Scottish Bothies

A’ Chuil sits at the edge of a conifer plantation in Glen Dessarry (grid ref NM 944 924), on the walk-in from Loch Arkaig toward Knoydart. A straightforward overnight stop before pushing on to Sourlies or Glenpean. Strictly no vehicular access (MBA).

Strathan, head of Loch Arkaig

One of Scotland's most northerly bothies, in central Sutherland just east of Loch Loyal near Altnaharra. The walk-in is unusually easy — a little over a kilometre of near-flat, often boggy ground from the A836. Beinn Stumanadh rises to the south, with the Ben Loyal massif to the north.

A836 layby by Loch Loyal, near Altnaharra

A bothy under Beinn Dearg, west of Glen Tilt and north of Blair Atholl (grid ref NN 835 737). Owned by Atholl Estate; MBA-maintained, with an open fire.

Old Bridge of Tilt, Blair Atholl

A bothy deep in the Galloway Forest Park, north-west of Clatteringshaws Loch — part of an International Dark Sky Park. The MBA relinquished it in 2010 after repeated vandalism, and Forestry and Land Scotland, who own the forest, keep it open.

Clatteringshaws Loch car park on the A712

A large estate bothy at Barrisdale Bay on the south shore of Loch Hourn, the usual base for Ladhar Bheinn. NOT free: the estate charges a nightly fee per person (honesty box), first come first served with no bookings taken — see the estate’s own page for the current rate. Estate-run, sleeps 12 across two bunk rooms.

Kinloch Hourn road end

A single-room bothy south of Glen Carron, in the hills between Glen Carron and Loch Monar (MBA). Owned by Achnashellach Estate; MBA-maintained, with an open fire.

Craig on the A890

Ben Alder Cottage stands on the west shore of Loch Ericht at Alder Bay, beneath Ben Alder (grid ref NN 499 680), at a junction of two rights of way. Owned by Ben Alder Estate; the old stone part dates from 1871 and has been an MBA bothy since 1969.

Dalwhinnie or Corrour Station

A large, well-appointed former hunting lodge in the hills between Loch Carron and Glen Elchaig. One of the most comfortable bothies in Scotland. The Black Water and Loch Calavie below are scenic and the surrounding remote Munros draw a steady trickle of dedicated baggers each year.

Attadale on the A890

Bob Scott’s is a timber bothy near Derry Lodge in the heart of the Cairngorms, on Mar Lodge Estate (NTS) and looked after by the Friends of Bob Scott’s. The present building replaces the one on this site that burned down in 2003. The classic starting point for the Lairig Ghru and the Cairngorm 4000s.

Linn of Dee car park

Brattleburn sits in a clearing in Greskine Forest in the Lowther foothills west of Beattock (grid ref NT 016 069) — one of the MBA bothies that serve the Southern Upland Way, along with White Laggan and Over Phawhope. It was renovated in 1984, the same year the Way opened (MBA).

No vehicles beyond the public road end at Cloffinburn Cottage (NT 046 066); the MBA prefers access along the Southern Upland Way

A small MBA bothy in the hills north of Ae, on Queensberry Estate. Closed every spring for lambing.

Usually approached from Mitchellslacks, north of Ae (walker reports, not the MBA)

A heather-thatched former crofthouse on the shore of Rackwick Bay, on the west side of Hoy, kept by the Hoy Trust as a shelter for campers and hill walkers. It is free to use; the trust asks for a small donation towards its upkeep. Historic Environment Scotland lists it at Category A as a rare surviving example of a 19th-century Orkney crofthouse with its byre: it is one of only around ten buildings in Orkney known to keep an intact thatched roof.

Rackwick beach car park, Hoy (ND 201 992)

A bothy on the north-west shore of Loch Etive, reached along the loch from Bonawe. Bunks in the back room and open fires in the two front rooms.

Bonawe — vehicles are not permitted beyond the entrance to Bonawe quarry (MBA)

A converted stable by the lodge at Loch Callater, in Glen Callater south of Braemar, on Jock’s Road. Invercauld Estate land; MBA-maintained. No fire or stove.

Auchallater on the A93 south of Braemar

Camasunary sits on the east side of the bay between Elgol and the Black Cuillin on Skye, about 1km from the site of the old bothy (MBA). An insulated building sleeping around 15, with no fire or stove.

Kilmarie on the Elgol road (the usual start), or Elgol

Camban sits in Fionngleann at the west end of Glen Affric, on the Affric Kintail Way. Owned by the National Trust for Scotland (West Affric Estate); two large rooms with sleeping platforms for 8 upwards and a multi-fuel stove (MBA).

