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It's a cracker and, as far as bothies go, not very busy. Looking forward to seeing/hearing how you get on with it!

From the ones I know, Strabeg would be the answer but it's a Stac Pollaidh kind of answer as it is so far north. I'd then maybe go for Craig Bothy in Torridon - mainly because of the views back down the path to Lower Diabaig are absolutely gorgeous and I did some sunset shots from the car there once and always remember it fondly. There will be plenty closer by too, these are just the ones that spring to mind and I do tend to go to the slightly further away ones.

@@scottishtones Torridon's not a bad drive for the scenery trade off. I'll check out Craig Bothy. Thanks!

Absolutely spot on. I love it for an introduction to climbing and to those who are looking to start enjoying the landscapes a bit more too. The summit views are incredible and so are the little nooks in the path on the way up. Atmospheric and what a view. (When I climbed Ben Venue recently I was a little stunned by just how small Ben A'an looks from the summit though!)

@@scottishtones I think its only competitor in the climb:view stakes is Stac Pollaidh, but as that's about 7 hours from the Central Belt it loses out.

Absolutely! This place, to be fair, is totally sheltered by the overhang and high slopes. I reckon it might even be a belter in the rain.

Thanks, Ursula! I spotted it while scouting with the drone. Was about to send it back to me and as I rotated it was just there. All said and done, I wouldn't mind being on a lilo in the sunshine either.

It's a nice wee swim and it's sheltered from the worst of the gusts down the Loch too. There's a wee tearoom at Inveruglas (closes at 4pm) which is a fine way to warm up afterwards. Hope you enjoy it!

Ha! Nowhere near as much as I'd like - plus this was only a short trip from Glasgow at least!

Ah, thanks very much. They're great wee places and making videos sometimes gives me the energy to explore - glad you enjoy them

Yup! Sometimes I get a bit annoyed about it, but when I expect to take stuff out then it mutes the annoyed response. :)

It's not bad place to be snowed in (Especially if you have coal with you). I think I'll be heading back there in Winter on the off-chance I get lucky and get some snow again!

Hullo! Thanks for the feedback - I've had the odd question about camping spaces recently so will definitely be including it in videos moving forwards (and kind of touch on it in my next one). Thanks again!

Yup. Plus, popping them on to go to the toilet is far better than sleepily putting the boots back on. I tend to strap them to the outside of my pack as they're unlikely to suffer serious damage regardless of what they're subjected to!

Thanks, man. Should have the planning one out in the next week or two as well. Aiming to get a hill or two in, then a bothy, then maybe a couple of camping ones.

It's some location, eh? I've yet to go there in summer but I bet it's even better!

Thanks very much!

As the rocks suddenly fell away, there was definitely an involuntary noise as my lungs realised what was going on.

Hullo! Ah, glad/hoping you found it useful. To the bike I'd say yes. The track is pretty well made the whole way and the river crossing is only an issue if there's been very heavy rain. There is one boggy stretch immediately after the river which might be a little bit cumbersome with a bike, but the track looks like it'd be great for it. There's some flat ground to the side of the bothy (the left side as you approach it) which looked like it could happily take a few tents.

My favourite bit, too. If anything, that was my time to shine.

You're not wrong... (with a stopwatch)

Thank you, sir. It's a good wee spot and very peaceful. I reckon I'll go back and explore a bit more when time allows too. Hope you get out to it soon.

Thank you! It was a nice trip. somewhere I've driven past without much thought before too. Good to be making them again and glad (and thankful) you enjoyed.

The scenery is lovely there. One of the most peaceful ones I've been to (the lack of wind those days may actually count for that).

You're a kind hearted fibber

It's always good to get out. Midges and crowds versus sunshine and scenery. It's looking like there should be some excellent weather for it soon too!

Thank you! It was a lovely spot and I reckon I'm going to have to go back in the winter as I reckon it'll be something really special.

Thanks. This is something I'm learning as I go along so thank you for the feedback. I'll add this into the video description and see if I can add a wee bit in the video itself to point that out as well. Thanks again!

Ah, glad to hear it. The accompanying Vlog will be up soon too while I try to figure out my next one from a growing list of suggestions!

