The Bothy

[the apprentice]

Those who are lovers of the great outdoors may already know about the venerable old bothy of yesteryear, for those who don't, here is a fabulous way of spending a night or two away from it all.
I have done this on several occasions where I jumped on a bus and then walked from one valley into another with nothing but my hammock and a days food, stopping off at the remote farms for water and a few eggs for breakfast.
It's sometimes doable in winter as well as summer now that the old stop off have been repaired and made habitable again.

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bothy-code.asp

You never know who your going to meet.

[roastpotatoes]

Originally Posted by the apprentice

Those who are lovers of the great outdoors may already know about the venerable old bothy of yesteryear, for those who don't, here is a fabulous way of spending a night or two away from it all.
I have done this on several occasions where I jumped on a bus and then walked from one valley into another with nothing but my hammock and a days food, stopping off at the remote farms for water and a few eggs for breakfast.
It's sometimes doable in winter as well as summer now that the old stop off have been repaired and made habitable again.

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bothy-code.asp

You never know who your going to meet.

My cup of tea.

[silent revolution]

Originally Posted by roastpotatoes

My cup of tea.

Is that Wasdale and Wast water in cumbria? It looks familiar.

Peace, love, harmony and wisdom friend

[roastpotatoes]

Originally Posted by silent revolution

Is that Wasdale and Wast water in cumbria? It looks familiar.

Peace, love, harmony and wisdom friend

It's the Scottish Highlands. I copied the photo from a Google search.

[the apprentice]

Originally Posted by roastpotatoes

It's the Scottish Highlands. I copied the photo from a Google search.

One of my friends has done all the Munroes and has just wrote a book about it, and all the bothys up there too.

He used to teach at the Liverpool institute, known as Borneo Bill due to living with the Iban of Borneo for twelve months, a Very interesting guy and still as fit as a lop in his seventies, there is no way I could keep up with him in my fifties.

[the apprentice]

My country and my book which took me 27 years to gather can be seen here for free.

www.mardale.green.talktalk.net

Now when the reservoir is low you can see which farm was which, sadly it has no working bothy yet.

[the apprentice]

Originally Posted by silent revolution

Is that Wasdale and Wast water in cumbria? It looks familiar.

Peace, love, harmony and wisdom friend

The Wasdale king of the mountains, this guy lived only a few minutes drive from our farm in the Lake District.

http://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&udd...%3DMbx8PQz1aoI

[georgesmiley]

have been to many bothies - shenavall

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bo...sp?bothy_id=13

corrour

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bo...sp?bothy_id=53

Ben Alder Cottage

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bo...sp?bothy_id=39

Kervaig

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bo...sp?bothy_id=11

Craig

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bo...sp?bothy_id=22

Culra - Prince Charlie said to have been hidden here after Culloden - now access denied due to asbestos problem

http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/bo...sp?bothy_id=42

one was burnt down due to idiots leaving a fire burning, near Dalwhinnie - forget the name

another was in Barisdale - near Ladhar Bheinn - doesnt seem to be there any longer tho there is a pay bothy http://www.barisdale.com/bothy/

and one near Kinlochbervie forget the name.

These days are in the past now - but remembered fondly

[the apprentice]

I think some of these used to be crofters places, remote, but the beauty is stunning, who in their right mind would want go to Ibiza when you can have places like this for free, it's probably a safer place to be if TSHTF.

Short film, brrrr get that stove going.

http://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&udd...%3Dv9VQ4HPB4Ao

[georgesmiley]

I recalled the name of the bothy near Kinlochbervie - Sandwood - at Sandwood Bay - said to be haunted by spirits of drowned Spanish Armada personnel.

Anyway back in the day this chap appeared at the Sandwood bothy. Met him on 2 separate visits.

https://jamescarron.wordpress.com/features/surviving-strathchailleach

article is long but worth a read. Sandy Mcrory, quite a character. Have ye got a fag? and also Who won the war? were his stock phrases.

[the apprentice]

Originally Posted by georgesmiley

I recalled the name of the bothy near Kinlochbervie - Sandwood - at Sandwood Bay - said to be haunted by spirits of drowned Spanish Armada personnel.

Anyway back in the day this chap appeared at the Sandwood bothy. Met him on 2 separate visits.

https://jamescarron.wordpress.com/features/surviving-strathchailleach

article is long but worth a read. Sandy Mcrory, quite a character. Have ye got a fag? and also Who won the war? were his stock phrases.

Thanks very much for the story, he was quite a character wasn't he, one of many thousands that made a comfortable life in those valley bottoms.

I will read it again properly tonight.

[georgesmiley]

Sandy made home brew beer which he drank from a dried milk can - very cloudy stuff

[georgesmiley]

http://spookyisles.com/2013/07/the-g...of-cape-wrath/

I was mistaken about the Spanish Armada link to Sandwood, but the article does mention drowned sailors.

[the apprentice]

Originally Posted by georgesmiley

http://spookyisles.com/2013/07/the-g...of-cape-wrath/

I was mistaken about the Spanish Armada link to Sandwood, but the article does mention drowned sailors.

