Glasgow Central to/from Rothesay

[Willie Bee]

My wife and I intend booking a short trip to Glasgow for early 2026 and fancy a trip to Rothesay.

This involves a train from Glasgow Central to Wemyss Bay, then a ship over to Rothesay .. all very exciting

Looking at ticket prices, it looks like it will be £30.60 for the two of us (with senior railcards) Tickets seem to be classed as anytime return

As it will be in January, the weather will, no doubt play a factor, perhaps on the actual ferry crossing, but also on our desire to make the journey. Will the prices quoted be the same, if we purchase tickets on the day of travel ?

thank you

 

[jfollows]

Yes
The only time it might not be the case is if there is a fare rise between booking and travelling, but that won’t be until later next year.

 

[Willie Bee]

Yes
The only time it might not be the case is if there is a fare rise between booking and travelling, but that won’t be until later next year.

Thank you

 

[DelW]

Good to see that through tickets seem to be available again. Last time I made this trip (May 2023 I think), Glasgow Central ticket office could only sell us tickets as far as Wemyss Bay, where we had to buy ferry tickets separately on the pier (so with no Railcard discount either).

Edit: yes, May 2023, here's a taster for @Willie Bee:

taken on the return sailing.

 

[Willie Bee]

Good to see that through tickets seem to be available again. Last time I made this trip (May 2023 I think), Glasgow Central ticket office could only sell us tickets as far as Wemyss Bay, where we had to buy ferry tickets separately on the pier (so with no Railcard discount either).

Edit: yes, May 2023, here's a taster for @Willie Bee:
View attachment 191003
taken on the return sailing.

Thanks .. no doubt it'll not be as good weather in January, but that only means we'll have to go some other time.

As a kid, I remember visiting Rothesay in the 70s on a Clyde Steamer, but only recently saw ( on YT) that there is a combined train/ferry ticket available. This caught my attention as it seems quite a bargain, especially with railcards.

 

[Rutland23]

I recommend the gents on Rothesay Pier.

Ladies may be accompanied if desired.

Worth a look.

Regards

Ian

 

[Willie Bee]

I recommend the gents on Rothesay Pier.

Ladies may be accompanied if desired.

Worth a look.

Regards

Ian

Funnily enough, on one of the YT videos I watched all about this trip, these toilets were mentioned.

Maybe I should drink plenty of Irn Bru on the way, then I'll have to pay a visit

 

[Halwynd]

I made the trip about ten years ago, think it was about £15 full fare rail and sail, a bargain, and one of the most enjoyable day trips I've ever had.

Even though it was a hot summers day, approaching 30 degrees on the mainland, I remember it being bitterly cold out on the water, far colder than you'd expect out in the Irish Sea, particularly being not that much further north.

Not sure whether you'll feel like it in January, but I did enjoy the ice cream from Zavaroni's Cafe - you'll probably remember Lena Zavaroni back in the day.

Have a good trip!

 

[Busman652004]

Bought a single from Edinburgh to Rothesay on Wednesday. Purchase online gave you a reference and you had to print out the ticket at the station. With my senior railcard a ticket from Waverley was £1.10 cheaper via Glasgow Central than via Queen Street. The printed tickets were Edinburgh to Shotts and Shotts to Rothesay. There was also a part which had to exchanged at Wemyss Bay for the ferry ticket. Sounds a bit complex but it all worked well.

 

[ScotTrains]

Bought a single from Edinburgh to Rothesay on Wednesday. Purchase online gave you a reference and you had to print out the ticket at the station. With my senior railcard a ticket from Waverley was £1.10 cheaper via Glasgow Central than via Queen Street. The printed tickets were Edinburgh to Shotts and Shotts to Rothesay. There was also a part which had to exchanged at Wemyss Bay for the ferry ticket. Sounds a bit complex but it all worked well.

That seems a bit of a faff. The last time I used a rail sail ticket, everything was all on the one (mag strip) ticket including the ferry section. I simply showed my train ticket to the ferry staff on boarding.

The combined rail sail tickets are good value especially with a Railcard and helps encourage tourism to the islands. It's a shame the Brodick (Arran) one isn't available anymore. It's probably the most popular one for day trips.

 

[Willie Bee]

That seems a bit of a faff.