Morvich near Shiel Bridge

A rough estate shelter (Letterewe) behind Carnmore Lodge, deep in the Fisherfield wilderness near Fionn Loch. The traditional basecamp for the Fisherfield Six — the remotest set of Munros in Scotland.

Poolewe village

Charr is the most easterly MBA bothy in Scotland (grid ref NO 616 831), sitting in grouse-moor country in upper Glen Dye on Glendye Estate, where the Water of Dye meets the Water of Charr, with the Brocky Burn tumbling past the door. The site was once a small settlement — the archaeological record shows field enclosures and two longhouses — and the walk in passes ruin after ruin of the glen’s farming past. One thing to know before anything else: there is no fire or stove (MBA).

Rough lay-by on the B974 above the ruined Spital Cottage, about a mile south of Bridge of Dye

A former stalkers' cottage at the foot of Maol Chean-dearg in the Coulin Forest, reached by a path from Coulags on the A890. A good base for the Coulin hills or a through-route to Annat.

Car parking area just over the bridge at Coulags on the A890, near the start of the public footpath

Corrour sits in the heart of the Cairngorms, at the foot of the Devils Point and close to the Lairig Ghru pass. One of the most iconic bothies in Scotland and a natural base for exploring the southern Cairngorms plateau.

Linn of Dee car park

A large former youth hostel on the remote north shore of Loch Torridon, on the coastal path between Lower Diabaig and Redpoint. It ran as an SYHA hostel from 1935 until 2003 and was adopted by the MBA in 2006. This is a coastal bothy, not a mountain one.

Lower Diabaig road end, Loch Torridon

A former estate lodge on the north shore of Loch Tarbert, the sea loch that nearly cuts Jura in two. Cruib opened as a bothy in May 2012 after a major MBA renovation — it was the 79th building in the association's care and Jura's second, after Glengarrisdale. Three rooms, one kept locked for estate use, two for visitors, in as lonely a stretch of coast as the southern Hebrides offer.

Small lay-by just beyond Tarbert hamlet on the A846

Culra was the main basecamp bothy for the Ben Alder Munros — but right now there is no bothy here. It closed in March 2014 after asbestos was found in the building fabric, stood locked for over a decade, and was demolished in October 2025. The MBA and Ben Alder Estate are building a replacement on the site, with construction due during 2026.

Dalwhinnie (A9 layby at Loch Pattack track)

Dibidil sits on the south-east coast of Rum, beneath the Rum Cuillin. Reached by ferry from Mallaig to Kinloch, then a 5-mile path. MBA-maintained, with a multi-fuel stove.

Kinloch village (ferry from Mallaig)

A busy bothy on the east shore of upper Loch Lomond, close to the West Highland Way north of Inversnaid (grid ref NN 332 144). One large room with sleeping platforms for around 10 and an open fire (MBA).

Inversnaid, or the Ardlui–Ardleish ferry across the head of Loch Lomond

A former shepherd’s cottage at the head of Dryfe Water, a green island in the middle of forestry plantations. Rebuilt by MBA volunteers, with a multi-fuel stove and a composting toilet.

Hard standing by the barn and forest gate at the end of the public road (MBA) — not on the verges

A remote, non-MBA bothy south-west of Dalnaspidal near Loch Garry, on the old route between Dalnaspidal and Rannoch. No operator publishes its condition, so treat it as a basic shelter.

Dalnaspidal, off the A9 (Loch Garry)

Known as 'The Teahouse', a tiny wooden hut by the Easan Dorcha falls (the name means 'dark waterfalls') in the Coulin Forest near Achnashellach. Reached on the Coire Lair circuit, it has no fireplace and suits a sheltered brew stop or lunch far better than an overnight.

A890 layby at Achnashellach

A former shepherd's cottage on the shore of Loch Eilt, between Glenfinnan and Lochailort. It sits only a few hundred metres from the A830, but access is awkward — both the loch and the West Highland railway are in the way. A rough bothy since the 1960s, renovated by the MBA in 1977 and 1988.

Lochailort (walking route), or the kayak layby at NM829820 for a paddle across Loch Eilt (MBA)

A remote bothy in the eastern Cairngorms beside the River Avon, formerly an estate lodge. Long walk-in from either side — Tomintoul or Glenmore — makes this one of the more committing Cairngorm bothies.

