Bothying for beginners: How to stay for free as a first-timer at one of Scotland’s rural retreats

Feeling the urge to escape to the great outdoors? Big nights out don’t get much wilder than bothying.

A bothy is a simple, remote dwelling that you can stay in for free – these no-frills cottages and cabins are places to rest your head, with four walls, a roof, a sleeping platform and, if you’re lucky, a wood-burning stove. While bothies are basic, they often come with epic views – these shelters are usually found in mountain passes, on the shores of lakes, hidden in the woods and perched on Britain’s most rugged shores.

The Mountain Bothy Association, a charity that does great work maintaining around 100 bothies all over the country, offers hikers and mountain bikers unhindered access to some of the UK’s most spectacular landscapes – and, unsurprisingly, most bothies are in Scotland’s mountains and stretches of wilderness.

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One reason that bothies are so special is that you have to earn the right to stay in one – by getting there in the first place. Many are far from any signs of civilization, such as Ben Alder Cottage in the Central Highlands, which requires a 10-mile pilgrimage just to reach it. Others are just an easy hour or two’s walk or cycle, such as Ryvoan in the Cairngorms, reached by a wide path through tall pine trees and along the shores of the glassy clear waters of An Lochan Uaine, the ‘Green Loch’, an amazing place for a wild swim.

There’s a bothy to suit just about everyone, from riverside cabins such as Bob Scott’s Hut in the Cairngorms to The Lookout on Skye, a former coastguard’s station, and photogenic Kearvaig in Cape Wrath, often called Scotland’s most beautiful bothy and complete with a white sand beach, a roaring fire and even a disco ball.

All of these magical places are free to use, but part of the culture of bothying is respect – for other users and for the landscape around you. Most hikers follow the Bothy Code, packing up their rubbish and often leaving behind useful bits and bobs such as matches or dried food. There’s a sense of camaraderie around these unique shelters, too – if you share a bothy with strangers, you’ll likely sit around the fire swapping stories of your hiking feats as well as snacks.

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