One of the huts where tourists traveling through Scotland can find shelter
As the BBC writes, most of these structures are single-story huts previously used by shepherds. Over time, they were abandoned and gradually fell into disrepair. This concerned a group of climbers and hikers, who founded the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA). With permission from the landowners where these huts were located, members took on the task of maintaining them in proper order.
Information about the existence of these shelters remained inaccessible to tourists. Only the initiated knew where they were. However, five years ago, Geoff Allan, an expert and enthusiast of these secret landmarks, decided it was time to create a detailed and accurate guidebook.
The author of the "Bible of Scottish Bothies" told the BBC that creating the guidebook took so long for one simple reason: he only took photographs in good weather, and in Scotland such opportunities are quite rare.
Geoff Allan is 47 years old, originally from the English county of Suffolk, but has lived in Edinburgh since his student days. It was within the walls of the University of Edinburgh that he joined the mountaineering club and began staying in these huts during his climbs.
"In my youth, I often stayed in youth hostels," says Geoff, "so the idea of free shelter in the mountains immediately captured my imagination. To be honest, I never had much money anyway. I would have preferred to stay in more comfortable conditions, but it turned out that I had to choose these huts after all," he recounts.
Geoff once worked as a survey engineer, but now devotes all his time to art and photography. When he began researching mountain huts, he had a car, but it later broke down, and he had to continue his work using only a bicycle or public transport.
Representatives of the Mountain Bothies Association, which does not own the huts, say they were not involved in Geoff Allan's guidebook. However, they consider him a kind of ambassador for their movement. One of the Association's trustees, Neil Stewart, says that back in 2009, the organization published some data about the huts online, so "the genie was out of the bottle."
According to Neil Stewart, MBA members are glad that Allan's book will highlight the work they do, but only on the condition that those who wish to visit these places strictly follow the rules, respecting both the old structures and nature, as well as other travelers.
• The highest-altitude hut is built in honor of Dr. Arthur Gilbertson Hutchison, a traveler from Aberdeen who died during a climb in 1949. The hut is located on the northern slope of Derry Cairngorm.
• The most inaccessible hut is in an area that would be very difficult for an inexperienced tourist to reach. It is located in a remote area near the River Carron. Until 1914, shepherds lived in the house. Then it was abandoned, and over the next two decades, only vagrants visited the hut. Incidentally, in the 1920s-30s, there were many of them due to mass unemployment in Britain. The guide to Scottish bothies offers two routes to reach this spot. Each journey takes more than four hours.
• The strangest hut is an old cottage located in a marshy area south of Cape Wrath in the far north of Scotland. Until 1996, the famous British hermit James McCrory Smith lived here. Everything in the hut has been preserved as it was 20 years ago. Among other things, you can see drawings that Smith made on the walls of the house. "When you're there, it sometimes gets creepy because it feels like the former owner is still there," says Geoff Allan.
• The smallest hut is more like a garden shed suitable for a short stop than a place to spend the night. Inside, there is a table, a chair, and a long wooden bench, too narrow to sleep on. On the other hand, if guests are willing to sleep on the floor, the hut can accommodate three occupants. The hut is located in the Wester Ross forest.