Take a look at this video, showing the journey and the tickets required .. seems a waste of cardboard

Journey details on YouTube .. showing number of tickets

 

[reb0118]

.......a ticket from Waverley was £1.10 cheaper via Glasgow Central than via Queen Street. The printed tickets were Edinburgh to Shotts and Shotts to Rothesay.

The price is the same whether you travel via Glasgow Queen Street [GLQ] and Glasgow Central [GLC] or just via GLC.

The relevant part in your post is via Shotts [SHS]. As you had split tickets the train you used to Glasgow had to call at SHS. This maximises the amount of the cheaper "Strathclyde" fare element.

The question you ask yourself is this: does a £1.10 saving justify the resultant loss in flexibility in regard to time and/or routeing? This will probably depend on how close to Fife one resides.

 

[Segedunum]

Funnily enough I've just tried to buy a through ticket from Glasgow Central to Rothesay at the ticket office at Glasgow Central. Was immediately told no and that such tickets no longer exist.

Bonus points as the clerk proceeded to issue me a 16-25 discounted return to Wemyss Bay (I have a 26-30 Railcard) and said "its all the same anyway" when I queried.

 

[Willie Bee]

OP here

My wife and I are heading to Glasgow at the weekend, but as yet I haven't booked our (well, my) planned trip to Rothesay.

Looking at the weather for Monday, sunny and cold (see image) .. would folk here book such a trip .. or maybe wait until some time in the summer. We'll only have just over an hour at Rothesay, but the boat trip and the views are really the 'plus points'

Probable journey details below

GLC 10:47
WMS 11:45

SHIP 12:15 > 12:50


SHIP 14:00 > 14:35

WMS 14:57
GLC 15:58

 

[Ziggiesden]

Good to see that through tickets seem to be available again. Last time I made this trip (May 2023 I think), Glasgow Central ticket office could only sell us tickets as far as Wemyss Bay, where we had to buy ferry tickets separately on the pier (so with no Railcard discount either).

Edit: yes, May 2023, here's a taster for @Willie Bee:
View attachment 191003
taken on the return sailing.

You don't need to worry about RailCards - there is no RailCard discount for the Ferry portion of the trip, it is simply an add-on to create the through fare.

 

[StarCrossing]

There's no need to book in advance, as you can buy the tickets on the day.

I'd definitely go if the weather is cold and clear, as the views from the ferries will be great. I'd be out on the top deck the whole time, but you can always go inside and look out of the windows if it's too cold.

Rothesay isn't very exciting, so an hour is probably fine.

 

[z444z]

I’d take sunny and cold as a pretty huge win. Go for it!

 

[alistairlees]

I went to Bute in May when it was wall to wall sunshine for a week and very warm too. Unbelievable, almost. If the forecast is sunny then you should go - the island looks fabulous in the sun. Sadly Rothesay itself is not that attractive. If you only have an hour then perhaps go to the castle for 30 minutes if it’s open, or take a stroll then go to a cafe. Sadly the tourist information office on the promenade closed permanently in October. I’m not sure if the exhibitions on the islands history inside it are accessible currently, as a result of this.

 

[Willie Bee]

Not sure whether you'll feel like it in January, but I did enjoy the ice cream from Zavaroni's Cafe - you'll probably remember Lena Zavaroni back in the day.

Have a good trip!

According to Google, Zavaroni's Cafe is now permanently closed.

thank you .. we are heading there on Monday

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jan 2026 ==

Update !

We booked our trip for Tuesday (5th) .. blue sky and bright sunshine so weather was perfect.

On our way to Wemyss Bay, the driver announced that due to a points failure, the train would terminate at Port Glasgow. We had to leave the train. Checking online, the following train, about an hour later, was also shown as terminating at Port Glasgow.

We had no choice but return to Glasgow, a bit miffed, but .. what can you do.

Maybe we'll visit Rothesay sometime in the future

 

[Tester]

According to Google, Zavaroni's Cafe is now permanently closed.

thank you .. we are heading there on Monday

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jan 2026 ==

Update !

We booked our trip for Tuesday (5th) .. blue sky and bright sunshine so weather was perfect.

On our way to Wemyss Bay, the driver announced that due to a points failure, the train would terminate at Port Glasgow. We had to leave the train. Checking online, the following train, about an hour later, was also shown as terminating at Port Glasgow.

