The Incredible Edible Bute Food Trail is a unique stroll around the free food sites in Rothesay, taking around 30 minutes, with plenty of quiet corners to sit and relax along the way.

This community movement encourages people to grow fruit, vegetables, and herbs in public spaces, for anyone to pick for free once they are ripe and ready to eat. 

As a registered Scottish charity, Fyne Futures on the Isle of Bute runs the Incredible Edible Bute Food Trail, taking over unused plots of land and creating growing spaces for fruit and vegetables in a bid to help combat food poverty.

Fyne Futures is a subsidiary social enterprise company of Fyne Homes committed to environmental sustainability on the Isle of Bute. Through recycling and pre-loved furniture services, community car club, and a market garden, Fyne Futures aims to make Bute a more environmentally friendly place with a low carbon footprint.

All these different projects provide ways for local people to contribute to improving the environment. For example, Bute Produce is a way of encouraging people to grow more food locally. Food being shipped onto the island and waste being shipped off is a large carbon aspect to address.

Incredible Edible Bute runs weekly and fortnightly volunteer work parties to maintain the food growing areas and to plant new veggies and fruit bushes, which addresses their other key aim of engaging those who, for whatever reason, are unable to work.

Volunteers vary in age and experience, with some having gardening knowledge whilst others appreciate the chance to learn new skills to assist in obtaining paid employment or are simply looking for company. All volunteers are made to feel welcome and a part of the team.

There are eight sites at present on the Incredible Edible Bute Food Trail but the volunteers are always on the look out for unused plots of land to turn into growing areas.

One of the sites at Chapelhill has fabulous produce growing such as radishes, red and golden beets, rainbow chard, yellow and green courgettes, spring onions, Petis pois, and sprouts. There are some gorgeous herb spiral beds which will fill out over the coming years.

Growing edibles is a wonderful community activity and gives a fantastic opportunity to come together and share knowledge, skills, company, and produce. Fyne Futures is inspiring, educating, and empowering people in Bute to make their community a better place to live.