Kyles of Bute and the Waverley

It really was a thrill for me, boating with the queen of steamboats. Hearing the distinctive noise of her side paddles beating the water and watching the crowds gathered on the decks enjoying the experience of “going doon the water” once again.

I thought of myself as a youngster exploring the passageways, rummaging in the gift shop, eating ice cream cones and spending time with relatives long gone. Yup.. it made my day ..and what a great day it was too, my best boating trip so far this year.

Kyles of Bute and Ettrick Bay

Just as I was contemplating finishing my fishing, a whole shoal of sail boats came through the narrows. Unlike motor powered boats, they cant go in straight lines and have to tack back and forth to head in the direction of the wind. As the wind was coming straight up the west Kyle, the boats had to sail back and forth across the narrow stretch I was fishing in. I felt it was time to move on.



I soon left them far behind as the wind direction suited me fine. I decided to explore the west Kyle of Bute.



A lovely view of the island of Arran opened up as I headed south in the west Kyle.



A lone yacht was heading for the little island of Inchmarnock, just off the south western end of Bute.



The sea around Bute had that lovely green sheen which happens when the sun shines on the water and there is a sandy bottom. Sadly the trees didn't seem to have the same green sheen ? I couldn’t help notice how autumn coloured they looked and this was the beginning of July ? Its been a funny year this year.



There were more rust coloured leaves around the village of Kildavanan, in fact if it wasn’t so warm a day I could have been fooled into thinking it was autumn. I blamed the world recession and falling pound for the lack of greenery.



Next stop was Ettrick bay which is a popular place for the locals to collect on a sunny day. It was so popular that I decided not to land but to drift with a strip of mackerel on my line instead. Sandy bottoms are supposed to be good for flat fish. I never caught a thing so I guess its not such a popular place with the plaice ?



I contemplated about going round Inchmarnock Island and was on my way when the wind started to freshen and the sea rose slightly. I decided against it as the water was very open and exposed to the south westerly wind.



I headed for the mainland just noth of Ardlamont Point instead and was quite glad as the waves did get up for a little while mid channel. I then turned north and started heading back up the western Kyle .... straight into the middle of the yacht race ...

Kyles of Bute and the Maids of Bute

The Kyles are quite a busy boating lane as I soon discovered crossing from Loch Striven to Bute. A large and fast launch headed up the Kyes towards the narrows and I watch a mini tsunami wake wave spread across the path in front of my boat. I crossed it bow first and it was no problem, just some spray flying from my bow as the boat crossed three steep and close together wake waves. However I was glad I was not drifting with a fishing line down because if the wake hit side on, I could have got quite wet or worse. I made a mental note to watch out for large wake waves .

A number of yachts were also appearing as I approached Port Bannantyne. Their wakes caused no problems but then again, they were hardly moving in the light breeze.



I noticed another couple of huge slipways on Bute, some not bad sized boats were sitting on them waiting to be launched



I went close to the shore at Port Bannantyne for a good look at the village, then I stopped and drifted with a fishing line down. I caught a small coddling on a rubber sand eel but it was too small to keep so I let it go without bringing it on board for a photo.



I decided not to go round the corner to Rothesay as the large ferry was approaching and there were two or three other bigger boats around. After my earlier tsunami experience I gave them a wide berth and headed back towards the narrows again. Even these small motor cruisers caused quite a wake as they sped round the Kyles.



Back at the narrows I wondered who had right of way. My boat or the one heading my way. He was going quite fast but I managed to nip through before he arrived although he did slow down a little to let me through. If he was any bigger .. I would have waited regardless who had right of way. I need to learn some of the rules of the road.



I then sat off the Maids of Bute doing some more fishing. The maids are two rocks painted to look like fisher wives and the story goes that their husbands went to sea on a fishing boat and never returned. The two maids waited for them that long they turned to stone. They have been painted for over 100 years. When I saw them, I could understand why their men didn’t return, but I had a little luck there too. Under their watchful eye, I caught another couple of coddling. Both were set free to fight another day. There are too many worms in cod for my delicate stomach.

Kyles of Bute and Loch Striven

There are some lovely big houses hidden away on private estates around the Kyles. I could happy live in what looks like the boat house in this photo.



I was very watchful of the ferry service that runs between Colintraive and the north of Bute because I was too small to argue who had right of way, and presumed the ferry did anyway. I waited my moment then quickly crossed its path on the other side, well out of its way.



Looking back towards Colintraive once I was safely out the ferry’s route. If it wasn’t for the ferry..I could have passed the village without knowing it was there.. its so small.



A yacht was also heading down the Kyle towards Loch Striven. It was under engine power as there was not a puff of wind.



The fields looked very green against the white washed farm court yard. It was a lovely morning to be on the water.



Occasionally the sea surface ruffled as gentle thermals moved along the Kyles towards Loch Ruel.



I saw the first seal of the day sunning itself on the headland point at the entrance to Loch Striven.



I was curious to see if the Maersk Line container ships were still stored in Loch Striven. Due to the recession affecting the shipping trade the container shipping company had parked around a half dozen of its boats in the loch. I guess things have improved as the boats had gone. I bet the locals are pleased to have their beautiful scenery back.



I didn’t go far up Loch Striven as I had seen enough, besides, because it was still calm I decided to have a look at the Island of Bute instead.



