The bay faces the
Kyles of Bute, a narrow sea channel that separates the northern end of the
Isle of Bute from the
Cowal peninsula, and offers views of
Isle of Arran. The bay is bounded by a coarse sandy beach which is popular with tourists and local people. During low tide, the water's edge can be up to from the high tide mark. A number of rivers flow into the bay, including the Glenmore Burn, Ettrick Burn, Drumachloy Burn and St Colmac Burn. At the north end of the bay, which mainly consists of rocky outcrops, lies the Kildavanan Point, with the feature known as Macallister's Gun, located close to the point. At the south end of the bay is the rocky outcrop called Island McNeil, which forms the outer boundary of the bay. The surrounding area is mostly rural with agriculture being the main land use. Average rainfall for the region is 392mm, compared to 331mm in Scotland as a whole. Windy Hill is the highest peak on the Isle of Bute. Located directly to the north of the bay, it is . Other small hills surrounding the bay include: • Eanan Hill to the north east – • Glenabea Hill, behind Eanan Hill – • Kilbride Hill, which bounds Windy Hill at the east side – • Muirton Hill, which is to the south of Windy Hill – also To the east and south of the bay, all the hills are shallow. miles directly south of Ettrick Bay lies the sheltered bay of St Ninian's Bay, which is named after the 8th-century
Christian saint Saint Ninian. The island of
Inchmarnock can be seen from Ettrick Bay and lies on a south by south west bearing of around 200° at a distance of from the bay, and is located at the northern end of the
Sound of Bute in the
Firth of Clyde on the same
longitude as St Ninian's Bay. ==Settlements==