PEANMEANACH BOTHY (WALK 11) INSIDE 14 STRATHCHAILLEACH BOTHY (WALK 1)
well as 21 in England and Wales. In 2015, when the organisation celebrated its 50th anniversary, it received The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service – the highest accolade for a voluntary group in the UK. WHAT TO EXPECT Bothies come in many shapes and sizes, but the most common configuration is the classic two-roomed cottage referred to by its Scots term, but and ben. The ‘but’ referring to the kitchen and living room, and the ‘ben’ the bedroom. Accommodation is very rudimentary, and in almost all cases there is no gas, electricity, tap, or toilet. You should expect only a wind- and waterproof building that offers somewhere dry to sleep. If you are staying overnight, you will need to carry in all the equipment you would normally take camping, plus candles and, if there is a fireplace, fuel to burn. As a bare minimum, bothies will have a table and a couple of chairs, but many also have sleeping platforms and stoves. Water comes from a nearby stream and, although some bothies have latrines or loos, answering calls of nature will involve a walk and the use of a spade. Bothies can look romantic, but in reality they can be cold, dusty, damp, and pretty dark. Yet in the evening, with the fire blazing, candles burning, hot food on the table and a glass of wine at your elbow, the place is transformed. Some (myself included) just like to go ‘<strong>bothy</strong>ing’ – setting off for the weekend without any other objective in mind – and many bothies have been adopted as a home from home. Evenings can be peaceful or convivial, so respect other users as well as the <strong>bothy</strong> itself. Each shelter has at least one dedicated MBA maintenance officer who volunteers their services to look after the fabric of the building and when major renovations are required, the MBA organises work parties. I would wholeheartedly recommend joining the MBA to support all their good work. LOCATING BOTHIES Bothies differ from other systems of mountain huts and refuges around the world in a number of subtle and distinctive ways. Because only a very small number have been purpose-built, the location of the majority is fairly random. They are not necessarily close to a particular peak or spaced at equal distances along a recognised long-distance walk. Neither are they tied to any specific National Park. They are found right across the country, some in very remote places that are rarely visited. Another intriguing element is the past reticence about advertising the network. Except in a very few cases, the word <strong>bothy</strong> has not been printed on any OS maps; only the name of the building. And on the ground there are few signposts to point the way. As I explain in the next section, you cannot rely on this guide alone, but in combination with the right OS map you should be able to find your way with ease. 15