for walkers – so keep walking. Don’t turn up and set up home there for a week. One or two nights is fine, but any longer and you’ll need to ask permission first. There are plenty more bothies anyway, so get exploring rather than settling in the same one.
Keep it to the minimum Bothies are not the place for large groups. With other users turning up all the time, you cannot arrive en masse and expect to fit. A maximum group size should be six or fewer. Any more and you will need to ask for permission from the owner first.
When you leave, go gracefully Check the fire is out, and if it’s not, put it out – never leave it unattended. Close the door – cattle, deer and birds can all get inside if you leave it open, but then can’t get back out. And take rubbish with you.
Safety issues
Fires
The main risk in a bothy is from the fire. Stoves and open fires are a welcome facility, but if you leave a fire unattended, burn the wrong thing or – worse – have a faulty stove or chimney the consequences can be dire.
Check before you start your fire that there is nothing in the fire/stove that shouldn’t be – plastics, tins, and painted or varnished wood are a definite no-no. Remove these if you find them. Make sure there’s no masonry from the chimney in the grate – this could be a sign the chimney is faulty.
When you do start the fire keep a lookout for smoke seeping out where it shouldn’t – from panels or from part-way up the chimney or flue. If this happens, or if the room fills with smoke, put the fire out, open the windows or doors, leave the bothy and do not enter until it’s clear – carbon monoxide poisoning is a killer.
If using a stove make sure the ash pan is empty before you start and empty it the next day before you leave.
Do not leave a fire unattended, and make sure the fire is out when you leave.
Water
Most bothies are near a water source (river or stream), and this is indicated within each bothy chapter. While there are many people who swear they drink from these without treating the water first, and have always been fine, it’s best to err on the side of caution.
The simplest way to purify water is by boiling it on your camping stove. Once you’ve brought it to the boil be sure to let the water roll for a couple of minutes before using it. If you want to save fuel take chlorine tablets with you or consider carrying in a water filter/purifier device, though these can be a bulkier option.
Whatever method you choose, take fast-flowing water (as opposed to standing water) from as close to the source as possible.
The bothy book
As good a read as any book you’ll ever find, these wonderful pages contain days’, months’ and years’ worth of other people’s adventures. They will sometimes shock, sometimes make you laugh, often be a cryptic puzzle about the person who was here before you, but they are always sure to inspire you to go somewhere new and read another one.
Some bothy locations – such as that of The Lookout on the Isle of Skye – can bring out the artist in us
I’ve seen everything from poetry to illustrations, book extracts and even a 16-page polemic about why the outdoors shouldn’t be regulated. Each one is a gem that, if I had my way, would find its way into the National Archives. Better yet – they are all unique. They give a sense of the characters who’ve slept in the same four walls as you and tell a lot about the type of people who seek out the different ones – from the popular bothies, where lots of newcomers visit and Duke of Edinburgh groups stop for lunch, to the hard-to-reach ones where the entries are more sombre affairs full of advice and plans for the days ahead.
In each of the following chapters you’ll find my own bothy-book entry – a personal account of a memorable experience at that particular place.
Make sure, whenever you visit a bothy, you fill the bothy book in and become part of the wonderful legacy.
Enjoying a coffee in Ruigh Aiteachain bothy, East Highlands
Traditions
Apart from writing in the bothy book – which should be mandatory (consider taking a pen in case there isn’t one or it’s run out) – many walkers often share whisky from a Sigg bottle, which I’ve done on more than one occasion. But if you don’t fancy that, your tradition could be being kind to any other users who come along. And while we’re talking new traditions, the best approach you can take at a bothy – whether you’re staying for a couple of minutes to look around, half an hour for a lunch break, or one or two nights – is always to leave it in a better state than when you arrived. Because if we all did that, we’d always find every bothy in a clean and well-maintained state.
How you can help
Bothies are maintained by volunteers, who can’t always get out to them as often as they’d like. That means you can be their eyes and ears on the ground. Once you’ve visited a bothy contact the MBA via the website (www.mountainbothies.org.uk, ’Make a Report’ section) and let them know if vital work needs doing. If something’s missing – such as a shovel – tell them. If someone’s tried to burn a chair – tell them. Or even if everything seems in order just tell them – it’s nice for them to know.
Common things that go wrong with bothies are roofs, windows, doors and floors. So on your next visit take a look around. Are there tiles missing on the roof? Is water dripping inside when it rains? Are all the windows intact? Is the door still on the stove? Is the floor OK – no holes or soft spots underfoot? Do any of the walls, ceilings or floors have visible cracks? Is the front door closing properly and staying closed?
If you notice anything tell the MBA so that they can sort it before things get worse – a minor problem can easily develop into a major expense if not addressed.
Saws, often supplied at the bothy, are useful for cutting dead wood for the bothy fire
Then, perhaps consider joining one of the regular work parties held throughout the year all over the bothy network. You can help restore one of your favourite shelters, meet other bothy-goers and get to spend a weekend in one of the best spots in Britain.
SCOTLAND
Looking out to the Rubha Hunish, the northernmost point on the Isle of Skye, en route to The Lookout
DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY
Tunskeen
The very first MBA bothy, situated in the wilds of the Galloway Forest
Tunskeen was the first bothy to be placed under the care of the MBA
I often wonder if, when the idea to begin renovating and protecting old dilapidated buildings in deepest, wildest Scotland was first suggested, anyone thought that it would have grown to the extent it has 50 years later. Thanks to that notion – which must have been looked upon as completely crazy back then – we now have shelters not just spread over Britain’s northernmost country, but in England and Wales too.
It all started here...with Tunskeen. The very first Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) project, this building was taken on in 1965 and, courtesy of the small group that started this work, it is still open today for walkers like you and me to enjoy. The