What is a Mountain Bothy?
A Mountain Bothy is a remote mountain shelter, for the benefit of walkers and climbers. There are hundreds of them dotted around the UK, many of which are maintained by volunteers from the Mountain Bothy Association (MBA). Most are open all year round, they have no electricity, gas, running water or phone lines and most have a fire place with a multi fuel stove, but you will need to bring your own coal with you. Many have raised sleeping platforms to keep you away from the cold stone floors and very few have toilet facilities. However despite the lack of facilities a night in a Mountain Bothy is a truly magical experience, and highly recommended. Here are our top 10 tips on what to bring and how to survive a night is a Bothy.
Pick a Bothy. Whether its England, Wales or Scotland there are hundreds of Bothies around the UK, many are in remote locations, and some are more accessible than others. The more accessible ones can be busy, so the general rule is to take a tent with you just in case the Bothy is full, but even when full the people inside will always make room for you. I have never had to use a tent yet on a Bothy trip. There are dozens of video clips of You Tube of visits to various Bothies, they will certainly give you an insight as to the locations and facilities. To find locations of all the MBA Bothies visit the MBA website at https://www.mountainbothies.org.uk. There are other Bothies not on the MBA website, and these will be private ones belonging to shooting estates etc
What to take with you - Camping stove and gas, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, pots and pans, knife and fork, matches or cigarette lighter, map and compass, food (plenty of calories), drink. drinking alcohol in a Bothy is the law, fuel for the fire. (See below), toilet paper, hand sanitiser, trowel etc, first Aid kit, sunscreen and insect repellent, spare clothes, a plastic bag to take your rubbish out, candles or T lights, torch, and the most important thing is a sense of humour.
You’ll need to bring your own coal with you. As mentioned above, you will need to carry your own fuel in, and these old buildings can be cold, even in a summer heat wave the older buildings with stone roofs are still cold inside. On my first ever night in a Mountain Bothy my colleagues and I carried in a cheap fire log each (£1 each at a local supermarket), we initially thought that they were fine but after a couple of hours the temperature inside the building hadn’t changed much and you could still see your own breath in the cold air. Then out of the darkness a group arrived carrying a couple of bags of coal and within an hour we were sat around chatting in T shirts. So bring something with you that will burn hot and take the chill out of the air, general rule is a couple of Kilos of coal per person. Remember to take some firelighters or kindling, you are unlikely to get coal going with just a lighter or a box of matches.
What sort of people frequent these places. Generally you will come across like minded folk, and I have met some fantastic people at Bothies. However I have also heard some horror stories about thieves targeting Bothies, but it has to be said I have never seen this personally, and I would always advise to go with someone else. It also means you can share the experience with a friend or colleague. Groups of 3 or 4 is ideal, you’ll probably get a place on a bed or sleeping platform and can share the weight in coal. The conversations around the fire will be entertaining, and if someone turns up with a guitar, give him/her a seat by the fire.
Mind your kit - By this I don’t mean hide your car keys and phone from potential thieves, what I mean is that there is a tendency to put your boots close to the fire to dry out. Drying boots too quickly against a fire is likely to cause damage to them, leather boots will crack, waterproofs will melt, and when that gust of wind comes down the chimney everything will smell of smoke. Be sensible and move your stuff around to allow others to dry their kit out as well.
Check the weather - I have visited Bothies in all weather, each has their own pro’s and cons. A cold winter night will reveal a stunning night sky; because the locations are generally remote there is little light pollution, so the stars seem closer and the Milky Way easier to see (depending on location and time of year). Falling snow makes for some stunning photographs, and on one occasion it was blowing an absolute gale outside, but we were nice and toasty inside playing “Pass the Pigs”, using head torches with a roaring fire in the background, and the rain driving against the window; I honestly wouldn’t have been anywhere else at that time.
You’ll need some entertainment - If you’re going with others then a book is a none starter, you’ll probably spend 5 minutes reading the Bothy Book, then spend a couple of hours trying to figure out what you can write in it. As previously stated I normally take a game called “Pass the Pigs”, small, compact, weighs next to nothing but can keep you entertained for hours, as can a pack of cards. Anyone with a guitar should be given priority and as the alcohol kicks in the songs will start flowing.
Alcohol - It’s against the law not to take alcohol with you to a Bothy. You really don’t want to be carrying a bottle of wine in with you, the bottle itself weighs a lot and you’ll have to carry it back out with you. I once took a bottle of wine inside a hot water bottle, the idea was to drink the wine then fill the hot water bottle up with hot water to keep me warm during the night. The idea worked very well apart from the awful taste of rubber when drinking the wine. You will see plenty of hip flasks being passed around, my personal favourite hip flask tipple is “Kings Ginger”. Cans of beer and cider are popular, but inevitably the drinker will be getting up during the night to go to the toilet, waking everyone up and letting out the warm air as they disappear into the night with wet socks and fading head torches. Cans can also be crushed and carried out easily. I once broke the law and took nothing, a solo Japanese traveller arrived with a bottle of Jack Daniels who insisted that he didn’t drink alone, and I am now addicted to JD in my coffee.
Join the Mountain Bothy Association - The MBA is a charity, and their bothies are maintained by volunteers so your membership goes towards repairs and upkeep. Membership of the MBA is reasonable, you will get updates on the current state of each bothy, and details of works parties.
What is the Bothy Code. In a nutshell leave the bothy as you would want to find it, but follow these simple common sense rules.
Respect Other Users. Please leave the bothy clean and tidy with dry kindling for the next visitors. Make other visitors welcome and be considerate to other users.
Respect the Bothy - Tell us about any accidental damage. Don’t leave graffiti or vandalise the bothy. Please take out all rubbish which you can’t burn. Avoid burying rubbish; this pollutes the environment. Please don’t leave perishable food as this attracts vermin. Guard against fire risk and ensure the fire is out before you leave. Make sure the doors and windows are properly closed when you leave.
Respect the surroundings - If there is no toilet at the bothy please bury human waste out of sight. Use the spade provided, keep well away from the water supply and never use the vicinity of the bothy as a toilet. Never cut live wood or damage estate property. Use fuel sparingly.
Respect Agreement with the land owner - Please observe any restrictions on use of the bothy, for example during stag stalking or at lambing time. Please remember bothies are available for short stays only. The owner’s permission must be obtained if you intend an extended stay, the landowners can refuse permission at any time and you will need to vacate the premises if required.
Respect the restrictions on numbers - Because of over crowding and lack of facilities, large groups (6 or more) should not use a bothy. Bothies are not available for commercial groups.
