Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
121km²
Area
85km
Coastline
278m
Highest point
6,498
People
15°C
Warmest sea
August
677km
To the mainland
When to go to Isle of Bute
Good all year round.
The sea is warmest in August (15 °C) and coolest in February (7 °C). The water never reaches 21 °C: bring a wetsuit.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island in the Firth of Clyde in Scotland
Isle of Bute is an island in United Kingdom. It covers 121 km², with 85 km of coastline. Its highest point rises to 278 m. About 6,498 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 677 km away.
Getting there
- Glasgow Airport (GLA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 39 km in a straight lineCar hire at GLA airport (Glasgow)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesColintraive - Rhubodach, Rothesay - Wemyss Bay
- 677 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Isle of Bute.
- 18beachesSt Ninian’s Bay, Scalpsie Bay and 16 more
- 2viewpoints
- 1lighthousesRubh' an Eun Lighthouse
- 3ferry terminalsRothesay Ferry Terminal, Rhubodach
- 2marinasRothesay Marina, Port Bannatyne Marina
- 44named peaksWindy Hill, Kames Hill, Muírton Hill and 41 more
- 3castles and fortsMount Stuart House, Kames Castle, Wester Kames Castle
- 23ruins and archaeological sitesStone Circle, Barefield, Scarrel and 20 more
- 3waymarked walking routesWest Island Way, Bute Path Network, Bute Pilgrimage Route - St Blane
- 3campsites
- 21hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 20restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Isle of Bute in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Isle of Bute, each with its own numbers.
1mountainPeakyas
4lakesLakeyas
Largest lake
0.61km²
Loch Fad
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
19.2°C
Loch Fad
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
4 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Loch Fad0.61km²
- Loch Ascog0.44km²
- Loch Quien0.33km²
- Greenan Loch0.12km²
Lakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 76 m above the sea. 96 % of it is below 200 m.
- 39 %0–50 m
- 56 %50–200 m
- 4 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
10 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Isle of Bute7,228 people
- Rothesay4,310 people
- Port Bannatyne1,200 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 5 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 6 |
| Night low (°C) | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Sea (°C) | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 9 |
| Rain (mm) | 160 | 117 | 106 | 81 | 100 | 107 | 124 | 143 | 120 | 159 | 153 | 155 |
| Wet days | 22 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 18 | 22 | 21 | 19 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| Sun h/day | 0.3 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 |
| Wind (km/h) | 25 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.4 | ±0.0 | −0.1 | +0.4 | +0.4 | +0.5 | ±0.0 | +0.2 | +0.4 | +0.5 | +0.6 | +0.6 |
| 2021 | +0.7 | −0.2 | −0.1 | −0.1 | ±0.0 | +1.1 | +2.7 | +1.8 | +1.6 | +1.3 | +0.8 | +0.9 |
| 2022 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +1.0 | +0.1 | −0.3 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +1.1 | +1.1 |
| 2023 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.6 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +1.4 | +0.8 | +0.8 | +1.0 |
| 2024 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.0 | +1.0 | +1.8 | −0.6 | −0.6 | −0.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.7 |
| 2025 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +1.4 | +1.8 | +0.6 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +0.3 | +0.2 | +1.1 | +0.7 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Isle of Arran
United Kingdom428 km²874 m31 km away
JuraUnited Kingdom363 km²785 m51 km away
IslayUnited Kingdom615 km²491 m69 km away
Isle of MullUnited Kingdom883 km²966 m90 km away
ColonsayUnited Kingdom41 km²135 m77 km away
IonaUnited Kingdom8.5 km²97 m100 km away
Rathlin IslandUnited Kingdom14 km²136 m94 km away
UlvaUnited Kingdom18 km²313 m101 km awayAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q1147435) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Peakyas, Lakeyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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