MOSEDALE COTTAGE LAKE DISTRICT

What’s the point of bothying in summer when the weather is nice outside? Winter bothying is where it’s really at. Pick the right one with a simple walk-in, and take plenty of fuel to get a fire going, a hot meal and a pack of cards, and you’re in for a new mountain experience like no other. You’ll still need to be prepared with 4-season kit, but the shelter a bothy provides will really come into its own in winter, and with your wet kit drying above the fire, you’ll be ready to squeeze as much adventure as possible into one trip. You’ll probably be the only one canny (aka mad) enough to be sleeping out in the depths of winter too, so there’s more chance of getting the bothy all to yourself.

The Mountain Bothies Association keeps a list of all its shelters, with details of location, facilities and ‘The Bothy Code’, but our pick for a winter bothy is Mosedale Cottage near Haweswater in the Lakes. It has a composting toilet and the all-important multi-fuel stove to take refuge from the cold winter nights. mountainbothies.org.uk