More money spent on mountain bothies

The voluntary organisation’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2018 together with a Review of activities during the year show that spending on bothy maintenance went up by 30% to £108,000.

Membership of the organisation also increased, rising by 18% to over 4300.

During the year projects included a major renovation and taking over of responsibility for the Garbh Coire Refuge, a remote and long-dilapidated shelter in the Cairngorms National Park.

In their Report, the Trustees commented that none of this would have been possible without the support of the owners of the bothies and the work undertaken by a large number of volunteers involved in both maintenance activity and in running the Association. They also reported that finances continued to be healthy.

Other major projects included new doors and windows for A’Chuill in the western highlands, new skylights and substantial interior improvements at Invermallie, and the start of a project to replace the floors at Craig Bothy, near Torridon.

On the islands, Guirdil Bothy on Rum was re-roofed.

Many bothies now have multilingual versions of the Bothy Code pinned on the wall too, to help the increasing number of foreign visitors understand what they should and shouldn’t do in bothies.

The MBA is a charity, established in 1965. With the consent and support of their owners, it undertakes the restoration and maintenance of a number of old cottages, huts and similar buildings throughout the wilder parts of Scotland, England and Wales for use as open shelters for walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts. All of the restoration and maintenance work is undertaken by volunteers and is financed by member subscriptions and by donations.

The work of the Association was recognised by the award of the Queens Award for Voluntary Service in 2015.