We found Rothesay are rather run down town with a busy ferry running too and from Bute to the mainland. The inner harbour was quite sheltered from the strong NW wind that we arrived in. We were a little concerned to hear that the toilets and shower were actually Public toilets. However, as you approach them alongside the queuing ferry traffic the sign says “Victorian Toilets.” The shower wasn’t public and only available to visitors from the pontoons. Although the room was tiled to match the rest of the Victorian building, they were a little more modern.
Once inside they really were restored Victorian toilets. It was quite novel to sit on a large wooden seated toilet with a mosaic tiled floor. The only thing that brought them into the 21st century was the toilet role holders, sanitizer dispenser and modern hand basins. Some of the original basins remained but had no taps. I’m not in the habit of taking photographs inside public toilets, but as I was the only person in there I couldn’t resist.
We departed Rothesay harbour just after the 11.00 ferry departed, for the Kyle’s of Bute. It was a pleasant sail taking up the East Kyle until it started getting narrower, when we started the motors. At the top of the East Kyle there are 3 small islands where the tide can run at 5 kts. Another bit of perfect timing as we passed through with about 0.2 kts flowing. We continued on the short distance to the small natural harbour ar Caladh. What a fantastic spot. A rocky island shelters the bay with a narrow entrance at either end. There were already 2 other yachts anchored when we arrived, so space was at a premium. Michael anchored first and I dropped anchor between him and a mooring buoy. The anchor dug in and within a few minutes I was laying a few feet from the mooring buoy. So up anchor and try again. The next attempt I couldn’t get the anchor to grip and I was getting close to the rocks behind me. Attempt 3 seemed ok until the wind blew the two boats too close together. Attempt 4 the anchor wouldn’t hold again. By this time one of the other two boats had moved off so I moved over to where they had been. Success, although I was a little close to another mooring buoy. It didn’t look as though it had been used recently so stayed put in the most picturesque position.
We went ashore for a walk along the shore of Loch Riddon. I possibly had my first encounter with one of the midges, but fortunately just the one.
Today we are heading towards Loch Fine to enter the Crinan Canal tomorrow.
Beautiful toilets, nice they kept them like that with the original tiling
Beautiful photos, what a very scenic place…
From memory the ‘ladies’ are very plain. Lou kept watch while I had a peek in the gents. Your trip looks amazing.