Top 10 Mountain Bothies in the United Kingdom
A bothy is, at its most basic, a building that is unlocked and free to use as shelter. In the Scottish Highlands — and increasingly in other parts of the UK — the term specifically refers to shelters maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA), a volunteer organisation that has been maintaining wild shelters in Scotland, England, and Wales since 1965. Unlike the Alpine hut, the bothy provides no food, no staff, no booking system, and no reliable heating; you bring everything, you leave the place clean, and you trust the next visitor to do the same. The culture is self-reliant, respectful, and specifically Scottish in its relationship to wild land.
1. Ben Alder Cottage, 430 m — Loch Ericht, Highland
One of the most celebrated bothies in Scotland, Ben Alder Cottage sits on the shore of Loch Ericht at 430 m in remote Perthshire. The approach is long in any direction — at least 18 km from the nearest road at Dalwhinnie or Corrour railway station — which gives it a genuine wilderness character that busier bothies lack. Capacity around 12 in the sleeping rooms and main space. Ben Alder (1148 m) above is a classic Munro with good walking terrain. The bothy and its position in one of the most remote glens in the Highlands have made it a reference point in Scottish outdoor culture.
2. Camban Bothy, 310 m — Glen Affric, Highland
Deep in Glen Affric — one of Scotland's finest and most ancient native pinewoods — the Camban Bothy at 310 m is on the main walking route through the glen toward Kintail and the Five Sisters. A stone building maintained by the MBA; sleeping for approximately 8–10 people. The approach from Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin car park is 13 km one way. The surrounding Caledonian pinewood remnants are among the most significant in Scotland.
3. Suileag Bothy, 80 m — Assynt, Sutherland
In one of the wildest landscapes in Scotland, Suileag sits in open moorland below the extraordinary peaks of Assynt — Suilven (731 m), Canisp (846 m), Quinag — at approximately 80 m elevation. The mountains of Assynt rise dramatically from the Lewisian gneiss moorland, which is among the oldest exposed rock on Earth. The approach from the Inchnadamph hotel is approximately 6 km. A simple stone building with basic sleeping accommodation; wood-burning stove.
4. Strathchailleach Bothy, 30 m — Cape Wrath area, Sutherland
Near the Cape Wrath peninsula — the most northwesterly point of mainland Britain — Strathchailleach is one of the most remote bothies in Scotland. The approach from the ferry across the Kyle of Durness and then on foot to the bothy is 12 km on the Cape Wrath Trail. Basic shelter in a dramatic coastal moorland landscape.
5. Corrour Bothy, 590 m — Cairngorms, Aberdeen
In the Lairig Ghru — the great mountain pass cutting through the heart of the Cairngorms between Braemar and Aviemore — the Corrour Bothy at approximately 590 m is the standard overnight stop for through-walkers on the pass. One of the most visited bothies in Scotland due to the Lairig Ghru's popularity. The pass rises to 835 m; the surrounding terrain includes some of the finest arctic-alpine plateau in Britain.
6. Slugain Lodge, 520 m — Cairngorms, Deeside
In the upper Quoich valley on the Deeside approach to the high Cairngorms, Slugain Lodge (sometimes spelled Slugan) is a former gamekeeper's lodge now maintained as a bothy. At 520 m in the upper forest zone below the open plateau terrain, it provides shelter for Cairngorm plateau access from the Braemar side.
7. Faindouran Lodge, 450 m — Cairngorms, Speyside
On the remote northern slopes of the Cairngorms in the Dubh Gleann above Cock Bridge, Faindouran Lodge provides access to the northern faces of Beinn a' Bhuird (1197 m) and Beinn Avon (1171 m). This is serious winter walking terrain; the bothy is an important shelter for parties caught out on the plateau.
8. Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut (CIC Hut), 680 m — Ben Nevis, Highland
Owned and maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club rather than the MBA, the Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut at 680 m below the north face of Ben Nevis (1345 m — the highest peak in Britain) serves as the primary base camp for climbing the Ben Nevis north face — one of the great winter climbing destinations in Europe. The CIC Hut has capacity for approximately 24 people and is booked through the SMC. Not a true "bothy" but a club hut of similar character and tradition.
9. Blackrock Cottage, 290 m — Rannoch Moor, Highland
At the edge of Rannoch Moor below Buachaille Etive Mòr, Blackrock Cottage is a mountaineering club property maintained by the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club. Known to every climber who has visited Glencoe — it sits in one of the most photographed positions in the Scottish Highlands with the Buachaille pyramid behind it.
10. Lagangarbh Hut, 260 m — Glencoe, Highland
Also in Glencoe below the Buachaille Etive Mòr, the Lagangarbh Hut is maintained by the Scottish Mountaineering Club and used by climbing parties approaching the Curved Ridge, Rannoch Wall, and the Glencoe winter routes. Club-managed; non-members can sometimes book through SMC.
The Mountain Bothies Association
The Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) was founded in 1965 to maintain open shelters in the Scottish, Welsh, and English uplands. The MBA currently maintains approximately 100 bothies, predominantly in Scotland. Membership (approximately £30 per year) is open to anyone and funds the maintenance work; the bothies themselves are free for all to use.
The MBA's model is distinctive: the bothies are not owned by the MBA but are maintained under agreements with landowners (estates, the Forestry Commission, National Trust for Scotland). The MBA provides the volunteer labour for maintenance; the landowner provides permission. The relationship has generally been productive; several landowners provide material support for maintenance work.
The bothy code — leave the bothy as you found it, take your rubbish out, don't stay longer than necessary, give way to others — is enforced by the community rather than rules. The self-policing has worked well for 60 years. Occasional overcrowding in popular bothies and rare incidents of misuse do not undermine the broader principle.
Scottish mountain access rights
The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 established a legal right of access to most land in Scotland for outdoor recreation, provided the access rights are exercised responsibly. This is the legal framework behind bothy access: the right to walk on and camp on open land (for up to two or three consecutive nights in any one location) is a legal right, not a privilege. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code (outdooraccess-scotland.scot) defines the responsibilities that come with the right.
England and Wales have a different tradition: access rights are defined by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (open access land), which is more restricted than the Scottish model. The Lake District and Peak District national parks have more extensive access areas than most of England, but the general right to camp does not exist outside Scotland.
Explore on the map
UK mountain bothies and club huts — including Ben Alder Cottage, Camban, Suileag, and the Charles Inglis Clark Memorial Hut — are plotted on the Open the map.