What is a Bothy?

Before I begin to write about anything in specific, I thought I would explain what a bothy is.

I looked the term up in the dictionary and this is what I found:

Bothy both-ee,baw-thee

Noun, plural both·ies. Scot.

a hut or small cottage.

This describes a bothy in the simplest way. More specifically a bothy is a shelter or a refuge where anyone is allowed to stay. There is no place to sign up for it or make a reservation, so when going to one you have to expect other people might be there too.

The owners of bothies permit the access to them and most are maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA).

There is (with exception) no electricity or running water in bothies nor is there a toilet. Between 2 and 12 people (check the number) can stay in a bothy but most are for 4-5.

Bothies can be found all over Scotland and some in northern England, Wales and Ireland, most of them in remote places.

Some might not find bothies appealing due to the fact that there are no facilities and so on but I dare you to try it.

Bothies are magical! You will hike to places in the rough wilderness of Scotland and you’ll make some of the best memories ever. Because bothies are quite far from everything, if the sky is clear you will see the most amazing night sky.

xoxo, Joanna