I about turned and headed full steam ahead for Port Bannantyne and Rothesay

Kyles of Bute, Loch Ruel and the Buttock

I stopped the engine off Buttock Point which is the most northerly bit of Bute, and let the boat drift to a halt. There was not a puff of wind from Buttock hill so I dropped my flies into the water and started jigging them up and down. The fish finder was showing quite a few fish below the boat but still not a nibble on my flies ? When I peered into the deep still depths, I saw lots of jelly fish instead of silvery fish.



The water was like a mirror and the sun felt warm in the still morning air. It was one of those days when I really was glad to be alive and out of doors, if only I could catch a fish I would have been in paradise.



A little bored of getting no bites, I lifted my lures and crossed the west Kyles to investigate an unusual looking lighthouse. It looked like it was moulded from clay.



On close inspection I found there were two clay “lighthouses” One at the entrance and the other at the exit of a hidden harbour behind the island Eilean Dubh which is at the junction of the east - west Kyles and Loch Ruel.



In a moment of madness, I opened the throttle to distort the mirror image of the land reflected on water. I was heading into Loch Ruel for another spot of fishing.



I wasn’t the only one fishing in Loch Ruel. This commercial fishing boat had a continuous “belt” of mackerel flies being turned round a winch wheel. The belt then disappeared into the water below the boat. The mackerel were hooked then pulled onto the deck where they fell off into fish boxes before the flies disappeared over the side again. It was catching a few too.



On the shore just to the left of the boat I could see another couple of anglers fishing from the rocks. I caught a couple of mackerel here too but then stopped as I only wanted two. One for breakfast and one for bait. I wasn’t relying on the fish to pay my bills though.

I started to head for the narrows at the junction of the East and West Kyles of Bute. This is the nearest I got to photographing a porpoise. The wake in the foreground was left by it's fin after it disappeared again. They are fast as lightning.



I watched the depth on the fish finder as I approached the buoys which mark the deepest part of the narrows. It read 19 feet deep at low water.



This time I passed the buoys the right way. The green buoy was on the side of the green fishing rod.



The red buoy was on the other side with my right looking towards the rear of the boat and the buttocks of Bute. I could see the tide flowing and trying to push the buoys along but it wasn’t strong enough to slow my boat. I was now through the narrows and heading for Loch Striven....

Kyles of Bute, Kames and Tighnabruaich

I was up and raring to go before the sun was up. The water was calm and the air warm. I wanted to get the boat off the end of the slip before low tide made it difficult because of the step at the end of the ramp.



I got the boat rigged and loaded with its fishing gear while still on the trailer, then I simply reversed to within ten feet of the water, stopping just above the slippery slip weed. I then lowered the trailer and boat to the water's edge with a rope wrapped around the tow hitch.



Moments later I was slowly motoring up the Kames coast, trolling a mackerel lure as I went.



It was a beautiful morning and there was not a soul in sight. The locals were still in the land of nod as I bobbed about in my boat.



I soon left the village of Kames behind as I headed for its northern neighbour, the village of Tighnabruaich



I recalled the paddle steamers of the past as I passed the pier at Tighnabruaich. I remembered going “doon the water” as a lad on the Duchess of Hamilton. It was always a summer treat going on a boat trip back then. It still is.

I wondered where the PS Waverley was as I knew it was still in service..somewhere ? It’s the last of the seagoing paddle steamers in the world and still stops at this pier if it is in the area.



Clearing Tighnabruaich, I was now heading for the narrows of the Kyles of Bute. I had not caught a single thing but I was perfectly happy. Every once in a while a black fin and arched back would quietly break the surface not too far from the boat. They were very quick, too quick to get a photograph but I loved watching for them. They were porpoise, smaller and a lot shyer than dolphins but quite common to see in the Kyles of Bute

Kyles of Bute and its slipways

I had heard that there was an old slipway at Colintraive on the East Kyle of Bute and looking on my O.S. map thought it would possibly be my best launch point for access to the Burnt Islands and narrows , Loch Ruel, and Loch Striven. The ferry runs from the little village of Colintraive across to Bute. The ferry was almost the size of the village which was little more than a couple of houses, a ferry terminal and a hotel.



The disused slipway was along a little side road beside the ferry terminal but it has some traffic cones across its entrance and a sign was on the closed ferry terminal office which read “Unauthorised use of slipway is prohibited”. Perhaps I could have asked for permission to use the old slip as its well out the way of the ferry but, as there was no one around, I decided not to risk upsetting anyone, especially as I intended an overnight stay. I left for the west Kyle to look over the public slipway at Kames.




I passed through the sleepy seaside village of Tighnabruaich on the west Kyle, keeping an eye on the shore for a possible launch point.



There was access to the beach for a small trailer and boat but it was over shingle and if the road was busy during the day, it might have been awkward hitching back onto the car. I watched a yacht tender launching there before carrying its crew to a lovely moored boat.



I carried on for another couple of miles until I came to the village of Kames. I had researched on the internet that there was a large public slip there which the locals call “The Tank”. I soon found it and it was ideal for my purpose. It is off a large car park on the outskirts of the village.The tank was a water treatment plant off the car par



It looked a peaceful spot, even on a Friday night so I parked at the edge of the slip and put the tent cover over my house boat. Call me a land lubber if you must, but I thought I would get a better night’s sleep if I wasn’t bobbing up and down on the water. I really only needed the tent cover to keep the midges off and it worked very well.



The tide was now full out and I noticed there was a step off the slipway end which meant it would be difficult to launch or retrieve for possibly an hour either side of low water.



I went a stroll along the shore while the sun set. In the afterglow of the late evening, everything was calm and peaceful.



I was soon sound asleep in my beached boat, dreaming of what the following day was going to bring......