Tomintoul or Glenmore

Be clear about what this is: an emergency refuge, not a bothy. A single small windowless room — an insulated timber core buried in a shell of granite boulders — at 688m where the Lairig an Laoigh crosses the River Avon, hours from any road. It was built in June 1970 by Fleet Air Arm ratings, rebuilt by MBA volunteers with Glenmore Lodge and RAF help in 2011, and is on record as having saved lives on multiple occasions. It is not intended for planned overnight stays.

Glenmore (Allt Mor car park) or Linn of Dee — both are full-day approaches

Gameshope is a former byre in a steep-sided glen above Talla Reservoir (grid ref NT 135 185), on land owned by the Borders Forest Trust as part of a long-term habitat restoration project. The cottage beside it — now a ruin — was built by stonemason John Dickson, probably in the early 19th century, and the last permanent residents left in 1919. The MBA renovated the byre in memory of Andrew Jensen (MBA). Covenanters met in this glen; a stone up the burn is traditionally called Peden’s Pulpit, though the MBA notes it has not been possible to identify it conclusively.

Roadside space near Talla Linnfoots, at the east end of Talla Reservoir before the Talla Linn hill road

A tiny emergency refuge in An Garbh Choire below Braeriach (grid ref NN 959 986), refurbished by the MBA in June 2018. Emergency use only — not to be used as a bothy (MBA).

Linn of Dee car park

A converted stable at Gelder Shiel below Lochnagar on the Balmoral side of Deeside (grid ref NO 258 900), maintained by the MBA. A multi-fuel stove and a toilet.

Parking is not permitted on the Distillery Road at Easter Balmoral (MBA) — check where to park before you go

The bothy at Glas-allt-Shiel is an outbuilding to the rear of the Victorian lodge at the head of Loch Muick (MBA) — not the lodge itself. Originally maintained by the Dundee Rucksack Club and adopted by the MBA in 2019. Multi-fuel stove and a large sleeping loft.

Spittal of Glenmuick

An MBA bothy up Gleann Dubh Lighe, north of the A830 between Glenfinnan and Fassfern, restored in memory of Nicholas Randall. An open fire and a sleeping platform.

Craigag car park, A830 near Glenfinnan

A small MBA bothy near the head of Loch Glendhu, east of Kylesku (grid ref NC 283 338). Owned by Reay Forest Estate; open fire.

Kylestrome, north of the Kylesku bridge (A894)

A small, formerly MBA bothy in remote hill country east of Beinn Dearg, north of Alladale, on a variant of the Cape Wrath Trail. It is no longer on the MBA’s list, and walkers report it is no longer maintained.

No operator publishes a parking point — plan the approach on the OS map

Glencoul sits at the head of Loch Glencoul in Assynt, near Eas a' Chual Aluinn — Britain's highest waterfall at 200m. One of the most scenically placed bothies in the northwest Highlands.

End of track at Loch na Gainmhich on the A894

A white-walled bothy above a sheltered bay on Jura's far north-west coast, looking out to Scarba, the Garvellachs and Mull. Glengarrisdale carries the darkest story in the bothy network: in 1647 the Campbells of Craignish surprised and killed the Maclaines here, and a skull said to be from the massacre — examined by the geologist Archibald Geikie, who noted claymore cuts — lay in a cave on the shore for three centuries before vanishing in the 1970s. The cave is still marked "Maclean's Skull Cave" on OS maps. The last permanent resident, Kate Johnson, left in the 1940s.

Road's End north of Ardlussa (NR 669 927) — limited verge parking

Glenpean sits at the head of Glen Pean between Loch Arkaig and the Knoydart wilderness. A staging post on the way to Sourlies or a base for the Glen Pean Munros.

Strathan at the head of Loch Arkaig

A stone cottage with a corrugated roof on Rannoch Moor, beside the West Highland railway. Lived in until the 1950s. The approach is long and rough, with the last part trackless across the moor.

Achallader Farm, Bridge of Orchy

A former shepherd's cottage up the Meggat Water in the Eskdalemuir Forest — the earliest entry for it in the parish records dates to 1826. The MBA adopted and renovated it in 2011, stripping away later add-ons and outhouses and reopening it that December. Three rooms off a long corridor make it one of the roomier bothies in the south, and the forest road network around it has made it a favourite with mountain bikers.

