Free delivery on orders over £80The Book Of The Bothy
Words and photos: Phoebe Smith
The Joy of Bothying. Hidden away in the hills and forests of Scotland is a whole network of mountain shelters, looked after by volunteers and completely free to use, you just need to know where to look…
Snow is falling, fast. The wind is gusting, spooling up a continuous confetti of snowflakes so thick that it’s hard to see the way forward. Each footstep I take makes a squeak as I leave the tread of my boot imprinted in the fresh white powder. I stop and watch as it almost immediately begins to fill up with snow again, making my tracks near invisible in the dusky evening light.
At this point most walkers would be heading back to their car or bus stop – very few would be thinking about spending the night out in the wilderness. But for those, like me, who know about bothies – a network of mountain shelters located in the wildest places in Britain (mainly Scotland, with a few scattered around Wales and northern England), we know that there is a dry sanctuary in the outdoors no matter what the weather.
A small but perfectly formed bothy in the Lake District
Unlike mountain huts in other countries across the world, bothies are uniquely British in that they were never built for walkers, but rather appropriated by them by a wonderful organisation called the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA). For nearly 60 years these small sanctuaries have been looked after by volunteers and enjoyed by walkers and climbers. The entire network comprises former schoolhouses, miner’s bunkhouses, coastguard lookouts and family homesteads.
The one I’m headed to now in the depths of the Cairngorms, in the eastern Highlands of Scotland, is a former deer watcher’s hut that in 1967 was given over to the organisation for outdoor lovers to use.
Bothies are like stone tents, you need to carry all the items you would for camping – sleeping bag, mat, stove – but they offer the luxury of space, sleeping platforms and – more often than not – a fireplace or wood burner for warmth. And they always have a bothy book, a guest record of who has stayed which is filled with musings, drawings, poetry and prose, uniting all who have stayed.
Bothy under fresh snow in the Scottish Highlands
As I head towards the ramshackle stone building now – at least 6 hours walk from any road – I know there is an open fire grate so have packed in supplies – but I have no idea what, or rather who, will await me. It might be empty allowing me to experience it in complete solitude, or it could be full of others who I’ll end up sharing tales of adventure with over whisky drank from a Sigg bottle (something of a tradition). You cannot book a bothy and therein lies the appeal – a serendipitous evening, sat around a roaring fire, after a full-on day in all the elements, making memories with whoever you find inside.
Best Bothy Etiquette
- In an emergency, there is always room in the bothy so don’t think because you got there first that no one else is welcome
- It is first come, first served so always pack a small tent or bivvy bag in case there is no space when you arrive
- Never leave any rubbish behind, and best bothy practise is to take out any rubbish you find there
- Don’t go to the toilet near to the building or water sources – go at least 200m away (that’s around a 3-5 minute walk) and dig a hole. Be sure to pack out all toilet paper and sanitary products with you
- Large groups of more than 6 people are not allowed
- Never outstay your welcome – 2 nights maximum
The Mountain Bothies Association (MBA; www.mountainbothies.org.uk) is funded only on donations and run by volunteers, if you use a bothy you should consider joining for just £25 a year, all money goes to maintaining these shelters for future generations to enjoy.
Phoebe Smith is an adventurer, author (of 10 books including the first guide to British Bothies – The Book of the Bothy) and host of the Wander Woman Podcast.
