Ettrick Bay

Ettrick Bay
Ettrick Bay from the south showing it curving at the north with Kildavanan Point being visible.
Location	Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute Scotland
Coordinates	55°50′39.592″N 5°8′33″W / 55.84433111°N 5.14250°W / 55.84433111; -5.14250Coordinates: 55°50′39.592″N 5°8′33″W / 55.84433111°N 5.14250°W / 55.84433111; -5.14250
River sources	St Colmac Burn
Ocean/sea sources	Atlantic Ocean
Catchment area	22.5km2
Basin countries	Scotland
Max. length	1.7 km (1.1 mi)
Max. width	0.960 km (0.597 mi)
Average depth	20m

Ettrick Bay is a wide, tidal, 218° facing, sandy coastal embayment located on the west coast of the Isle of Bute in the Firth of Clyde, within council area of Argyll and Bute in Scotland. Ettrick bay was used for practice training for D-Day landings.

The bay faces the Kyles of Bute, that is a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the Isle of Bute from the Cowal peninsula, and offers excellent views of Isle of Arran. The bay is bounded by a coarse sandy beach which is popular with tourists and local people. During low tide, the waters edge can be up to 500m from high tide mark. A number of rivers flow into the bay including the Glenmore Burn, Ettrick Burn, Drumachloy Burn and St Colmac Burn.

At the north end of the bay, which mainly consists of rocky outcrops, lies the Kildavanan Point, with the feature known as Macallister's Gun, located close to the point. At the south end of the bay, lies the rocky outcrop called Island McNeil, which forms the outer boundary of the bay.

The surrounding area is mostly rural with agriculture being the main land use. Average rainfall for the region is 392mm compared to 331mm in Scotland as a whole. Windy Hill is the largest peak on the Isle of Bute, which is located directly to the north of the bay and is 278m high. Other small hills surrounding the bay include Eanan Hill at 166m to the north east, Glenabea Hill behind Eanan Hill at 201m. Kilbride Hill at 256m which bounds Windy Hill at the east side, Muirton Hill at 256m which is at the south of Windy Hill. To the east and south of the bay, all the hills are shallow.

3.25 miles directly south of Ettrick bay lies the sheltered bay of St Ninians Bay that is named after the 8th century Christian saint Saint Ninian. The island of Inchmarnock can be seen from Ettrick bay and lies on a south by south west bearing of around 200° at a distance of 5km from the bay, and is located at the northern end of the Sound of Bute in the Firth of Clyde on the same longitude as St Ninians Bay.