📌 Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute
★★★
It’s a close-run thing, but Ettrick Bay is probably our favourite beach on Bute. It’s also the busiest, but also the biggest at about a mile and a half in length – so there’s more than enough sand to share. Ettrick Bay was a popular tourist spot even before widespread car ownership; surprisingly, it even had its own horse-drawn (then later electrified) tramway linking to the rest of the network at Port Bannatyne, with the old station now a useful cafe. The low-lying island of Inchmarnock is ever-present out in the bay, with mighty Arran beyond, while the hilly northern half of Bute makes a splendid backdrop on the landward side.
🌍 Location
📌 Off the B875 (with cafe) or A844 (no facilities) 2 mi west of Port Bannatyne, Isle of Bute
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NS 038661
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 55.848107,-5.135226
🚌 Bus stops at beach cafe
🚗 Car parks