Thanks! Got the Vlog to go with it to go up soon as well as the planning one I mentioned before. (Also, the encouragement is much appreciated, so thank you!)

Is encourage people to use bothies sensibly?

So glad it was helpful. This is probably my favourite video I've made on them and my favourite bothy too. Hope you have a lovely trip!

Thanks, man!

Thank you very much! It's a strange one, because one group can make a big mess. There's an inevitability about things going a bit more "mainstream" and I guess it's about working to maintain and evolve the culture rather than entrench it. Nothing too freaky. There was some scratching through the night, the door lock really needs jammed closed as I found out when it blew open and my mind raced through supernatural possibilities before calmly assuming (hoping) I was being daft.

Absolutely. It's an easy temptation to burn what's left of the fuel. Arriving in the cold and dark to find some kind soul has left some is always revives the faith in humanity. I remember at Shenavall someone had left proper coal and after a long walk in it was a sight for sore eyes and a treat for cold feet.

It's an odd scenario as it only takes one or two folk to make a big mess and that in turn seems to grant license to others to do the same. I have no experience with the campervan world, but I was a little shocked at some of the litter on the west highland way when I walked it. I guess it's about encouraging folk to do the right thing as well as having conversations about what the right things are. Thank you very much. They're beautiful places and amazing experiences that are fun to share.

This is a pretty good idea, especially in the ones that have signal to allow for it. A lot of the notice boards have really good information on them and there are a lot of pointers which often go unheeded. On the whole most folk tend to leave little to no trace, this one was just in the aftermath of a few bad visitors and got me a little down which comes across in the video a bit more than I intended. It was still a lovely time and I felt better for taking away some of the rubbish so there's that at least.

Thank you very much. Abyssinia is an odd one. It's not in the Bothy book but it is the bothy where I've seen the greatest evidence of misuse, which wasn't what I was expecting. It's a nice one and very well cared for. I spoke with Peter and Victor (the MOs) and they have a lot of passion about the bothy and its story too. I reckon I'll go for one of the island ones next as I've yet to explore much beyond Rùm.

@@scottishtones Can I put in a request here? The Beehive bothy on the Southern Upland Way. It's my favourite one.

@OldStag72 absolutely. The trip.to Abyssinia was a suggestion as well so I'd love to explore some new places from those in the know!

​@@scottishtones This old stag guy hasn't set foot out of the city centre never mind pitched a tent. Never mind him

This sounds like a great time. Everyone I met on Rum was lovely too. That's a fair amount of bothies! I'm only at the start of my tours of them. Are there any you'd recommend in particular? And any seasons you'd recommend them in?

Hullo! The majority have their own saws (often a bit blunt/rusted), and I've only been in one with its own hatchet. I tend to take a small hatchet that I got for about £14 in Homebase (Spear and Jackson Razorsharp) and it more than suits my needs. I've got a small folding saw I got for about the same price as well. If I had to pick only one to take with me it'd be the hatchet and I'd rely on it and the rusty saws or even just it to process some wood for the fire.

Always best to carry your own saw/axe to bothies as it's not a given that there will be one. The MBA website gives the locations of our bothies and general info including fuel availability. A lot of bothies don't have a nearby fuel source and, therefore, carrying coal and kindling is the order of the day. Abyssinia falls into this category as, whilst there is Forrestry nearby, finding dead standing timber amongst it is not guaranteed. It's also a very short walk in. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the recommendation as I wouldn't have chosen this one had you not mentioned it. There's a video which is a bit more in depth on the bothy experience itself to come as well. Ha, thank you. I could certainly do with the work should they hire me. I'll keep my fingers crossed on that one.

It's so much more accurate. The amount of times where satnav only gets you into vaguely the right area is frustrating. Best to rule out the wriggle room, especially if folk walk in in the dark.

Thanks very much! They're wonderful wee places and making the videos is a lot of fun. Glad you enjoyed it 😊

It was a bit of a mixed bag, but I imagine it'll be tremendous there in the summer. Especially with the plunge pool!

Thank you for watching! Glad you enjoyed it :)

I absolutely do. It's getting packed for every subsequent trip now!

Ah, thank you very much. It's a tremendous place to visit with a whole lot on offer. Looking forward to seeing where you might go!