Bothies in the Cairngorms
25 places. The top three for any trip: Corrour Bothy, Glas-allt-Shiel, Gelder Shiel Stable.
Free, unlocked huts anyone may walk into, as mapped in OpenStreetMap. Huts with a fee, a booking, a lock or a members-only rule are left out, and so are camping barns and holiday lets. All bothies in the UK, in the parks and out.
- Views1,124
- Hikes1,042
- History487
- Food and pubs173
- Family48
- Rainy day36
- Art32
- Unusual stays31
- Camping28
- Bothies25
- On the water14
- Adventure5
- Rides5
- Caves2
- Markets2
- Wild swims2
Ranked for any trip.
No. 1
No. 2No. 3
Gelder Shiel StableHikes and fellsNo. 4
Allt ScheicheachanHikes and fellsNo. 5
FaindouranHikes and fellsNo. 6
Ruigh AiteachainHikes and fellsNo. 7
Ryvoan BothyHikes and fellsNo. 8
Shielin of MarkHikes and fellsNo. 9
The Red HouseHikes and fellsNo. 10
Callater StableHikes and fellsNo. 11
Fords of Avon Refuge HutHikes and fellsNo. 12
Howe of TorbegHikes and fellsNo. 13
Hutchinson Memorial HutHikes and fellsNo. 14
Tarf HotelHikes and fellsNo. 15
Allan's HutHikes and fellsNo. 16
Bob Scott's BothyHikes and fellsNo. 17
Coyles CottageHikes and fellsNo. 18
DalnashallagHikes and fellsNo. 19
Davy's BourachHikes and fellsNo. 20
DuinishHikes and fellsNo. 21
Inshriach ("Drake's") BothyHikes and fellsNo. 22
Johnny Gordon's BothyHikes and fellsNo. 23
LuibleathannHikes and fellsNo. 24
Red BothyHikes and fellsNo. 25
WhitehaughHikes and fellsBefore you go
How bothies work, in short- Free and unbooked. Nobody takes bookings or money. Turn up, and be ready to share the room with whoever is already there, or to move on if it is full.
- Carry everything. Expect four walls and a roof: no beds, no lights, often no water or toilet. Bring a sleeping bag and mat, a stove, food, a torch and your own fuel if there is a fireplace.
- Leave it cleaner. Take every scrap of rubbish and leftover food home with you. Burn only fuel you brought, never live wood, and go to the toilet well away from the hut and its water.
- Six or more, ask first. Groups of six or more ask the owner first, and nobody runs paid trips from a bothy. In the stalking season some estates ask walkers to check before they go: a hut's opening times on this site say so where it is known.
Many bothies are kept up by volunteers of the Mountain Bothies Association, which publishes the full Bothy Code.