Islands in the Firth of Clyde

Lying between the Ayrshire coast and the Kintyre peninsula, are the islands of the Firth of Clyde. Arran, Bute, Great Cumbrae, Little Cumbrae, Holy Isle, Inchmarnock and Sanda are all inhabited while the remainder of the islands are not; of those that are inhabited, there is a regular ferry service to all apart from Little Cumbrae and Sanda.

Arran is the largest of the islands and is connected to the mainland by a ferry that runs from Ardrossan in Ayrshire to Brodick on the eastern side of the island; another ferry runs from Claonaig, near the northern end of the Kintyre peninsula, to Lochranza in the north of the island. Situated in Lamlash Bay, on the eastern side of Arran, is Holy Isle; a ferry runs from Lamlash on the larger island. Pladda sits of the south coast of Arran. Horse Isle sits about a mile from Ardrossan while Lady Isle sits to the west of Troon.

Northeast of Arran is the second largest island of the group, Bute. A ferry runs from Wemyss Bay, on the mainland, to Rothesay on the eastern side of the island; a further ferry runs from Colintraive, on the Cowal peninsula, to Rhubodach at the northern end of the island. The smaller island of Inchmarnock lies to the west of Bute; the Burnt Islands (Eilean Mòr, Eilean Fraoich and Eilean Buidhe) lie to the north of Bute in the Kyles of Bute, the narrow stretch of water that separates Bute from the mainland. Eilean Dubh also sits in the Kyles of Bute, northwest of the Burnt Islands; Eilean Dearg is located north of Eilean Dubh. Sgat Mòr and Sgat Beag also lie off the Cowal peninsula, at the mouth of Loch Fyne.

To the east of Bute are Great and Little Cumbrae; the larger of these two islands is reached by ferry from Largs on the mainland. The Eileans, two small islands, lie off the coast of Great Cumbrae.

One of the most prominent islands in the Firth is Ailsa Craig; amongst other names, this small island is known simply as A' Chreag, the rock, and also Paddy's Milestone.

Towards southern end of the Kintyre peninsula, at the entrance to Campbeltown Loch, is Davaar. Off the southern end of the peninsula is a small group of islands, made up of Sanda, Sheep and Glunimore Islands; Sanda is referred to as Spoon Island on Arran as it resembles a spoon from the southern end of that island.

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