Wemyss are made of this train station, officially the best in the UK.
Wemyss Bay, pronounced Weems, is the gateway to the Isle of Bute off the west of Scotland.
And if first impressions are the most important then all tracks surely lead to Wemyss Bay.
Of course, you’ll be wanting to know from where the unusual name derives.
Well uaimh is Scottish Gaelic for caves and a fisherman Robert Wemyss rented out boats here in the 18th century.
Doon the watter
Now they have CalMac ferry services to take you to the Firth of Clyde isles.
The award is timely, and aren’t they always, with Wemyss Bay celebrating 120 years in 2023.
And it is a step back in history, designed as it was for the Caledonian Railway, and noted for its striking glass and steel architecture.
Journeying down the pretty Ayrshire coast from Glasgow Central Station, also a historic landmark, it’ll take you 53 minutes and cost from £8.80 return.
The ferry terminal is alongside the Wemyss Bay station and there your cruise to the islands begins.
Affectionately and nostalgically called ‘going doon the watter’ it used to be the go-to destination for Glaswegians.
My Dear Old Dad among them, who would hop aboard the steamers out to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute and further afield.
Palm trees in Scotland!
Makes sense too as our forefathers would neither have the money or time to go to the continent for their palm trees.
When Rothesay boasts them on account of the Mid-Atlantic Drift which creates balmy palm-tree conditions.
And also craggy, heather-covered moorlands of the north and the delightful sandy beaches around the coastline.
And naturally, this being Scotland, a castle (and we love a castle, our own capital’s Edinburgh and around the world.
Here on Bute we have the stately home at nearby Mount Stuart.
A parting shot here about the competition which Wemyss Bay have just won.
Scotland’s World Cup
Wemyss held off Denmark Hill (that’s London) and Leamington Spa (English Midlands) station to win the Rail Delivery Group’s World Cup of Stations.
And just think about that for a minute… Scotland winning the World Cup.
Wemyss received 8,400 votes in the competition’s final round beating Denmark Hill and Leamington Spa.
A total of 48 UK stations were shortlisted across 12 regions.
So, it’s safe to say that Wemyss are made of this train station on Scotland’s west coast.