Public huts to stay overnight around UK

Public huts to stay overnight around UK

10/19/2016 4:01:14 PM

These are known as bothies. A bothy is a basic shelter, usually in a remote location. They are unlocked, and available for anyone to use, free of charge.

There are many different styles and sizes of bothies. A lot of them are old cottages, others are purpose-built wooden huts.
Guirdil Bothy
Guirdil bothy, on the Isle of Rùm. Photo from Geograph, by Calum McRoberts, CC-BY-SA

Many bothies are maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association. They look after about 100 bothies. Most of these are in the highlands of Scotland, but there’s also some in Southern Scotland, Northern England, and Wales. The MBA have a map of the bothies on their website.

Bothy Photo Gallery.

There are also some other (non-MBA) bothies. These may be maintained by the estates, or other groups. But they can be harder to find, if they are not publicly listed.

Beehive Bothy
The Beehive Bothy, on the Southern Upland Way. Photo from Geograph, by Brian Barclay, CC-BY-SA

The facilities in a bothy can vary, but they are usually pretty basic. You have to take your own sleeping bag and mat, plus any cooking equipment etc. Some bothies have a fireplace, but you may need to carry in fuel.

The Mountain Bothies Association have produced a “bothy code“. This has guidance for what to do at the bothy, to act responsibly, and avoid making a mess etc.

7/19/2018 1:19:18 PM

The UK isn’t a very wild place, at least compared with New Zealand, so there isn’t a lot of call for ‘public huts’, by which I’m assuming you mean shelters which are free for anyone to use in remote areas.

The only such things I know of are ‘bothies’ for hikers. You can find out more at the Mountain Bothies Association. They are basic shelters, almost all in remote places, where hikers can use them at will. They are concentrated in Scotland (where most of the UK’s wilderness is), but there are some in northern England and the UK. Outside of those areas it’s very rare that you can’t find some kind of accommodation nearby at the end of your day’s hiking.

The nearest equivalent elsewhere in the country is the Youth Hostel Association. The YHA in the UK is a little more geared to hikers than other hostel associations, and maintains a good number of cheap hostels in good hiking areas. Not free but cheap, even by hostel standards. Generally need to be booked in advance, but you can sometimes walk in. (Thanks @MadHatter)

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Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

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