Hi, I've only recently even heard that bothies exist outside of Scotland, but on the website it says that they are closed at the moment due to covid . Does anyone know more about this? Are they actually locked?

They’re “officially” closed but “might” be unlocked for emergencies. I’d just steer clear until things ease up with Covid and no matter what the doom fappers say it will ease up.

I personally tend not to use them, a couple of nights with the “bothies are for carrying crates of beer to” brigade have put me off for life.

Piemonster wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 8:17 am They’re “officially” closed but “might” be unlocked for emergencies. I’d just steer clear until things ease up with Covid and no matter what the doom fappers say it will ease up.

I personally tend not to use them, a couple of nights with the “bothies are for carrying crates of beer to” brigade have put me off for life.

Cheers, good to know....

Yeah, if you are going to go to a bothy after Covid, I'd suggest mid-week in winter.

The MBA ones are all unlocked but private ones are mostly locked I think.
It might be tempting to take a chance if you came across an empty one but there is always the possibility that someone else will arrive later on and insist on sharing the space - which you can't do anything about.
Breathing the same air as strangers all night doesn't seem the wisest choice just now.
The news today is that we might all be back to normalish come May anyway so it doesn't seem worth the risk to me.

A couple of years ago I went to the 'shelter stone' in the Cairngorms. Just as it got dark, 3 lads turned up with sleeping bags. And a bottle of whisky each. Very friendly and offered to share.

I chose to practice my night navigation out of there.

But you can't beat a bad night's sleep than in an Alpine refuge, when the (worst of the lot ) Italian climbers get up at 3am to start their climb.

There's a chance we could lose a few bothies if folks don't heed the rules. Remember, they exist by the goodwill of the estates. Fine for an emergency, otherwise avoid. I made it clear for the Cairngorms Loop Group Start that using a bothy meant your event was over.

I passed numerous bothies on my trip around Scotland this summer and from a quick look in the visitors log it was clear that in spite of the MBA's wishes they'd all been in regular use. Mind you I did hear that someone high up in the MBA had been seen staying in the Schoolhouse bothy.
I spoke to numerous people who were obviously on their way to a bothy and the common response to being told all bothies were closed was either " how was I supposed to know?" or " Well all the other ones I've used were open".
The worst I saw was Sheneval with approx 10 people staying.

As above, officially closed.
The ones I have happened to pass by are in mixed condition. I think due to the circumstances they are not being maintained at all.
The ones close to roads or accessible by vehicles are not great which is a real shame.

mattpage wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:03 pm As above, officially closed.
The ones I have happened to pass by are in mixed condition. I think due to the circumstances they are not being maintained at all.
The ones close to roads or accessible by vehicles are not great which is a real shame.

Hence the permanent closure of Peanmeanach at the end of September. In the words of a nearby estate manager I talked to it had " just turned into a party hut"

But you can't beat a bad night's sleep than in an Alpine refuge, when the (worst of the lot ) Italian climbers get up at 3am to start their climb.

At the end of my first Alpine season we were up on the South Face of Mt Blanc and hauled up to the Eccles bivouac hut (best described as a workman's hut strapped to the side of the mountain and sleeps 6!) where we bumped into two mates who were aiming to do the RH pillar of Brouillard. The following morning we head our separate ways and it's only some time later that I hear what happened the following night ...

They get up their route and over the top of Mt Blanc and down to the Vallot Hut, which for those of you not into Alpine climbing is one of the last stops on the normal/easy route up the mountain. My mates are on the knackered side of tired but they are kept awake all night by an English pair who are cooking and generally making lots of noise. One of my mates owns a sports shop, and he thinks to himself - "someday I'll get you back!"

Sure enough a couple of years later one of the noisy pair turn up at his shop and asks for his size of something out on display that hadn't been priced up, my mate nips in the back, gets the price gun and adds 20% to the retail price! Small victories Be careful who you piss off

Sounds not just irresponsible covid wise, but also less than appealing all round, especially as a lone female... I'll stick with ditches and forests, thank you....

There are some none MBA bothies dotted about in Wales Verena but you need to know where to look. Generally, they don't get anywhere near the numbers of visitors that MBA bothies do and I'd say that they appear to get treated with a little more respect.

I used to visit the Welsh MBA bothies a lot but over the last few years have found myself staying fairly well clear.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:50 pm There are some none MBA bothies dotted about in Wales Verena but you need to know where to look. Generally, they don't get anywhere near the numbers of visitors that MBA bothies do and I'd say that they appear to get treated with a little more respect.

I used to visit the Welsh MBA bothies a lot but over the last few years have found myself staying fairly well clear.

I guess when I want bricks n mortar and comfort, I'll just not go bikepacking...

There are loads of huts in the Dales that are very rarely used. I bet fewer than 10 people per year. The trick is knowing where they are ;-)

Looks very similar to the old mine shops that the grouse shooting Gentry would use for lunch while we poor beaters crammed into the back of a land rover with a few wet labradors for our lunch.

woodsmith wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 6:53 pm Looks very similar to the old mine shops that the grouse shooting Gentry would use for lunch while we poor beaters crammed into the back of a land rover with a few wet labradors for our lunch.

Yes they are shooting huts but they make fantastic places to stay

a few wet labradors for our lunch.

Brown or red sauce on those?

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:50 pm I used to visit the Welsh MBA bothies a lot but over the last few years have found myself staying fairly well clear.

Two closer to me I won't be visiting much, if at all again. Both easily accessible by vehicle. But like you say, some non-MBA that are harder to reach and one most recent was great.

Hopefully things will return to more normality when the clubs and pubs reopen properly!

Landslide wrote: ↑Mon Nov 23, 2020 9:28 pm

a few wet labradors for our lunch.

Brown or red sauce on those?

I was holding back on that one to see what happened

I've got Jasper Carrott's "Sweet & Sour Labrador" book. It's probably got some recipes in it that I missed first time round.