Hardstanding over the bridge at Glendinning (NY298969), at the owner’s risk — not by the Jamestown buildings; leave a note in the car (MBA)

Guirdil sits at the back of a wild bay on Rum's roadless north-west coast, under the steep profile of Bloodstone Hill. This was a crofting township before the clearances — a 1764-65 census recorded five families, twenty-two people, and their lazy beds still ribbon the slopes around the bothy. The MBA rebuilt the shepherd's cottage from near-ruin in 1982 in memory of Tom and Margaret Brown, early members who died within weeks of each other. Wild goats graze the beach and red deer come down at night to eat kelp.

No road access — CalMac ferry from Mallaig to Kinloch (Rum), then on foot

A small stone hut in Coire Etchachan at about 2,500 feet (roughly 760m), below Loch Etchachan and Ben Macdui (grid ref NO 023 998). Built in 1954 in memory of Dr A G Hutchison of Aberdeen, killed in a climbing accident in Pembrokeshire in 1949 (MBA).

Linn of Dee car park

A well-maintained bothy on the banks of the River Mallie near Loch Arkaig. Ancient woodland, a river for swimming, and a short walk-in make this ideal for families and beginners.

Mile Dorcha car park near Clunes on Loch Arkaig road

NOT a free open-access bothy: Johnnie Notions is a Shetland camping böd, booked and paid for in advance (£15 per bunk or £50 for exclusive use, per night) through the Northmavine office on 01806 544222 or bookings@northmavine.com. It sits at the road end in Hamnavoe, Eshaness, in the north-west corner of Northmavine, and it is open all year. A böd was a fishermen's booth or hut; this one takes its name from John Williamson, "Johnnie Notions", who lived nearby and worked as a fisherman, farmer, blacksmith, joiner and tailor. During Shetland's smallpox epidemic in the 1700s he developed a method of inoculation credited with saving around 3,000 people across the islands. The böd opened in 1992 as the third camping böd completed by the Shetland Amenity Trust, and panels inside tell his story and that of Eshaness's natural heritage.

At the böd, at the road end in Hamnavoe, Eshaness — keep gates and the road clear

Britain's most northwesterly bothy, sitting in a sandy bay near Cape Wrath lighthouse. Reaching it requires a ferry crossing and minibus ride before the final walk — or a multi-day trek on the Cape Wrath Trail.

Cape Wrath lighthouse (ferry + minibus required)

A former cattle byre in a grassy side glen of the Lowther Hills above the postcard village of Durisdeer. The story is in the name and the water: the cottage at Blackhill Moss was inhabited until the Kettleton Burn became Thornhill's water supply — sewage being a problem, the water board built a new cottage by the byre and moved the family. MBA volunteers renovated the byre in 1984 and a later refurbishment added a new roof and stove. It is one of the shortest bothy walk-ins in Scotland.

Durisdeer village, off the A702 above Thornhill

The converted stable of a former shepherd’s cottage in lonely Glen Kingie, north of Loch Arkaig (grid ref NN 002 960), renovated by the MBA in 1969. A small bothy with an open fire. Reaching the surrounding hills usually means crossing the River Kingie, which can be impassable in spate.

Strathan, head of Loch Arkaig

An old cottage on the route between Ullapool and Oykel Bridge, in the empty hill country north of Ullapool. A useful overnight on the Cape Wrath Trail, a short walk from the Schoolhouse bothy at Duag Bridge.

Oykel Bridge, A837 (via Strath Mulzie and Duag Bridge), or Ullapool (via Loch Achall)

Lairig Leacach sits on the old drove road through the pass between the Grey Corries and the Easains (grid ref NN 282 738). A small bothy with a multi-fuel stove, owned by Simec Lochaber Hydropower 2 and maintained by the MBA. Popular with walkers and cyclists using the pass.

Spean Bridge or Corriechoille

A 19th-century house above Loch Tearnait in Morvern, on the Ardtornish Estate, maintained by the MBA since 1983. It is about 4km inland from Loch Aline on a good path, with no electricity, running water or toilet. Beinn Mheadhoin (739m) is the nearest hill.

Ardtornish / Loch Aline, Morvern

A remote MBA bothy beside Loch Chiarain, near the Blackwater Reservoir (MBA), with the Easains to the north and the Ben Alder hills to the east. Open fire; owned by Simec Power 4 Ltd.

None close by — usually approached from Corrour Station or from Kinlochleven via the Blackwater Reservoir

A remote bothy in the hills between Braemore Junction and Dundonnell. Access to An Teallach from the south side. The bothy provides the southern approach to An Teallach and accesses the Fannaichs from the rear; rarely visited despite a manageable approach.

