The West Island Way is a 25 mile walking trail running the length of the Isle of Bute on the west coast of Scotland. 35 miles from Glasgow, come and try the WIW
Rothesay, Scotland
Joined July 2017
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Ettrick Bay: Our volunteers were out in force to tackle renewing worn sections of the boardwalk leading to the Bird Hide and trimming the grass around the trees in the Memorial Garden at the bat. Special thanks to Jock for bringing his tractor all the way up from Kilchattan Bay.
Repairing a footbridge and boardwalk on the northern path of the West Island Way
Our volunteers hard at work replacing broken planks and torn wire netting on the bridge over the Glenmore Burn. It was a mild morning with no wind so we’re working fast to escape from the midges!
Pictured are a group of the Bute Conservation Trust Volunteers (other than Donald who took the picture) – this time to complete the installation of a new stile over the field dyke and to make general repairs to the bridge – new handrail, new wire netting and..>
The map is £9.95 and available from Printpoint in Rothesay or online from here: cordee.co.uk/isle-of-bute-di…
general levelling up the bridge and making it safe. In addition to the ‘West Island Way’ the Trust looks after many other paths around Bute. See the map extract for the location of the footbridge and the Straad walk routes marked in green….contd..
Not the best of weather today but a handful of our Bute Conservation Trust volunteers turned out to cut and strim the grass at the ‘Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden’ at Ettrick Bay. Well done Billy, Roger, Ronnie on the strimming and Jock on the open area cut with his tractor.
May 2026: New steps on the path from Scalpsie Bay shore up to the Viewing Platform
The original steps served many years of service but had become badly worn. We’ve installed new steps and handrail to make the route safe and sufficiently sturdy to last a long time.
An evening celebrating the very best of the Scottish outdoors, adventure and filmmaking, with an optional morning Community Forest Walk.
Join us for the Bute screening of The Scottish Outdoor and Adventure Film Tour, in collaboration with Bute Community Forest.
November 2025: Clearing fallen trees on the Suidhe Wood path
Yet more damage from fallen trees! - this time across the Suidhe Wood path at Kilchattan Bay on Stage 2 of Bute’s West Island Way. Pictures are some of team of volunteers cutting and clearing the branches.
Tree-cutting and other work at the Loch Quien Bird Hide
With a full turnout of our Bute Conservation Volunteers we cleared the overgrown approach to the hide, replaced worn screening by planting willow, repaired the entrance walkway and (last but not least) cut an….
Another successful completion of Bute’s ‘West Island Way’
Thanks to Nat and his son for completing the West Island Way and giving us a report on the experience. Thanks also for the Membership Donation to support the work of the Trust in looking after our paths and signage.
Billy is often behind the camera taking the pictures but in this one he’s seen putting the finishing touches to our replacement frame for the map and information board - as well as having made the new frame. It’s at the popular ancient stone ‘circle’ at the Black Park.
During the Neolithic Period (approx 4500 - 2200 B.C.) communities constructed chambered cairns for the burial of the dead. Grave goods were often deposited with the dead in order to help them in the afterlife. There are several well-preserved tombs on Bute. Contd in comments..
Cairnbaan (the white cairn on account of the many white quartz boulders) in Lenihuline Wood stretches for 30 metres with stone chambers at the top and bottom of the cairn. Contd. in comments
Our volunteers cut the grass and maintain the young trees at the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Garden at Ettrick Bay. We’ve seen the remains of several camp fires whilst trimming the grass. New signage asks campers to please avoid lighting fires in the Memorial Garden area.
The bridge over the Mill Burn at Kilchattan Bay was replaced only a few years ago. Sand erosion had created a drop at one end. Our volunteers constructed a new step to make life easier for walkers. Here is Jock taking a well-deserved rest after a lot of sawing and hammering!)
