Roughing it in a mountain bothy – the most basic form of overnight accommodation in some of the most isolated parts of the country – has just become more comfortable, thanks to an unprecedented programme of refurbishment by the organisation that runs them. The Mountain Bothies Association (mountainbothies.org.uk) has renovated 65 of the 100 bothies it runs across Britain, and opened one entirely new bothy. The programme cost £45,000, all raised through membership fees and donations.
"Bothies have very basic comforts – just four walls and a roof – but they need maintaining, and we are putting stoves into a lot of them so that people have heating and cooking facilities," says Neil Stewart of the MBA.
The newest bothy is a formerly derelict school at Duag Bridge in the north Highlands, which was offered to the MBA by the landowner. "It was operating as an unofficial shelter, but the estate asked us to make it into a proper bothy, so we added a new roof and windows," says Stewart. "At the other end of the scale, the Camban bothy in the west Highlands has had its first renovation work in 40 years."
Although most of the bothies are in Scotland, there are a handful in northern England and Wales. Most are exposed to extreme weather conditions, so the renovation works are on a rolling programme. "We rely entirely on volunteers," says Stewart. "Working parties can last from a day to a fortnight but people can come for some or all of it – and of course, we're always happy if people want to take a break to do a spot of hill walking."
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2009