Layby on the A832 at Loch a' Bhraoin

A small bothy in an exposed site near the watershed between the River Roy and the River Spey, above upper Glen Roy (MBA). Owned by Wildland Ltd; multi-fuel stove.

Glen Roy road end

One of the most remote bothies in Scotland, in the empty country between Glen Elchaig and Loch Monar. The walk-in is long whichever way you come.

Attadale or Iron Lodge (Glen Elchaig)

Meanach sits on the upper Abhainn Rath between the Grey Corries and the Mamores, on the long through-route from Glen Nevis towards Loch Treig. An excellent base for the Grey Corries ridge.

Usually approached from the head of Glen Nevis (Steall car park)

A remote MBA bothy at the east end of Loch Morar, Britain's deepest freshwater loch, reached by a long walk along the trackless north shore or by boat. A two-floor building with sleeping platforms, deep in the Rough Bounds between Morar and Knoydart.

Bracorina, road end east of Morar (then shore path or boat)

The most remote bothy on Skye — in Glen Ollisdal on the Duirinish coast, 600m inland from some of the finest cliff scenery on the island, near Macleod's Maidens sea stacks and inside the Duirinish Wild Land Area. It is also one of the most actively maintained: a new roof went on in September 2021, and a 2025 renovation converted the old byre end into a second snug with a new Dowling stove. Note: this is a working sheep farm, shepherds have priority in the bothy, and dogs are not allowed.

Orbost road end near Dunvegan (via the B884)

An MBA-owned Borders bothy at the head of the Ettrick valley, on the Southern Upland Way (grid ref NT 183 082). Rolling hill country with a gentle character entirely different from the Highlands. A multi-fuel stove and an indoor flushing toilet in the byre next door.

The end of the tarmac road up the Ettrick valley — vehicles must not be taken beyond it (MBA)

NOT a free open-access bothy: Ardnish Estate closed Peanmeanach to open access in October 2020 and reopened it in 2021 as a locked, bookable, not-for-profit let (booking via admin@ardnish.org) — you book exclusive use of the whole building rather than sharing with whoever turns up. A beautifully restored building on the Ardnish Peninsula, overlooking the Sound of Arisaig, with sandy beaches and a short walk-in.

Polnish / A830 near Lochailort

A remote bothy deep in the forestry of Glen Hurich, in the Ardgour hills north-east of Strontian (grid ref NM 861 710). Owned by Forestry and Land Scotland and maintained by the MBA, with a wood-burning stove and an open fire.

The public road end — strictly no vehicle access, and the MBA asks visitors not to drive on the forestry roads

Rowchoish is the West Highland Way's first bothy — a former byre of Rowchoish cottage, hidden in mossy oak and pine woodland on the east shore of Loch Lomond north of Rowardennan. The cottage was occupied until the late 1930s; in 1759 nine families lived in this now-empty stretch of shore. It was renovated in 1965 in memory of William Ferris, a stalwart of the Scottish outdoor movement, and has been in MBA care since 1977.

Rowardennan car park (paid) at the end of the east Loch Lomond road

Set in Glen Feshie amid regenerating Caledonian pine forest, Ruigh Aiteachain is owned and maintained by Wildland Limited (Glenfeshie Estate). A wood-burning stove and a composting toilet in the adjacent building.

Auchlean near Feshiebridge

The newest bothy in the Cairngorms — Ruighe Ealasaid ("Elisabeth's shieling", long known as the Red House for its rusting corrugated-iron roof) opened to walkers over the winter of 2022-23 after a two-year MBA renovation. The building itself is far older: a cruck-frame house from the late 1700s or early 1800s, most probably built for a shepherd, lived in by an estate family until around 1900. It stands on the Geldie Burn on NTS Mar Lodge Estate, perfectly placed for the Braemar–Blair Atholl through-route and the remote Tarf Munros.

Linn of Dee car park (NTS, paid), west of Braemar

A short, easy walk from Glenmore through Caledonian pine forest past An Lochan Uaine — the classic first bothy, accessible enough for beginners but atmospheric enough to hook you. The MBA reopened it on 2 October 2026 after the summer wildfire in Strath Nethy; the track north towards Forest Lodge is still closed.

Glenmore Lodge car park

A former schoolhouse at Duag Bridge in Strath Mulzie (grid ref NH 340 975), taken on as an MBA project in 2008, in the empty country south-west of Oykel Bridge. A remote base for Seana Bhraigh. Owned by Corriemulzie Estate. No stove or fireplace.

