I make no excuses for reprinting the unexpurgated version of this article, the pub is just the centrepiece of a great day out!

Port Royal Hotel, Isle of Bute via Wemyss Bay
 
The trip to the Port Royal Hotel on The Isle of Bute is an easy journey of two hours at most from Glasgow and provides a great day out combining real ale, scenic, historic and rail/transport enthusiast interests.
 
The Port Royal Hotel is currently CAMRA's Scottish Pub of the Year and has won too many other awards to mention. Otherwise known as The Russian Tavern, this unique pub lies at Port Bannatyne, two miles north of the ferry port at Rothesay and overlooks an attractive yachting harbour. Dag Crawford and his Russian wife Olga run it. The range of local microbrewery ales is served by gravity from casks on and behind the bar; the only pub in our vast area - from Glencoe to south Lanarkshire including Kintyre and many islands - to do so. There are authentic Russian and continental bottled and draught beers, including Imperial Russian Stout, (now brewed by Harveys of Lewes, East Sussex) cider and often perry (rare in Scotland) and traditional real fruit soft drinks, e.g. dandelion and burdock.
 
The food is also first class. A perfectionist, Dag  prepares dishes from scratch, using fresh local ingredients. None of your freezer to microwave stuff here. Just order an extra pint before he disappears into the kitchen! His local meats, fish, spicy sausages and special Russian dishes are moreish. He also makes amazing salads. Prices are reasonable, so aim to arrive in time for lunch.
NB: Before departure, we advise ringing ahead on 01700 505073 to let Dag know you are coming.
 
Glasgow and its surrounding towns are blessed with an efficient and extensive local rail network, covered by five timetables, free at stations. Get the one titled "West & Clyde Coast." This has details of the Glasgow - Wemyss Bay - Rothesay (Bute) rail/ ferry connections. 
To get to Bute, catch a train from Glasgow Central Station to Wemyss Bay. Trains which connect with the Bute Ferry from Wemyss Bay are ten minutes to the hour from Glasgow, but check in case of change since time of writing.
You can buy a return ticket including the ferry, but if you have a railcard, use it for the journey to Wemyss Bay and get a separate ferry ticket there.
 
You have up to ½ hour between arrival and ferry departure depending which train you get (but check for your actual train/ferry). Spend some of this viewing the magnificent glass domed roof of Wemyss Bay Station with its radiating ironwork. This goes beyond architecture, it is art. In these days of demolished historic stations replaced by cheap, boring, brick and steel boxes, the fact that this Edwardian masterpiece not only survives, but is maintained such that it looks almost as good as when built in 1903, is a tribute to the foresight of the authorities that maintain it. Even if you can't manage the full day to visit Bute, it is worth the modest fare this far, just to marvel at how stations used to look. Photographers take your widest angle lens - 20mm preferably.

 
But hopefully, you will continue to Bute. The ferry crossing takes 35 minutes and provides wonderful views of the Firth of Clyde, Kyles of Bute and Argyll mountains. As you approach Rothesay, Port Bannatyne can be seen along the coast to the right.
 
Descend the ramp and another preserved wonder is on your right. For a mere 15p you can experience the splendour of the well-maintained Victorian superloos. With body luxuriously relieved and mind aesthetically enhanced, continue across the main road where half hourly buses run to Port Bannatyne and on to Ettrick Bay (routes 90 and 490). There is a stop at the harbour opposite The Port Royal.
 
However, you may prefer to walk along the seafront for ¾  hr or so, depending on how many times you stop to admire the scenery. If you just missed a bus there is not much in it. Don't be surprised at palm trees and other exotic flora. The inner isles are warmed by the Gulf Stream.
 
For the adventurous who get an early ferry, the nearby tourist office staff will explain how to take the West Island Way to Port Bannatyne, over the hill. There are sign-posts, but it is handy if you have OS map 63 (Firth of Clyde) with you. It takes about 2 hours with stopping to enjoy scenery and wildlife (buzzards are common) and includes a walk along what appears to be a disused rail embankment. In fact it is an old tramway, closed in 1930. Yes, trams used to run between Rothesay, Port Bannatyne and Ettrick Bay (historic booklets available in tourist office) and you can still see the rails of two lines round the back of the former tram depot, now the Stagecoach bus depot, from the hill above. As you descend the hill you come to a T-junction with a larger footpath. Turn left and take the downward paths to come out quite near The Port Royal.
 
However you get there, you will receive a warm welcome from Dag and experience the real thing - a totally individual, family run pub.
 
For the return, you should check the times of the last ferries, which will be running to the times of the Summer 2005 timetable, not available at the time of writing. Note that there may be a later ferry back on Fridays and Saturdays. But even in the unlikely event that you miss the last ferry (time does fly at Dag's) there are far worse fates than spending a night at The Port Royal Hotel!

[Robin Jones]