Fabulous Gothic house. Really interesting tour. Would love to see more of it. Staff very helpful. Visited the cafe, also very good and the little shop bought a couple of books. Great gardens and extensive grounds, with lots of walks. Stayed in a cottage in the grounds, fabulous.
I attended my brother and sister in law's 2023 summer wedding at this stunning venue.
The chapel itself is absolutely beautiful. When sunlight shines through the roof, the marble interior is illuminated in a gorgeous subtle pink colour.
The Great Hall is stunning. Both the drinks reception and wedding meal were hosted here. The historic details are amazing but the ceiling is utterly breathtaking.
The grounds are fantastic for a day visit. We have visited on many occasions and enjoyed the gardens and many different walks (all well signposted throughout the grounds).
Wedding visit aside, the guided house tour is well worth it. The guides are extremely knowledgeable. Definitely worth a visit when over on the Isle of Bute.
This should be on your list if you are visiting the Isle of Bute, certainly if you like a bit of history and especially if you like a walk in a park.
The park like gardens are a visit worth in themselves, and hours can be spent here, taking in the many different varieties of flowers and trees, taking in the lovely scents around the different parts of the estate and of course enjoying the amazing views within the park itself and of the coastline.
We did the guided tour (only option to see inside the property on the day of our visit) and it was worth it. I wouldn't normally opt for a guided tour, but this might have changed my mind for future experiences. A lot of interesting information and funny stories were shared; I could have stayed for hours more to hear more about the history of this gorgeous Estate. The tour took about 1 hour.
Café on the grounds, didn't buy anything, but it looked like they had a good choice of food, drinks and cakes.
Toilets were clean and easily available.
Dennis Smalley (King Buddah)
+5
Beautiful stately home of the Marquis of Bute. Tours are conducted daily The rock garden at rear of house is lovely. There are various forest walks , however i do not recommend the walk to the shoreline and small beach. Really not much to see. Winding path is on very steep inclines not suitable for the elderly or disabled. Tearoom is very good with delicious baked goods and savouries
What an absolutely beautiful place to visit.
We didn't have much time to visit the gardens, but booked onto a tour of the house and we're so happy that we did.
An interesting history, a quirky interior, beautiful ceilings. Everything seems put in its place on purpose with a story behind it, from constellations on the ceilings to engraved wood in the bedroom.
A must see if you're on the Isle of Bute.
We just had a walk around the gardens. £7.50 per adult, children up to 15 free. As we are leaving Saturday, and arrived at 3, it was all we could do. Check the website for new September hours...they only do tours at the moment. Found out they were shut Thurs/Fri. It was still lovely to walk around the house, down and along the shore and up to the wee garden, where you can look for little wallabies (pictures). It's a massive place and you could easily spend 4 hours in the gardens. We were there till after closing (till 17:00)as once you're in the gardens it's ok to stay till after closing, loved the Ferns and all the wonderful trees as well as the beach.
Tours are essential to go inside but plenty to do on the grounds with multiple gardens and routes to the beach. Buses make it easier for tourist visits.
The tour itself was very interesting and our guides were lovely and well-clued up on the house and its history. I loved the neo-gothic and astrology-inspired design of the house. It was clear to see why this place was a topic of pride for the locals.
Cafe on-site with toilets. Cafe had indoor and outdoor seating with veggie and vegan options. Staff at the cafe were also very friendly.
Fantastic estate, lots of flat walking (good for my wife, walking with a stick), impressive, but rather unusual architecture for the house. Lovely views, interesting gardens.
Went into the cafe - coffee was ok, but the inside sitting area was quite cold, in spite of the warmer weather outside. Mealtime menus looked interesting, but we were on a short tour of Bute, so couldn't sample the wares.
Very worth a visit...
Amazing manor. Every room has a story and it would take months to see everything. Painting from italian and other masters, (even a Van Dyke !), Glorious architecture, and the guides are amazing.
Gardens are huge and full of colors (dogs admitted in some parts of them).
Beautiful house the marble chapel is amazing as are the ceilings. Margaret is a great tour guide with all the history behind the house, also enjoyed nice cuppa I tearoom, well worth a visit
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