Bastille Day on the Firth of Clyde 2026 : Kyles Bank, near Tighnabruaich

Image: © Richard West Taken: 14 Jul 2026

On the Firth of Clyde and adjoining waters, the 14th July 2026 (Bastille Day), was a scorcheroonie. There was no escaping the sun from late morning 'til evening. In the morning, the paddle steamer Waverley steamed from Greenock down to Largs for a cruise, via the Kyles of Bute, to Tarbert (Loch Fyne) and Skipness Bay and then back to Largs; stopping at Rothesay, Tighnabruaich and Tarbert on both the outward and return journeys. We have steamed around the northern tip of the Isle of Bute, from the East Kyle to the West Kyle via a narrow marked channel through the Burnt Islands. This blue house (Kyles Bank) caught my eye as we steamed in a roughly south-westerly direction down the West Kyle towards our next port of call, Tighnabruaich; which we will pass by a short distance before turning through 180 degrees to in order to approach the pier from the south.

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