Port Bannatyne
Encyclopedia
Isle of Bute
Bute is an island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland. Formerly part of the county of Buteshire, it now constitutes part of the council area of Argyll and Bute. Its resident population was 7,228 in April 2001.-Geography:...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. It is a popular harbour for yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
s.
It is approximately 2 miles (3 km) north of Rothesay
Rothesay, Argyll and Bute
The town of Rothesay is the principal town on the Isle of Bute, in the council area of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It can be reached by ferry from Wemyss Bay which offers an onward rail link to Glasgow. At the centre of the town is Rothesay Castle, a ruined castle which dates back to the 13th...
and 6 miles (10 km) from Rhubodach
Rhubodach
Rhubodach is a small settlement on the north-eastern shore of the Isle of Bute, Scotland.The name Rhubodach may come from the Gaelic Rubha a’ Bhodaich which translates as old man's point or promontory or alternatively may be from An Rubha Bhódaich meaning the Bute headland.Rhubodach lies at the...
.
Port Bannatyne is a village of slate and stone on the Scottish Isle of Bute, built two hundred years ago by Lord Bannatyne who lived in the ancient castle that stands just to the north. The substantial houses face the sea around Kames Bay which is mooring for yachts and fishing boats, and there is a small marina and boatyard.
The village is known for its daily catch of the European Marine Crayfish, or Langoustine, and trucks arrive to carry the seafood off to Paris, Rome, and to the airport too, to end up in New York and Tokyo.
Above the village with views across the sea to the Isle of Arran, and the Argyll hills, is the Port Bannatyne Golf-course.The course has 13 holes and wild deer grazing the herbage.
But the village has strong links overseas and has its own club for the French game of Petanque, and there's a pitch, or piste, on the seafront
The old village inn, The Port Royal Hotel, was bought ten years ago by a Russian family who renovated the building and turned the old pub into a recreation of a Russian Tavern of Imperial Times. Today they serve freshly landed seafood and Russian specialities, Russian beers, wines and vodkas.
Port Bannatyne Marina is connected to Glasgow Pacific Quay by a 17-minute flight by Loch Lomond Seaplanes on an Ad Hoc basis.
The Isle of Bute is easily reached by train from either of the Glasgow Airports to Wemyss Bay where a ferry leaves every 45 minutes (journey time 35 minutes.)
History
Port Bannatyne started in 1801 with the building of a small harbour on Kames Bay. It was created by the Bannatynes of Kames as a planned village in an attempt to rival Rothesay. Initially known as Kamesburgh, by the mid-19th century steamers were calling there regularly.In 1860 the Marquess of Bute
Marquess of Bute
Marquess of the County of Bute, shortened in general usage to Marquess of Bute, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1796 for John Stuart, 4th Earl of Bute.-Family history:...
purchased this part of the island and renamed the village Port Bannatyne in honour of the long historical association of the Bannatyne family with the area and the nearby Kames Castle
Kames Castle
Kames Castle is a castellated mansion house on the Isle of Bute, Scotland.On the shore of Kames Bay near Port Bannatyne, the castle consists of a 14th Century tower, with a house built on it in the 18th Century...
, which lies on the western outskirts of the village.
In 1879 a narrow gauge horse drawn tram linked Port Bannatyne with Rothesay. This was electrified and extended across the island to Ettrick Bay in 1902.
In the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s exercised in the bay and nearby Loch Striven
Loch Striven
Loch Striven is a sea loch adjoining the west side of the Firth of Clyde just north of the Isle of Bute, where it forms a narrow inlet about 8 miles long extending north into the Cowal peninsula. During times of recession in shipping the loch has been used as a sheltered anchorage for laid...
.
Port Bannatyne developed into the 20th century as a quieter alternative to Rothesay. Boat building
Boat building
Boat building, one of the oldest branches of engineering, is concerned with constructing the hulls of boats and, for sailboats, the masts, spars and rigging.-Parts:* Bow - the front and generally sharp end of the hull...
became an important local industry, and in the 1920s an unusual 13 hole golf course was opened.
Today Port Bannatyne remains a quiet alternative to Rothesay. The village's focus was the stone pier mid-way along the south shore of Kames Bay, but in 2005 work was started on the new yacht marina which has grown from a small boatyard to a stonebuilt seawall enclosure to part of the bay, shortly to moor hundreds of vessels.
In 2009 on the seafront you will find a vibrant Post Office/shop, The Port Inn, the local pub with beer garden and pool room, The Anchor Tavern a bar for the retired sailors and oldsters, just along the road is the old village inn: The Port Royal Hotel now run by a Russian family with four guestrooms and in their Russian Tavern fine seafood and Russian Cuisine (according to TIME OUT in the top five affordable serious restaurants in Scotland.)