The Spanish ran for cover in many places including Ireland too, one ran aground off Donegal ever after throwing 42 of its cannon overboard and lost its whole crew in uncharted waters.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Span...ada_in_Ireland

I don't think there are any in Ireland.

But there is the bothy band.

[the apprentice]

A rather sad story about a bothy this time around.

An artist who embarked on a 100-mile walk across one of the remotest areas of Scotland to experience "what it is like to be alone" has died after being found cold and starving.

Margaret Davies, 39, who had a geography degree from Cambridge University, was barely alive when two shepherds found her on Thursday in an isolated walkers' bothy at Kearvaig, near Cape Wrath, on the north-west tip of the country.

She was airlifted to hospital in Stornoway in the Western Isles after one of the shepherds ran four miles to telephone for help. She died of hypothermia and starvation on Saturday.

Miss Davies, who loved to visit remote regions, set off by bus for Inverness from her home at Danbury, Essex, at the end of September. She planned to walk from Inverness to Cape Wrath, painting and writing along the way



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ilderness.html

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/1493...-death-reports

[iamawaveofthesea]

Originally Posted by the apprentice

A rather sad story about a bothy this time around.

An artist who embarked on a 100-mile walk across one of the remotest areas of Scotland to experience "what it is like to be alone" has died after being found cold and starving.

Margaret Davies, 39, who had a geography degree from Cambridge University, was barely alive when two shepherds found her on Thursday in an isolated walkers' bothy at Kearvaig, near Cape Wrath, on the north-west tip of the country.

She was airlifted to hospital in Stornoway in the Western Isles after one of the shepherds ran four miles to telephone for help. She died of hypothermia and starvation on Saturday.

Miss Davies, who loved to visit remote regions, set off by bus for Inverness from her home at Danbury, Essex, at the end of September. She planned to walk from Inverness to Cape Wrath, painting and writing along the way



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ilderness.html

http://www.religionnewsblog.com/1493...-death-reports

this is why some of the bothies in the cairngorms were dismantled; people set off in bad conditions thinking that because there was shelter ahead somewhere they would be fine but sometimes they didn't manage to find the shelter or didn't prepare enough for the conditions they might have to face

folk often underestimate how fierce conditions can get in scotland

the problem with this is that more and more people (often from england) are getting into bother in the hills and then calling for help on their mobiles; this then overburdens the rescue services and the volunteer mountain rescue service; sometimes they are calling for help over minor things when in the past people had to live more in the spirit of self-sufficiency which has always been a big part of going into the hills

this has led to calls for a privatised rescue service eg helicopters which would then by funded by people having to pay for insurance to be able to go out into the hills; this would then threaten to price many people out of going into the wild places

[the apprentice]

Originally Posted by iamawaveofthesea

this is why some of the bothies in the cairngorms were dismantled; people set off in bad conditions thinking that because there was shelter ahead somewhere they would be fine but sometimes they didn't manage to find the shelter or didn't prepare enough for the conditions they might have to face

folk often underestimate how fierce conditions can get in scotland

the problem with this is that more and more people (often from england) are getting into bother in the hills and then calling for help on their mobiles; this then overburdens the rescue services and the volunteer mountain rescue service; sometimes they are calling for help over minor things when in the past people had to live more in the spirit of self-sufficiency which has always been a big part of going into the hills

this has led to calls for a privatised rescue service eg helicopters which would then by funded by people having to pay for insurance to be able to go out into the hills; this would then threaten to price many people out of going into the wild places

Yes it's true that a faddish for nature has heightened the image for escaping to the country and why people get caught out.

Many years ago I walked up Ben Nevin with the right kit, and when we had passed the snow line we came across a guy in shorts and wandering around deletions, and this was a mid June, where down in the velley it was a barmy summers day, and on top below zero just.

In the past the natives were quite adapt at survival which made the indigenous Britain's very hardy folk indeed, this we have all but lost to our detriment.

Quite honestly I would leave those behind who went out knowingly and not risk the lives of others unecessarily and if there are more trapped than there are helpers it's a tough deal.

Hopefully one day there will be many more bother.

[the apprentice]

The days of bothy life for a work party, and a sunset.

http://r.duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&udd...%3D-qThYvkdJdw

[old_stag]

I recently visited Mark Bothy in Argyll, on the shores of Loch Long. It's a lovely wee place and I had the weather on my side for the three and a half hour walk down Loch Long.


It's a cracking wee bothy, it was at one time home to the oldest man in Scotland, one James Grieve, who worked as a shepherd into his nineties.
It was also a ferryman's cottage as at one time before there were annoying cars everyhwere, people used the waterways a lot more to get from a to b in this part of the world.

One main room with a fireplace, kitchen table and library and one smaller room with six well-made wooden bunks in it. Loads of flat camping area outside with a stream only a couple of minutes away for drinking water. And no, that's not a satellite dish on the wall outside!

[the apprentice]