4 BRILLIANT BOTHIES

TUNSKEEN BOTHY

GALLOWAY FOREST, SCOTLAND

It all started here in

1965, when Bernard Heath lead the first work party who set about repairing the walls and roof of this small shelter with its simple one-room layout. Small it may be, but the network of bothies it spawned is huge.

GELDER SHIEL STABLE

BALMORAL, SCOTLAND One of two bothies on royal land, this former stable for Queen Victoria’s horses is now a cosy abode for walkers. Offering good access to Lochnagar, it was recently overhauled. It even has a flushing toilet, paid for by none other than HRH Queen Elizabeth herself.

DULYN BOTHY

CARNEDDAU, NORTH WALES

Nestled amid the high moorland and mountain flanks of the Carneddau, this former shepherd’s hut is one of many human structures that remain in this region, amid standing stones and hut circles. A stay in this two-roomed hut also offers the chance to spy one of the many wild ponies that patrol outside.

GREG’S HUT

PENNINES, CUMBRIA Sat on the lower flanks of Cross Fell (the highest point in the spine-like ridge of the Pennines) at 700m above sealevel this little bothy is the highest in the entire MBA network. It’s estimated that around 600 people visit it each year.