The 478 is a bus route in

Argyll and Bute Argyll and Bute ( sco, Argyll an Buit; gd, Earra-Ghàidheal agus Bòd, ) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area. The current lord-lieutenant for Argyll and Bute is Jane Margaret MacLeod (14 July 2020) ...

, Scotland, which runs between

Dunoon Dunoon (; gd, Dùn Omhain) is the main town on the Cowal peninsula in the south of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the western shore of the upper Firth of Clyde, to the south of the Holy Loch and to the north of Innellan. As well ...

and

Portavadie Portavadie ( gd, Port a' Mhadaidh) is a village on the shores of Loch Fyne on the west coast of the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. The Portavadie complex was built by the then Scottish Office for the purpose of construc ...

via Tighnabruiach and

Kames Kames may refer to: ;People * Henry Home, Lord Kames, Scottish philosopher * Abdesalam Kames, Libyan footballer * Bob Kames, American organist * Kambūjia, otherwise Cambyses of Persia * Kamose, last Egyptian pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty ...

. It is operated by

West Coast Motors West Coast Motors (legally incorporated as Craig of Campbeltown Limited) is a bus, coach and ferry operator, based in Campbeltown, Scotland. The company also operates under the name ''Borders Buses'' and ''Glasgow Citybus''. History The foundi ...

, which was established in 1921. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport inaugurated the route, along with that of the 477 and 479, in October 1993. Given the distance covered by the route (), it only runs eight times a day, Monday to Saturday (four in the morning and four in the afternoon). The first bus departs

Dunoon Pier Dunoon Pier is a Victorian pier in the Scottish town of Dunoon, Argyll and Bute. Completed in its current form in 1898, and reaching out into the Firth of Clyde, its earliest parts date back to 1835. It is now a Category A listed structure (upgr ...

at 5:48 am (terminating at Tighnabruiach's Royal an Lochan hotel; the second run is the first to terminate at Portavadie ferry terminal); the last one at 5:30 pm. The journey takes between an hour and an hour and a half.478 Dunoon to Colintraive (for Isle of Bute) & Portavadie
–

official website On weekdays, additional stops in Dunoon,

Hunters Quay Hunters Quay ( gd, Camas Rainich) is a village, on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scottish Highlands. Situated between Kirn to the south and Ardnadam to the north, Hunters Quay is the main base of Western Ferries, operating between Hunt ...

Ardnadam Ardnadam ( gd, Àird nan Damh) is a village on the Holy Loch on the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located northwest of Hunters Quay and east of Sandbank, and sits across the loch from Kilmun. History "Ardnadam village is of ...

and Sandbank occur in the mid-afternoon to support the release of children from local schools. The route is noted for its long stretches of single-track roads with scattered passing places, especially along the B836 between Sandbank and Auchenbreck, at the junction with the A886 Colintraive–to–

Strachur Strachur; ( gd, Srath Chura) and Strathlachlan; ( gd, Srath Lachlainn) are united parishes located on the Cowal peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Strachur is a small village on the eastern coast of Loch Fyne. Geography Cowal is the l ...

road. The drivers of the 477, 478 and 479 have dubbed their routes the "

Bermuda Triangle The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is an urban legend focused on a loosely defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterio ...

" due to their complexity and remoteness.

Route

From Dunoon Pier, the route takes the passenger north through Sandbank on the A885, then west through

Clachaig Clachaig; () is a small settlement, on the Cowal peninsula in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is located on the B836 road between the Holy Loch and Loch Striven, the hamlet is just over a mile long. ''Clachaig'' is a Gaelic word meaning 'stone ...

Ardtaraig Ardtaraig is a hamlet lying at the head of Loch Striven on the Cowal peninsula, Argyll and Bute, West of Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third ...

and (after rounding the northern shores of

Loch Striven Loch Striven ( gd, Loch Sroigheann) is a sea loch extending off the Firth of Clyde, and forms part of the Cowal peninsula coast, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Loch Striven extends off of the Firth of Clyde just north of the Isle of Bute, where ...

) Auchenbreck via the B836 (part of National Cycle Route 75). It then turns south on the A886 en route to the MV ''Loch Dunvegan'' for the short ferry crossing between Colintraive and

Rhubodach Rhubodach is a small settlement on the north-eastern shore of the Isle of Bute, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. The name Rhubodach may come from the Gaelic ''Rubha a' Bhodaich'' which translates as ''old man's point'' or ''promontory'' or alternativ ...

on the Isle of Bute. The bus retraces its route to the north and continues past the junction with the B836, before looping around

Loch Ruel Loch Ruel or Loch Riddon; extends north from the Kyles of Bute and is a sea loch in Argyll and Bute, Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mai ...

to Tighnabruiach, Millhouse and Portavadie.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:478 Dunoon-Portavadie Bus routes in Scotland Transport in Argyll and Bute Transport in Dunoon 1993 establishments in Scotland