Other possible derivations include Brittonic budh ("corn"),[13][6] "victory",[14][15] St Brendan,[16][17] or both, his monastic cell.

[19] To its north is the coastal village of Port Bannatyne; hamlets on the island include Ascog, Kilchattan Bay, and Kingarth.

The crossing is one of the shortest, less than 300 metres (330 yd), and takes only a few minutes but is busy because many tourists prefer the scenic route to the island.

To the north of this line are metamorphosed sandstones and mudstones (i.e. psammites and pelites) which constitute the Southern Highland Group of the Dalradian.

Associated with the latter are Carboniferous extrusive igneous rocks, mainly lavas and tuffs of the Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation.

All are of Carboniferous age except the Bute Conglomerate, which is late Devonian and separated from the overlying Kinnesswood sandstones and mudstones by an unconformity.

Higher marine platforms with partial cover of sand and gravel are recognised further inland, dating from earlier parts of the Devensian ice age.

Till derived from the ice age is widespread inland while isolated peat deposits particularly in the north.

[23] A well known artifact is the Queen of the Inch necklace, which is an article of jewellery made of jet found in a cist that dates from circa 2000 BC.

[25]Other well known Gaelic missionaries associated with the island of the 5th and 6th centuries include Cathan whilst the Irish Text Martyrology of Tallaght makes a reference to Blane, the Bishop of Kingarth on Bute, "in Gall-Ghàidheil".

[26] The island subsequently fell under Norse control and formed part of the Kingdom of the Isles, ruled by the Crovan dynasty.

At about the turn of the 13th century, Bute appears to have come into possession of the family of the Steward of Scotland, during a time of internal strife amongst Somerled's descendants.

Before the town and castle is ane bay of sea, quhilk is a gude heavin for ships to ly upon ankers.

In this ile ther is twa paroche kirks, that ane southe callit the kirk of Bride, the uther northe in the Borrowstone of Buitt, with twa chappells, ane of them above the towne of Buitt, the uther under the forsaid castle of Kames.

[28][Note 1]Under Scottish Rule, Bute and Arran were governed as a unit, the shrievalty aligning with the comital jurisdiction.

Robert had already granted the sheriffdom to his bastard son, heritably; consequently, in the early 18th century, the latter's senior descendant acquired the (non-comital) title Earl of Bute.

During the seventeenth century, there were accusations of witchcraft: in 1630 an unknown number of women confessed to the crime and were confined in the dungeon at Rothesay Castle, left without food or water, and died from starvation.

[32][33][34] Several major wildfires started on 18–19 April 2019 in the north of the island, involving a substantial area of moorland and conifer plantation.

[35] Bute is connected with the Scottish mainland by two Caledonian MacBrayne ferries: During summer, the paddle steamer Waverley calls at Rothesay on regular cruises.

The main ferry to the island leaves from Wemyss Bay, a village on the A78, the coast road between Glasgow and Ayr.

There is an ad hoc link between Glasgow Pacific Quay and Port Bannatyne Marina by Loch Lomond Seaplanes, which has a journey time of 17 minutes.

[citation needed] The centre for sailing on Bute is at Port Bannatyne with two boatyards and the new marina,[37] and a club which organises private moorings in these particularly protected waters of Kames Bay.

[citation needed] There is a Kayak and SUP hire centre operating from the Old Quay in Kilchattan Bay during the summer holidays.

In December 2015, Bute became home to about 100 Syrians, making the island one of the largest recipients of these refugees in the UK relative to its population.

Argyll and Bute council stated that the island was chosen as a suitable location because it had "available social housing" and is "closer to the central belt" for medical support.

[citation needed] In 2019, The Buteman, the island's weekly newspaper, closed after 165 years, due to a fall in readership.

The eccentric Mount Stuart House is often cited as one of the world's most impressive neo-Gothic mansions, bringing many architectural students from Glasgow on day trips.

The road from Port Bannatyne goes seven miles (11 kilometres) along the shore of the Kyles of Bute to the small ferry to Colintraive on the Argyll mainland.

The 1920s Winter Gardens (now the "Discovery Centre") close to the Rothesay Pier houses a small cinema and tourist information office.

It is 48 kilometres (30 mi) in length, running between Kilchattan Bay in the south of the island and Port Bannatyne in the north, with Rothesay as a central point.