Dunoon or Rothesay .. which one should we visit

[Willie Bee]

In January this year my wife and I wanted to visit Rothesay, while having a short break in Glasgow

I asked about tickets etc in an earlier thread, linked here

Unfortunately, it didn't go to plan and we had to abandon our trip half-way

Reading that thread again, one member here suggested visiting Dunoon instead of Rothesay

Which is better ?

We are heading to Glasgow again at the end of this month

Of course, there is the added advantage of seeing Gourock too, if heading for Dunoon. (assuming it is worth a visit)

 

[Farigiraf]

Both Dunoon and Gourock are nice coastal towns but they're much less touristy nowadays and therefore don't have much to offer other than nice views and tiny museums.

Reading your old thread, it seems you only made it as far as Port Glasgow last time so you missed out on the best bits. That makes it easy to recommend attempting Rothesay again. Rothesay is smaller and therefore it's easier to see everything, plus it still has a more touristy feel to it. Add to that Wemyss Bay which is arguably worth a visit in itself and you have a nice day out. Of course there's still the small chance that the route will get disrupted again, but something affecting boat or train services in that area is likely to affect Gourock/Dunoon too.

I'd add that the short ferry from Gourock over to Kilcreggan, the connecting bus (route 316) over to Helensburgh via Gare Loch (home of the UK's nukes), then the train back to Glasgow, may also be worth considering. More off the beaten track than Rothesay (which I'd still recommend prioritising if you can only do 1) but that adds to the charm, plus it's highly scenic.

 

[Amaranthe]

I would say Rothesay and you get to see the magnificent Wemyss Bay station.

 

[marshlinker]

Of the two Id agree Rothesey is the best. Slightly longer days but the best Clyde Islands day trips from Glasgow are Broderick Arran and Millport GT Cumbrea

 

[Willie Bee]

Thanks .. we'll stick with our Rothesay plan then .. on 28th Sept (all being well )

Like last time, we'll just book tickets on the day of travel, or even the night before

 

[Acathater]

The chip shop in Dunoon used to claim it was the origin of the deep fried Mars bar
Surely worth a visit

 

[D6130]

The chip shop in Dunoon used to claim it was the origin of the deep fried Mars bar
Surely worth a visit

Really?....the Marine Fish Bar in Stonehaven makes the same claim!

 

[6Gman]

There is an old Billy Connolly lyric which might explain the decline of Dunoon as a resort:

The hills going up, and the rain coming doon.
Why don't they come back to Dunoon?

 

[Acathater]

There is one place near Dunoon worth visiting if you have time - the Benmore Botanic Gardens

Benmore Botanic Garden

Everything you need to know about visiting Benmore Botanic Garden including how to get there, opening times, prices and what's on.

www.rbge.org.uk

It's about seven miles north of the town

 

[SuspectUsual]

The chip shop in Dunoon used to claim it was the origin of the deep fried Mars bar
Surely worth a visit

We went to a chip shop in Dunoon when we were there a couple of years ago. Not sure if it was the chip shop but I remember thinking I'd had a lot better elsewhere

 

[Acathater]

We went to a chip shop in Dunoon when we were there a couple of years ago. Not sure if it was the chip shop but I remember thinking I'd had a lot better elsewhere

It was a long time ago when I was last there but it wasn't anything special.
Also on the menu was deep fried battered pizza, black pudding and red pudding

There was a serious language issue when ordering: if you ordered (for instance) "five fish and chips" you'd get five fish and one portion of chips.........to get what was wanted you'd have to order "five fish suppers"

 

[185143]

One of my favourite day trips (from NW England mind!) is to Rothesay.

Admittedly my main objective when I do it is the variety of travel and booze, booze and more booze.

Just the amount of fun you can have. Glasgow across to Wemyss Bay is a pretty scenic journey, Wemyss Bay Station is beautiful, and has a bar, then the ferry is 35 minutes or so each way. Just about right and of course the scenery is fantastic, and there's Bute beers onboard too. Visit a few pubs in the main square, and DO NOT miss Wee Zoe's ice cream opposite the ferry terminal!

 

[AndrewE]

One of my favourite day trips (from NW England mind!) is to Rothesay.

Admittedly my main objective when I do it is the variety of travel and booze, booze and more booze.

Just the amount of fun you can have. Glasgow across to Wemyss Bay is a pretty scenic journey, Wemyss Bay Station is beautiful, and has a bar, then the ferry is 35 minutes or so each way. Just about right and of course the scenery is fantastic, and there's Bute beers onboard too. Visit a few pubs in the main square, and DO NOT miss Wee Zoe's ice cream opposite the ferry terminal!

after all that beer?

 

[SuspectUsual]

There was a serious language issue when ordering: if you ordered (for instance) "five fish and chips" you'd get five fish and one portion of chips.........to get what was wanted you'd have to order "five fish suppers"

Ah yes, we found that out too

and there's Bute beers onboard too

When we were in Rothesay we went to Bute Yard and they had (I think) the full range of Bute beers, plus some alright snack type food. Bit of a strange place during the day - like a barn - but apparently good at night when they have music on

 

[Mag_seven]

My parents took me on holiday to Dunoon at least once when I was a kid. To say that sheer boredom set in after the first day would be an understatement.

Rail Vlogger GLovesTrains recently traveled there as seen in her video posted below:

 

[Sealink]

I used to live in Dunoon, it's a great little town with some stunning places to visit nearby, like Colintraive, Benmore Gardens and Loch Eck.

Rothesay always felt rundown in comparison, although it does have a stunning house (castle?) near the town centre. Bute itself is beautiful.

The good thing is that public between Dunoon and Bute is pretty OK (a handful of buses a day from Dunoon to Rothesay via Colintraive) so you may able to combine both.

The ferry from the stunning Wemyss Bay station to Rothesay is lovely too, compared to the car ferries and passenger-only services to Dunoon.

 

[185143]

after all that beer?

Absolutely!