We had no choice but return to Glasgow, a bit miffed, but .. what can you do.

Maybe we'll visit Rotheday sometime in the future

Don't forget to claim a full refund from the retailer for your abandoned journey.

 

[Willie Bee]

Don't forget to claim a full refund from the retailer for your abandoned journey.

Thanks

I called in at Glasgow Queen's Street station on my return, but was told to claim online via an email, which I have now done

A staff member initially told me I wouldn't get any refund for the ferry, but when I explained I had bought the ferry ticket from the station directly, a colleague chipped in and said I should be covered ... let's hope so

 

[alistairlees]

Thanks

I called in at Glasgow Queen's Street station on my return, but was told to claim online via an email, which I have now done

A staff member initially told me I wouldn't get any refund for the ferry, but when I explained I had bought the ferry ticket from the station directly, a colleague chipped in and said I should be covered ... let's hope so

Did you buy your ticket from a ScotRail station (whether booking office or ticket machine), from the ScotRail website, or from somewhere else?

 

[Willie Bee]

Did you buy your ticket from a ScotRail station (whether booking office or ticket machine), from the ScotRail website, or from somewhere else?

I bought everything from the ticket office at Glasgow Queens Street station.

In total, I got 10 'orange ticket cards' .. for train, ferry and PlusBus

 

[alistairlees]

I bought everything from the ticket office at Glasgow Queens Street station.

In total, I got 10 'orange ticket cards' .. for train, ferry and PlusBus

They should have refunded your tickets there at the ticket office, not palmed you off to do it online. They had all the info to do it. Even the poorly-written ScotRail refunds page states this reasonably clearly: see https://www.scotrail.co.uk/plan-your-journey/refunds (though the page does contain a few other howlers).

 

[Falcon1200]

On our way to Wemyss Bay, the driver announced that due to a points failure, the train would terminate at Port Glasgow. We had to leave the train. Checking online, the following train, about an hour later, was also shown as terminating at Port Glasgow.

That's a great pity! Were trains not still running to Gourock? There are buses from there to Wemyss Bay, although obviously this would have cost you additional time and money.

 

[Willie Bee]

That's a great pity! Were trains not still running to Gourock? There are buses from there to Wemyss Bay, although obviously this would have cost you additional time and money.

Not being from the area, I don't know all the options, which is why I had chosen the direct route to Wemyss Bay by train, which links nicely to the ship.

I asked at the ticket office on the platform and was told I could take two buses to get me to Wemyss Bay. The train to Gouroock wasn't mentioned.

Looking at RTT now, there might have been other options, but getting dumped on a cold Port Glasgow platform, with no waiting room and knowing the next Wemyss Bay train was also cancelled, it was just easier to head home, or at least back to Glasgow. That was the option picked by my wife too .. which was important.

 

[Falcon1200]

it was just easier to head home, or at least back to Glasgow. That was the option picked by my wife too .. which was important.

Of course, entirely understandable. Surprised however that the ticket office staff did not know there are 4 buses per hour between Port Glasgow bus station and Wemyss Bay station - Mcgills 901 and 906 routes - though that would not been of any real benefit to you either.

 

[Haywain]

Surprised however that the ticket office staff did not know there are 4 buses per hour between Port Glasgow bus station and Wemyss Bay station

Why would they know about bus services? Working at the station doesn't mean they live in the locality..

 

[Falcon1200]

Why would they know about bus services?

In the absence of trains to Wemyss Bay, ticket acceptance would surely have been arranged for the bus service? And I do not live in Port Glasgow, or Wemyss Bay, either, but I am able to use the internet...

 

[Halwynd]

According to Google, Zavaroni's Cafe is now permanently closed.

thank you .. we are heading there on Monday

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Jan 2026 ==

Update !

We booked our trip for Tuesday (5th) .. blue sky and bright sunshine so weather was perfect.

On our way to Wemyss Bay, the driver announced that due to a points failure, the train would terminate at Port Glasgow. We had to leave the train. Checking online, the following train, about an hour later, was also shown as terminating at Port Glasgow.

We had no choice but return to Glasgow, a bit miffed, but .. what can you do.

Maybe we'll visit Rothesay sometime in the future

Sorry to hear that (and that Zavaroni's has closed). Hope you get another chance soon, it's well worth it.