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SKETCHER

THE CLYDE AND KYLES OF BUTE. (From the Diary of an Invercargiliite). We left the Broomielaw in the s.s. Isle of Bute for a trip through the Kyles of Bute. On leaving Glasgow Bridge the air is heavy with smoko from the factories, and it is hard to tell what the weather is going to be. As our steamer passes slowly down the Clyde you obtain a good idea of the. tremendous amount of shipping' done in Glasgow, the wharves being lined with steamers and sailing vessels of all sizes'. The city itself is soon lost sight of in the dense smoke which hangs oyer it. Our .first stopping - place is at Partick, a large suburb of Glasgow, where we embark a few passengers. Near here is seen'the first of the ship-building industry, two largo steamers being in course of construction. On the opposite side from Partick is Govan, where we stop to take cm more passengers. As our vessel steams along you find yourself in the middle of the shipbuilding yards, the clang of the workmen's hammers being heard all along the Clyde. Huge dredges are also at work keeping the river at a proper depth. After stopping at Renfrew, we pass the Clyde bank ship-building yards, owned by .1. Brown and Co., Ltd., •the builders of the famous Lusitania. A view of the green fields is now being obtained, although in the direction of Glasgow you can only sec a dense bank' of smoke. As the atmosphere clears we can see the day is going to be fine, for which we ' are thankful, as Scotland is usually very .wet. We tiow approach Erskinc Ferry, near which is situated Erskine House, the seat of Lord Blantyro. A range of hills called the Bowling Braes, a spur from the Campsie Range, are seen on the north side, and we then come to Bowling Harbour, where a number of vessels are laid it]) in the docks. Near here is the spot where the Forth and Clyde canal begins. The canal is 84 miles long, and was opened for traffic in 1790. A little further down the river are the ruins of Dunglass Castle on the edge of the river, and beside them an obelisk erected to the vmeniory of Henry Bell, who was the pioneer of steam navigation on the Clyde On each side of the river the scenery is now very pretty, with nice sloping green hilts doited with trees. Dumbarton Pock is now passed, and (ild ruins can be seen on it, many historic memories being associated with the spot. At the foot of the rock is seen the first steam engine used- on the Clyde by Henry Bell. Denny’s large ship-building yards arc at the back of the rock. Fine large residences arc seen on the left side of the river, beautifully situated in the midst of plantations of trees. On the left is Port Glasgow, now rendered useless by the deepening of the river. More huge shift-building yards are seen before we reach Greenock. .We arrive at Princes’ Pier, Greenock, at noon. Greenock is a city of Go,-* 000 inhabitants, and is memorable as being the birth-place of James Watt, the engineer. Its principal trades are ship-building and sugar-refining. Princes’ Pier has lately been built at the terminus of the Glasgow and SouthWestern Railway to accommodate passengers from the south by the midland route. The river here broadens considerably, and on the opposite side the town of Helensburgh can be seem. Leaving Greenock, the first place passed is Go crock, a favourite wa-tering-place. As the steamer crosses the Firth the scenery becomes grander, the rugged hills of- Argyllshire being seen in the background'. Loch Long is visible on the right, with Killcrcggan and Cone on one side, and Blairmorc and Strono on the other, all favourite summer resorts! Strono Point divides Loch Long from the Holy Loch, said to be Bo named from the fact that a vessel containing stones for the building of Glasgow Cathedral was wrecked here. On the right side of Holy Loch is Kilmun, an ancient burial-place of Campbells of Argyl. _ IQ'ur first stopping-place after leaving Greenock is Kirn, from which you obtain a magnificent view of the Firth of Clyde. A few minutes’ sail brings you to Dunoon, nicely situated at the foot of a hill. Traces of the 'ancient caelle of Dunoon, a stronghold of the Stuart Kings, can still be seen on the summit of Cas-

tle Hill. Dunoon is a pretty place, and has a nice bay with' shingly beach, and is very picturesque, with its villas, surrounded with woods and shrubberies. Opposite Dunoon is seen the clock lighthouse, 80 feet high, being the first of the Clyde lights to mark the course for deep-sea steamers.

From Dunoon we proceed to Inel lan, reaching there at 1 p.m. This is another of the fashionable water-ing-places of the Clydes Leaving inellan we find ourselves' between Argyllshire and the Island of Bute. On the Ayrshire Coast the town of Largs can be faintly seen. The islands of Great and Little Cumbrae lie midway between Largs coast and Buite. We soon enter the famous Bay of Rothesay, and reach the pier of Rothesay. Rothesay is the capital of the shire of Bute, and is perhaps the most popular of all the Clyde water-ing-places, being very sheltered in position and mild ill climate. One of its attractions is the aquarium, which draws many visitors.

As we sail from Rothesay Pier towards the Kyles of Bute the rugged scenery of the country becomes more noticeable.- The estate of South Hall is-passed, the trees of which are planted in an order which indicate the exact position of the opposing forces at Waterloo. The scenery is now very fine, and . the heather-clad hills! are lovely. We pass a. number of old battleships waiting to be broken up, among whjch I noticed the Alexander, Dread Nought, Collingwood, and Iron Duke. The winding course of the strait is here very deceptive, as we are apparently land-locked amidst the rising hills! on 'every, side. Wc reach Loch Ridden at last, and the variety of scenery is here very remarkable ; it is 'unmistakably the land of the mountain and the flood, as there is an absence of rich, arable land, and the pasturage is very bare. Glen Galadh Castle is near here and belongs to a descendant of Stephenson, the famous engineer. We soon come to Tignabruiach, a watetingplace rapidly rising into importance as a tourist resort. It is nicely situated at the foot of a hill, and is in the midst of some of the loveliest and grandest scenery in Argyllshire. Passing .Karnes, where the powdermills of the Karnes Gdn powder Co. are erected, we pass out of the Kyles of .Bute along the western side of Bute to Arran, our first port of call being Corrie, a small village on the north-eastern shore of Arran, and prettily situated at the foot of a high hill, over the top of which you can see a range of lofty and rugged mountains, beautiful in their majestic grandeur. We pass along southwards till we reach Brad rick, a lovely little place situated in a very pretty bay. The scenery here is very rugged and picturesque, with- high mountains in the background towering over the lower hills behind the village. A short distance further south brings us to Lamlash, at the head of a well-sheltered bay. This is one of Arran’s' popular watering-places, the hills being well-cultivated, and the different coloured fields look very pretty as we pass- them on our steamer. Going still further south, pass, ing between Holy Island add Lamias h, we come to Whiting Bey, our last port of call, where we land some passengers, and then return, passing along the east coast of Arran, and then across to Bute, past Ganoch Head and Mount ■ Stuart to Craigmore and Rothesay, where, after taking a number of passengers, wc go across the Firth of Clyde to Wemyss Bay. Here an express train is waiting to carry tis back to Glasgow, which is reached at 6.45 p.m.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/SOCR19080328.2.26

Bibliographic details

Southern Cross, Volume 15, Issue 51, 28 March 1908, Page 11

Word Count
1,358

SKETCHER Southern Cross, Volume 15, Issue 51, 28 March 1908, Page 11

SKETCHER Southern Cross, Volume 15, Issue 51, 28 March 1908, Page 11

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