12 guides
The Lookout Bothy: When a Coastguard Station Became a Room with One Remarkable View
Perched near Rubha Hunish at the northern tip of Skye, the Lookout began life as a coastguard watch station rather than an RAF radar base. Its enormous windows once helped coastguards watch the surrounding seas; now they give walkers views across the Minch towards the Western Isles.
Sourlies Bothy: A Remote Shelter on Loch Nevis
A small MBA bothy on the shore of Loch Nevis with no road access. Rough approach, camping likely. Remote, quiet, and properly off-grid.
Culra Bothy: Asbestos, Demolition & Rebuilding
How asbestos closed one of Scotland's most remote bothies in 2014, why it was demolished in 2025, and when the replacement might appear.
Club Huts vs Open Bothies: What's the Difference?
Why some mountain shelters need a membership card while MBA bothies stay unlocked. A look at how club huts and open bothies actually work.
Bothy Books: Why Walkers Write Essays in the Hills
Bothy visitor books collect everything from weather notes to life stories. A look at what people write when they're cold, wet, and miles from civilisation.
The MBA Bothy: When Volunteers Decide Which Stone Buildings Get Saved
The Mountain Bothies Association maintains around a hundred shelters across Britain, but thousands of ruined shepherds' cottages never make the list. What makes one ruin worth restoring while another gets left to collapse?
Why Bothies Don't Have Doors You Can Lock (And What That Actually Means)
Open access is the founding principle: no bookings, no keys, no guarantee of space. It works until six people arrive at a four-person bothy on the same February night.
Hutchison Memorial Hut: When Friends Built a Bothy for a Climber Who Never Came Home
The stone shelter in Coire Etchachan was built in 1954 in memory of Dr Arthur Gilbertson Hutchison, an Aberdeen-born geologist who died in a climbing accident in Wales in 1949. His friends chose a practical memorial in the Cairngorm hills he had known—not a bench, plaque or monument that nobody could shelter inside.
Shenavall Bothy: When the Only Way In Is Six Miles of Stalker's Path
Tucked under An Teallach with views down Strath na Sealga, Shenavall is a popular small bothy reached by an approximately nine-kilometre walk from Corrie Hallie. It is unavailable during stag stalking from 15 September to 20 October, and visitors should always carry fallback shelter.
Camasunary Bothy: When You Can Walk or Sail But Not Drive
Sitting at the head of Loch Scavaig with the Cuillin behind it, Camasunary is roughly a five-kilometre walk from Kilmarie or accessible by boat. The yacht crowd arrives by dinghy, the walkers arrive muddy, and everyone shares the insulated shelter and sleeping platform.
Ryvoan Bothy: The Small Shelter Beyond the Green Loch
As of 8 August 2026, Ryvoan Bothy, the Ryvoan Trail and access to An Lochan Uaine remain closed following the Glenmore wildfire. The small shelter and its surrounding routes must not be visited until the official closure is lifted.
Corrour Bothy: When a Deer Watcher’s Hut Became One of Scotland’s Best-Known Bothies
Built in 1877 as a deer watcher’s hut, Corrour stands beside the Lairig Ghru beneath the Devil’s Point in the heart of the Cairngorms. Its position on the historic route between Deeside and Speyside—and close to several major mountains—has made it one of Scotland’s best-known and most heavily used bothies.