Away to the left like Gourock

Well not Gourock, but rather Wemyss Bay. I've wanted to take my boys on a little cal mac adventure for some time, but the holidays always seem to pass us by in a flash, so this time while in Glasgow I thought we could take a trip on one of the short hops to a nearby island.

I initially thought of Arran, since it was a favourite of mine from teenage days, but that would involve an hour or so on the train and then an hour or so on the boat, we then thought of Cumbrae, but then that involves hardly anything in terms of the calmac experience, so we settled on the Isle of Bute and a wee trip to Rothesay.

We (the boys and their granny and I) were up early to catch (ok so we missed) the train into Glasgow Central, then another train to Wemyss Bay, where we ran down the gorgeous and grand Victorian tunnelled pier to the ferry. Once on Bute, we wandered around the frontage of Rothesay before taking an island bus out to Mount Stuart, where time (and cost), prohibited us from going around the house, but where we frolicked (no other word for it!) in the beautiful grounds in the incredible autumn sunshine.

Back on the bus and a mad dash onto the ferry (with one minute to spare, well it wouldn't be a calmac adventure without it would it?) and then a train, and a wait, and a cancelled train, and another wait, and another train, and finally home, where my lovely husband was waiting at the station for us (despite the house being only a five minute walk away). I was shattered, and I thought the boys were too, but on seeing their dad - and full of sugar from the Isle of Bute rock, they turned their noses up at a lift home and decided to have a race instead.