Mount Stuart, on the east coast of Bute a few miles south of Rothesay, is one of the most extraordinary country houses in Britain. After the earlier house burned down in 1877, the 3rd Marquess of Bute — the man behind Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch — had Robert Rowand Anderson build this Gothic Revival palace of reddish sandstone. Its centrepiece is the colonnaded Marble Hall; the Marble Chapel, with its spired tower, is the tallest part of the house.
The house claims the first heated indoor swimming pool in a private home and was the first home in Scotland lit by electricity. It served as a naval hospital in the First World War. The gardens and parkland, planted with species from around the world, are worth a long walk. Mount Stuart is seasonal and sometimes closed for private events, so check before travelling; the local bus from Rothesay stops at the gate.