Scottish Bothy Bible: The complete guide to Scotland s bothies and how to reach them

Product Information

For each bothy featured there is an Ordnance Survey map with grid reference and descriptions of two access routes, one the direct or “classic” with a longer “challenging” alternative for hill-baggers and those who have time and inclination. As of writing this review in November 2020, bothies remain closed, and the MBA have strengthened their messaging.

Phoebe Smith's remarkable pocket-sized book demonstrates that bothies really have come in from the cold. Featuring 26 selected bothies, the author shares her memories of using these free ‘stone tents’ in some of the country’s wildest and most remote locations. People using a bothy must expect others to arrive looking for shelter and make room for them if that happens.Know what to take, where to get water and fuel, how to cross a river when in spate and what to do in an emergency. The bothy guide side of the book is very well put together in geographical sections of the UK from North to South. Though of course, like many people, I'm too busy with a work and family life and will probably never experience a single night in a bothy, but of course, I don't have to really because Phoebe cast a bothy spell in my mind with her writing style. Compact, concise and with the right amount of interesting information to wet your appetite and get you planning your fist bothy adventure. We've come across fictional and non-fictional accounts of climbers and walkers in which bothies are visited, but we are pretty sure we've never previously encountered a book that is actually about bothies.

Also included are the author's personal recollections of her own visits, from crashing a stag party at Glencoul bothy to a solitary but supremely comfortable night at the remote bothy near Sandwood Bay. Journey into some of the wildest and remotest spots of the UK and you will find old, empty houses left open for you to use…and it won't cost you a penny. Follow in Phoebe’s footsteps as she shares hard-won, expert advice on how best to make use of these ‘stone tents’, including packing lists, bothy etiquette, best walking routes in, local legends and more. Bothies are something of an enigma to many of us, even those of us who have ventured out into the hills on a regular basis.He does a similarly powerful job in describing the rural surroundings and the horrendous weather conditions that only serve to cut it off from reality and civilisation even more.