at some of our amazing guest houses, hotels and B&Bs of all varieties with Visit Bute!
GAMES’ LOCATION
The Highland Games’ showground is located at The Stadium, High Street, Rothesay, Isle of Bute PA20 9BS – a comfortable 15-minute walk from the Ferry Terminal.
Entrance gates are located at the Main Stadium entrance on High Street and at the bridge to the side of Bute Shinty Club which will be the access from our standard car park ( please note that the smaller 'Lade Gate' will not be opened this year).
TRAVELLING TO BUTE BY FERRY
The Isle of Bute is situated in Scotland’s Firth of Clyde, to the north of Arran, and is easily accessible by regular ferry services from the mainland. There are two ferry access ports to the island both operated by Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries.
Visit Calmac Ferries’ website for their summer timetable!
You can now also pre-book your ferry tickets in advance of arriving at your departure port of choice on Caledonian MacBrayne's website (please note this will not guarantee you the sailing of your choice, please see Cal Mac website for full details).
Wemyss Bay – Rothesay
The principal route to the island is by car & passenger ferry from Wemyss Bay. The crossing takes 35 mins with sailings approx. every 1 hour depending upon the time of day. If you are coming by car there is no need to pre-book, just arrive and pay at the pier-head. Although you can now pre-pay your tickets on the Cal Mac website.
Car traffic on both Friday 22nd August & on games day Saturday will increase significantly and queing times at Wemyss Bay may be much longer than usual, to avoid this waiting time please consider using the alternative ferry route between Colintraive & Rhubodach as below, which is only a 3 minute crossing and runs every 30 mins.
If you’re travelling by train, there is a frequent service from Glasgow Central Station which also stops en route at Paisley Gilmour Street, thus easily accessed for travellers who have flown in to Glasgow Airport.
Colintraive – Rhubodach
There is a tiny hop of 350m from the mainland for those having driven the “scenic route” from Glasgow (approximately 75 miles by car) which takes you along the shores of Loch Lomond and through the Arrochar Alps in the heart of Argyll.
This route offers some of the most stunning scenery in Scotland. Stop at the top of “Rest and Be Thankful” and admire the beautiful landscape. You then head south, skirting the top of Loch Fyne with views across to Inveraray Castle, and arrive at the Colintraive ferry for the 5-minute crossing to Rhubodach on Bute.
The crossings are frequent, approx every 30 mins, so if you just miss the boat it’ll be back soon! Rothesay is about 7 miles from here.
TRAVELLING TO SCOTLAND BY TRAIN
Take the train to the majestic Wemyss Bay station. The stunning seaside stop won the World Cup of Stations 2023 competition organised by the Rail Delivery Group. Wemyss Bay topped an online poll to beat Denmark Hill and Leamington Spa stations.
The train station is also connected to the Wemyss Bay ferry terminal.
For all the latest timetable and train information, please visit the ScotRail website.
TRAVELLING TO SCOTLAND BY AIR
Bute is perfectly placed in terms of access to both Glasgow Airports (Glasgow International and Prestwick) and only an extra 45 mins or so beyond Glasgow to Edinburgh Airport.
Glasgow Airport
If you are flying in to Glasgow International, there is car hire available. Wemyss Bay is about 35-40 mins (approx. 25 miles). Alternatively a short taxi or bus ride takes you to Paisley Gilmour Street station for a connecting train to the pier at Wemyss Bay.
Prestwick Airport
This airport is the West of Scotland Ryanair hub with many incoming flights. You can also rent a car here and the connection to Wemyss Bay by road takes between 45–50 mins (approx. 35 miles).
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is also a Ryanair hub – mostly for northern European routes. The road connection from here to Wemyss Bay takes about 1.5 hrs (approx. 72 miles), but is motorway for all but the final 10 miles or so.
N.B.: All timings quoted above are traffic dependent.
Alba Campers
Why not bring combine your travel and accommodation for Bute Highland Games by hiring a campervan courtesy of Alba Campers, based in Edinburgh making them the perfect location for an Island and Scottish summer road trip. Check their website out for all the details.