Ettrick Bay

Ettrick Bay is a wide, sandy coastal embayment on the west coast of the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde. It faces the Kyles of Bute, a narrow sea channel separating the island from the Cowal peninsula. The bay offers views of the Isle of Arran across the water. A coarse sandy beach runs along its length, popular with visitors and locals alike. At low tide the water’s edge can lie up to 500 metres from the high-tide mark. Four burns flow into the bay: Glenmore Burn, Ettrick Burn, Drumachloy Burn and St Colmac Burn. The bay was used for training exercises before the D-Day landings. Concrete frames still stand at the bridge over Glenmore Burn, representing practice landing craft. At the north end lies Kildavanan Point with Macallister’s Gun nearby. The south end is marked by Island McNeil, a rocky outcrop forming the bay’s outer boundary. Windy Hill, the island’s highest peak at 278 metres, rises directly to the north. Other low hills surround the bay, including Eanan Hill and Glenabea Hill. A Bronze Age stone circle stands at St Colmac Farm south of the bay. A Celtic cross is mounted at the ruined 19th-century St Colmac’s Church nearby. The church’s former manse, now called Cnoc an Raer, remains intact. From the bay, Inchmarnock island can be seen 5 kilometres away to the south-west. St Ninian’s Bay lies 5 kilometres further south, sheltered and named after the 8th-century saint. Rothesay, the nearest town, is 4 kilometres east, while Port Bannatyne sits 3 kilometres north-east.