Food Drink & Travel in Scotland

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TRAVEL : Bute Yard, a must visit food, drink and events space in Rothesay

Time to tick off my list another one of Scotland’s islands. This time its THE MOST ACCESSIBLE one, the Isle of Bute. A little less than 2 hous from Edinburgh, and around 1 hour from Glasgow you can be in Wemyss Bay where you catch the 30 minute ferry to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The ferries are frequent, running every hour on or around the hour throughout the day.

The reason for my trip was to visit the newly opened, hottest place in town, Bute Yard. A multi purpose newly built venue with food, drink and events at the very core of what it does.

TRAVEL : Bute Yard, a new contemporary food, drink and events space on Rothesay, Isle of Bute

I left Edinburgh around 245pm and arrived into Rothesay around 545pm. It was an absolute scorcher of a day and a superb day for the top deck of the ferry and basking in the glorious sunshine.

Rothesay is the largest town on the island but has a simple layout and everything is within walking distance. The ferry port is the town centre with the High Street and Victoria Street intersecting at the entrance of the ferry terminal. From here Bute Yard is a 5 minute walk, as is Rothesay Castle - straight up the High Street, whilst Victoria Hotel, where I was staying unfortunately, is 5 minutes to your right and a host of B&B and other hotels along the Esplanade to your left.

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Bute Yard is a contemporary space set amongst a series of historic buildings in the Isle of Bute’s main town, Rothesay. The building includes a distillery operated by the award-winning Isle of Bute Distillery, tap room run by Bute Brew Co, pop-up café and flexible event space which will be open for business year-round. Glass doors on the main building open out into a dynamic outside courtyard, which will host monthly markets and diverse events. The historic Isle of Bute Smokehouse will also have a permanent base at Bute Yard. The new venue will support and complement long-standing local events, corporate and private events, as well as other community initiatives.

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The bar at Bute Yard will be open regularly with summer opening hours (1st April to 30 September) as follows:

12 pm to 5 pm on Mondays, 12 pm to 6 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 12 pm to 9 pm on Thursdays and Sundays; and 12 pm to 11 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

Co-Founder of Isle of Bute Distillery, Rhona Madigan-Wheatley, said: “We are delighted to be moving into Bute Yard. It’s been a three-year journey to arrive at this point since we first met with the late Johnny Bute to discuss and create a new venue of this kind.

"Bute Yard is now the permanent home of Isle of Bute Distillery and Bute Brew Co and we are excited to see the catalyst effect this venue will have on other small businesses on the island.

"For us, Bute Yard has created the platform that allowed us to revive Bute Brew Co after it closed in 2018. It’s the first success story of Bute Yard and we’re excited by what the future of the venue has in store.”

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On the launch night I sampled some incredible Isle of Bute produce cooked in the all new singing and dancing kitchen - Haggis neeps and tatties of course with the Bananalaga ale, Isle of Bute Smokehouse Fish cakes, cheese and onion tarts and freshly caught langoustines!

Director of Bute Yard and Isle of Bute Smokehouse, Cathleen Crichton-Stuart, said: “Over the last few years, Bute has experienced an exciting revival in food and drink, thanks to local producers like Isle of Bute Distillery and groups like Bute Kitchen. Bute Yard will play a major role in providing a space that taps into our heritage as well as our future as a successful food destination.

"The versatile space we’ve created at Bute Yard is truly inspiring and will form a unique and stimulating backdrop for a variety of events and memorable experiences."

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In addition to the monthly markets, Bute Yard will host a calendar of owned and hired events and collaborate with the year-round programme of established island festivals and events. Bute Yard is a versatile, multi-use venue with flexible and scalable event spaces that is available for a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. The modular space features open-plan bar services and kitchen facilities for use by private and corporate event organisers and training providers.

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The following day I attended the first ever Bute Yard Market. It’s open from 9 am to 5 pm on the first Sunday of every month, is free to attend and dog friendly, and visitors can expect the best local food, small-batch drinks, art, crafts and live music.

Market traders will rotate throughout the year but will include the producers based permanently at Bute Yard.

  • Isle of Bute Smokehouse, which dates back to 1888 and has a range of award-winning smoked salmon, trout and kippers

  • Isle of Bute Distillery will have its full range of gin and rum available to take away or enjoy in the outdoor garden on the day

  • Bute Brew Co, known for its craft lager, fruity pale ales and IPA, will brew on-site and run a new taproom inside Bute Yard.

During summer, the bar will open from 12 pm daily. On market Sundays, the bar will open from 10 am to 9 pm.

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The local art scene was and will continue to be well represented by artists from Isle of Bute Artists’ Collective, which hosts the upcoming annual Bute Studio Trail in July.

Apart from the in-house food and drink producers, visitors will be able to browse top local stands including

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There’s a real sense of community here and it was wonderful to see so many locals rally together to make this a success. Local Rothesay Academy students sell flowers and produce grown by them in the school garden and community initiatives ButeKitchen, Bute Produce, Incredible Edible, ReStyle and Calum’s Cabin are present among others to showcase local community projects. Gourmet BBQ street food is served by Spitting Pig Cheshire, with a cash bar available in-house.

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The Isle of Bute sure is a beaut and this is one wee island I cannot wait to return to. Bute Yard will most definitely be on my agenda when next I do visit!

Bute Yard, High Street, Rothesay, Isle of Bute www.buteyard.com

Calmac Ferry costs are

  • £6.90 return per person

  • £24.90 return for a car

Book your ticket in advance. Do however be aware that when queuing for the ferry, not all cars will fit onto the ferry and you may have to wait the hour until the next ferry comes in. www.calmac.co.uk/summer-timetables/WemyssBay-Rothesay