Things you didn't know about... the Isle of Bute

There is a lot of coming and going on the Isle of Bute

The Isle of Bute's proximity to the mainland makes it popular for second homes. It is two hours from Glasgow, and only about 5,000 of its 7,300 population live on the Isle of Bute permanently.

The Isle of Bute or the Isle of Rothesay?

The main town on the Isle of Bute is Rothesay. During the Viking era, however, the town was known as Bute, and the Isle of Bute was called Rothesay. But years of taking the town for the island and island for the town have led to the names swapping permanently.

Lena Zavaroni was a local lass

The pint-sized singer, who shot to fame in 1974 with Ma, He's Making Eyes at Me, was born in Rothesay and grew up on the Isle of Bute. Zavaroni, who at the time was the youngest artist to appear on Top of the Pops, died aged 35 after years of battling with anorexia nervosa.

The Isle of Bute draws architecture students from across the world

Mount Stuart House on the eastern coast of the Isle of Bute is regarded as one of the most important neo-Gothic structures in the world. It was designed by Sir Robert Rowand Anderson for the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the late 1870s, and reflects his enthusiasms for art, mysticism and astrology.

Stella McCartney got married on the Isle of Bute

In 2003, the fashion designer and daughter of Sir Paul McCartney brought celebrity to the Isle of Bute when she exchanged vows with her husband Alasdhair Willis in the marble chapel of Mount Stuart House.

Isle of Bute langoustines are a world-famous delicacy

They are fished from Port Bannatyne, a village on the north of the Isle of Bute.

The Isle of Bute is the ancestral home of the Stuart kings

The 800-year-old Rothesay Castle has seen many battles, including invasion of the Isle of Bute by the Vikings, capture by the English and a battering from Cromwell's troops in 1659. Its remains have been partially restored.

The Marquess of Bute is a driving force

Johnny Dumfries, the courtesy title for John Colum Crichton-Stuart, seventh Marquess of Bute, is a former racing driver. He won the 1984 British formula three championship.

A penny well spent on the Isle of Bute

The public lavatories in Rothesay are housed in an award-winning Victorian building.

The film director Lord Attenborough is a local star

He has a home on the Isle of Bute.