Oykel Bridge, A837 (Strath Mulzie track)

Shenavall sits in Strath na Sealga in the Fisherfield wilderness, with An Teallach above. A small MBA bothy and the usual base for the Fisherfield hills.

Corrie Hallie on the A832

A small former deer watchers’ hut at the head of Glen Mark (grid ref NO 337 827), adopted by the MBA in 1994. Owned by Dalhousie Estate; open fire.

Spittal of Glenmuick (the MBA suggests the Loch Muick route)

Sourlies sits on the shore of Loch Nevis in the Knoydart peninsula, one of the most remote spots on the British mainland. The approach is a full day's walk through trackless wilderness.

Strathan at the head of Loch Arkaig

A remote bothy south-west of Loch Treig on the long walk between Fort William and Dalwhinnie. MBA-maintained, with an open fire.

None nearby — a long walk from Corrour Station or Kinlochleven

A two-storey house built in 1894 for an estate shepherd, up Strath Beag at the head of Loch Eriboll (grid ref NC 391 518). Owned by Wildland Ltd; MBA-maintained, with an open fire.

Track entrance off the A838 at the head of Loch Eriboll — do not block it; vehicles blocking the entrance will be moved (MBA)

A remote bothy on the Parph moorland north of Sandwood Bay, on the Cape Wrath Trail. Famous as the long-term home of James McRory-Smith ("Sandy"), who lived here for over 40 years.

Blairmore, on the Sandwood Bay road north of Kinlochbervie

A small MBA bothy on the mainland in the hills behind Glenelg (grid ref NG 883 173), not on Skye. An open fire and a sleeping platform.

Glenelg area — strictly no vehicle access to the bothy (MBA)

A bothy on the Glencanisp Estate beneath Suilven (grid ref NC 150 211), approached from Glencanisp Lodge near Lochinver. Open fire and sleeping bunks.

Glencanisp Lodge road, near Lochinver

'Black Norman's House', set among ruined crofts at the far north end of Raasay near Arnish and Torran, looking across the Sound of Raasay to Skye. One open room with a fireplace and a sleeping platform, first restored by the MBA in 1995. A remote, hard-to-find spot.

Arnish, end of Calum's Road, north Raasay

A well-known remote bothy at the Falls of Tarf area north of Glen Tilt in the Forest of Atholl, named with tongue-in-cheek grandeur. A long walk from Blair Atholl.

Car park at the foot of Glen Tilt, Blair Atholl (no vehicles to Forest Lodge)

The most northerly bothy on Skye — a former coastguard lookout at Rubha Hunish, the northern tip of the Trotternish peninsula. Built in 1928, it stopped serving as a lookout as radio communications improved and has been a bothy since the mid-1970s, taken over by the MBA in 2006.

New car park above the phone kiosk by the cattle grid, NG 422 742 (MBA)

An inland bothy up Glen Forsa on Mull, reached on foot from the A849. Two large rooms and one small one, with an open fire. MBA-maintained.

Track off the A849 at the foot of Glen Forsa — the MBA asks you to park 100m up the track

A small bothy in the heart of the Galloway Forest, below the Range of the Awful Hand (grid ref NX 425 906). Owned by Galloway Forest and maintained by the MBA, with a multi-fuel stove.

Forest-road car parks on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park — the MBA does not name one

Uags sits at shore level on the roadless south coast of the Applecross peninsula, the last standing building of a tiny former crofting township — the Gaelic name, Na h-Uamhagan, means "the little caves". Restored from a ruin by the MBA and Applecross Estate, it now has a reputation as one of the homeliest bothies on the west coast, with its own stony beach and views across to the Crowlin Islands, Skye and the Cuillin.

Toscaig pier (NG 710 378) — park at the pier itself, not at Upper Toscaig

An MBA bothy above Bagh Uisinis on South Uist’s wild, roadless east coast (grid ref NF 849 332) — a coast most visitors to the island never see. Owned by South Uist Estate. The bothy was renovated in memory of Donald Stuart (MBA); Ushenish lighthouse stands on the headland nearby. Small and unsuitable for groups.

Road end at Loch Sgioport (Lochskipport), north-east South Uist

A small white-painted MBA bothy near Loch Dee in the Galloway Forest Park, within the Galloway Dark Sky Park. A wood-burning stove.

Bruce’s Stone car park (NX414803), or the car park 2km beyond Craigencallie House (NX494793). FLS lock the gates daily (MBA)