Heavily influenced by the textile designs of William Morris, The Bothy has a look that draws on the British Arts & Crafts movement of the late 19th Century. The wallpapers dance with intricate patterns featuring both avian and botanical imagery whilst the fabric choices were inspired by classic ‘trellis’ pattern designs, a perennial favourite of Morris. Victorian ‘glasshouse’ style flooring allied to distressed woods and eclectic combinations of banquet and ‘tub’ chair seating create a relaxed, lived-in feel, all contributing to a unique dining experience. Engaging travel writing documents the captivating history of each bothy and the adventurers who use them. If you want to contribute to the Mountain Bothy Association, you can either give a one-off donation, or you can become a member (because they’re a charity, the MBA rely on donations and memberships). Members receive an official bothy handbook (with information on specific bothies), and access to a four-times-a-year newsletter. If you’re super passionate about remote buildings in the middle of nowhere, you could even volunteer and give away your time! A visit to the spectacular 200m waterfall Eas a’ Chual Aluinn (waterfall of the beautiful tresses), the highest in the UK, is a must. You probably won’t find a toilet. A small few bothies have working toilets, but that’s a rarity. Instead, you’ll probably find a spade. Use this spade to dig a hole.

A bothy is a mountain shelter in Scotland available for anyone to use for free. It will usually consist of one or more bedrooms, with a common area that has seating and a fireplace.I normally advocate a leave no trace policy for wild camping, but in a bothy I suggest you do leave a record of your stay, in that the place is now cleaner and tidier. You’ll generally find a brush and dustpan, so use it.

Respect Agreement with the Estate’: if a bothy is on private land with private rules, respect the rules of that private land. And don’t hang around for a long time—bothies are only meant for short stays (of ideally only one night). This bothy is built into the cliffs on the Isle of Lewis, with a window that looks right out onto the sea. Talk about dreamy!! Cape Wrath: Kearvaig BothyScotland’s bothies are a loose collection of shepherds’ cottages, estate houses and abandoned crofts that have been saved from ruin and renovated. They form a network of basic shelters located throughout the country’s most remote and uninhabited regions. Freely available for anyone to use as a lunch stop, or to stay in overnight, bothies have been used by mountaineers and stravaigers for well over a hundred years and become integral to Scotland’s outdoor culture. Think of it as camping without a tent and you won’t be disappointed. It’s a non-canvas tent. You may have to share your tent with others and that’s part of the appeal. Water: Some bothies have nearby drinking water. Some don’t. But it’s best to assume that your bothy will offer no water—and if it does, that’s just a nice little surprise. A National Nature Reserve and an outstanding location for observing wildlife including golden and white-tailed sea eagles as well as dolphins, porpoises, and the world’s largest colony of shearwaters. Tours are offered by the Community Ranger Service.

Hillcraft & staying safe– Know what clothing and equipment to take, how to cross a river when in spate and what to do in an emergency. Regarded as the best book on Scottish bothies, The Bothy Bible is a no-brainer if you want to explore from your armchair before venturing out. Some folk can carry a load of tins into a bothy but can’t carry out the empties, some bury rubbish, which is harder than removing it. Do your bit for the environment and take all rubbish out. If you can manage to take out one or two bits that others have left, you’ll get an extra star. Leaving spare food in bothies is an issue on which there are diverse opinions. Leaving non-perishable items, such as unopened tins is OK in principal but some people see tins and think that it’s OK to leave less vermin proof items, thus encouraging furry friends to take up residence. When you leave the bothy ensure that the fire is out: bothies have been lost as a result of unattended fires. Make sure that all doors and windows are securely closed. Deer and sheep are adept at opening unsecured doors and closing them once inside. If you are unfortunate enough to find a four-legged bothy resident it may be very angry or smelly, or both. Respect the surroundings You can also reach Glencoul bothy from Kylesku. You will continue past Glendhu bothy and continue around the loch, making your way through an unmarked trail uphill before joining a clear path that leads to Glencoul bothy. Yep, anyone can just turn up and use a bothy. But you should follow the rules and recommendations, and be all respectful. Here are the main things you need to think about: The Bothy Code

Eagle's Nest Bothy, Lewis

You can make a report here, to notify the team of any problems or issues… or even to say that whatever bothy you used was in good working condition. The Scottish bothy bible was the first ever complete guide book to Scotland’s bothies. Winner Travel Guidebook of the Year 2017. You can buy the PDF digital version of the book here or the Kindle version here. If you reach a bothy and 1 or 2 people are in there, you should ask to join them. Unless they’re absolutely horrible (being horrible isn’t really in the spirit of bothy use), they’ll probably say yes. An artist,photographer and surveyor, he is alsoa maintenance officer for Dibidil – aMountain Bothy Association’s bothy onthe Isle of Rùm – and your perfect guideto exploring Scotland’s wild places. Donation to the Mountain Bothies Association is a good way to contribute to bothy upkeep, as is volunteering, or joining the association. Do bothies have toilets?