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Bothies are one of the special features of Britain’s wild and remote landscapes. They offer simple, unlocked shelter to walkers and other outdoor travellers, often in places many miles from the nearest road.

However, bothies are not hostels, campsites or bookable accommodation. Their continued existence depends upon the generosity of landowners and the hard work of the volunteers who repair and maintain them.

What is a bothy?

A bothy is a basic shelter, usually an old cottage or estate building in a remote location. You should expect little more than a windproof and watertight building with somewhere dry to rest.

There may be a fireplace, stove or sleeping platform, but there may be none of these. Bothies generally have no electricity, running water, beds or rubbish collection. Anyone visiting one must arrive properly equipped and capable of looking after themselves.

Bothies cannot be booked and space is never guaranteed. Other people may arrive at any time, so anyone travelling through remote country should still carry the equipment needed to remain safe and self-sufficient.

The Mountain Bothies Association

The Mountain Bothies Association is a small charity that maintains around 100 bothies across Scotland, northern England and Wales.

The Association owns only one of the buildings in its care. The others are maintained through agreements with their respective owners.

Much of this work is undertaken by unpaid volunteers. They organise work parties, carry tools and materials into remote locations, repair roofs and walls, maintain doors, windows, fireplaces and stoves, and help keep the buildings safe, dry and available for future visitors.

Some well-used bothies also have simple toilet facilities constructed and maintained through the efforts of MBA volunteers. These facilities reduce the environmental problems caused by increasing numbers of people disposing of human waste around popular locations.

The shelters and facilities found at bothies should never be taken for granted. They exist because people willingly give their time, skills and money to look after them.

The Bothy Code

Everyone visiting or passing a bothy should follow the Bothy Code.

Its main principles are straightforward:

  • Respect other visitors and make them feel welcome.
  • Leave the building clean and tidy.
  • Carry out all your rubbish—there is no collection service.
  • Do not leave perishable food, as it attracts vermin.
  • Never cut live wood or damage fences, buildings or estate property.
  • Use fuel sparingly and make certain any fire is completely extinguished.
  • Close doors and windows securely before leaving.
  • Observe estate restrictions, including those associated with stalking or lambing.
  • Record your visit in the bothy logbook where one is provided.
  • Report damage or maintenance problems to the MBA.

Bothies are intended for short stays by individuals and small parties. Groups of six or more should not use them, and planned overnight stays by commercial groups are not permitted.

Toilets and human waste

Only a small number of bothies have toilets. Where a toilet is provided, visitors should follow the instructions, use it responsibly and leave it clean.

Where there is no toilet, human waste must be managed carefully. The MBA advises visitors to walk at least a couple of hundred metres from the bothy, remain well away from watercourses and water supplies, and bury waste properly using the bothy spade.

The area immediately surrounding a bothy must never be used as a toilet.

Care should also be taken when washing. Water used for cleaning pots, clothing or equipment should not be allowed to flow directly back into a burn or other water source.

More detailed advice is available in the MBA’s guide to using a bothy responsibly.

Bothies and Peak Adventures

Peak Adventures does not use bothies as planned accommodation for guided commercial groups. On our wilderness expeditions, clients carry tents and the equipment needed to camp independently and remain self-sufficient.

Some routes, including our Knoydart traverse, pass close to bothies such as A’Chuil and Sourlies. Our groups camp independently rather than occupying the bothies. Where toilet facilities are available, we may use them responsibly because this is preferable to creating additional human-waste impacts in sensitive and increasingly well-used areas.

We recognise that these facilities were created and are maintained through the work of MBA volunteers. Their availability does not make them a commercial facility or part of the service provided by Peak Adventures.

Learning to enjoy wild places responsibly

Our Mountain Skills courses cover much more than navigation and route planning. We take a holistic approach to travelling through the mountains, helping participants develop the knowledge and judgement needed to enjoy wild places safely and responsibly.

This includes:

  • responsible access;
  • reducing environmental impact;
  • considerate wild camping;
  • managing rubbish and human waste;
  • protecting water sources;
  • bothy etiquette and the Bothy Code; and
  • respecting landowners, local communities and other outdoor users.

Technical ability is only part of becoming an independent and responsible mountain traveller. How we behave—and what we leave behind—matters just as much.

Supporting the MBA

MBA-maintained bothies are free to use, and you do not need to be a member. However, maintaining remote buildings requires money, materials and a considerable amount of volunteer effort.

If you enjoy visiting bothies, appreciate having them available as emergency shelter or simply want to help preserve them for the future, please consider supporting the Association.

You can:

By understanding the work behind the bothy network and following the Bothy Code, we can all help protect these remarkable places for those who come after us.