How many people can sleep in The Lookout bothy?

The official MBA capacity is three people. It's a modest single-storey building with basic shelter and those massive windows, so space is limited.

What was The Lookout bothy used for originally?

It was built as a coastguard watch station in 1928. Coastguards staffed it to monitor marine traffic and watch for vessels in distress in the waters around northern Skye, until it was eventually decommissioned and converted to a bothy in the mid-1970s.

Can you get mobile phone signal at The Lookout bothy?

No, mobile phone signal is absent or unreliable up there. You're very remote at the northern tip of Skye, so you need to be properly prepared and can't rely on being able to call for help.

Home for the Night

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.

20 September 20268 min read