A bothy is a basic shelter, free for the weary outdoorsman and outdoorswoman to use. Typically found in remote, mountainous areas in Wales, Northern England, Scotland, and Ireland. Traditionally used by estate workers and common in the Scottish Highlands.
Despite being thoroughly unrecorded these small shelters provided comfort for gamekeepers and deerstalking parties, particularly if the weather was dreary on the lonely hill.
They are similar to Nordic countries wilderness huts. Romanticised in Scottish folklore and literature, bothies are an intrinsic part of a deerstalker's existence on the barren hill.
Nowadays you can visit and stay in bothies. The Mountain Bothy Association is a key charity that takes care of these remote shelters. You can look them up here.
Take a Shotgun cartridge hip flask with you up into the hills next time you're visiting a Bothy...
