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A celebration of 26 of the author's favourite bothies, as she shares her memories of her favourite 'stone tents' all over the UK in remote and wild locations. Packed with expert advice on how to make use of these 'free, old, empty houses', from packing lists to bothy etiquette and the best walks into these remote locations.

Seasons

Bothies are accessible year-round.

Centres

Wales: Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, Devil's Bridge. England: Buttermere and Mosedale (Lake District), Dufton (Pennines), Kielder Forest Park (Northumberland). Scotland: Highlands and Isle of Skye, Glenduror Forest, Fort Augustus, Spean Bridge, Rannoch Moor, Cairngorms, Galloway Forest, Fisherfield, Sandwood Bay, Oykel Bridge.

Difficulty

Good level of fitness and ability required. Some of the bothies featured can be reached in a half day's walk, on easy to follow bridleways and paths; others require technical and/or navigation skills, especially in winter, with some river crossings or scrambling.

Must See

Bothies in this book cover some of the UK's wildest spots. Highlights included Sandwood Bay, Fisherfield forest, the Isle of Skye, Mosedale in the Lake District, the Torridon coastline, Rannoch Moor, Ben Alder, the Cairngorms National Park, Galloway Forest and Snowdonia's Carneddau.
ISBN
9781852847562
Availability
Published
Published
14 Aug 2015
Reprinted
10 Jan 2019
Edition
First
Pages
240
Size
17.20 x 11.60 x 1.40cm
Weight
270g
Overview

An introduction to some of the best bothies in the UK. Featuring 26 selected bothies, the author shares her memories of using these free 'stone tents' in some of the country's wildest and most remote locations. Alongside notes on legends and landscape, wildlife and history, the book is full of expert guidance and tips on how to make use of bothies, from packing lists to bothy etiquette and the best walking routes in. Inspiring and fun, the book showcases bothies in Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons, Lake District, Pennines, the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and Northumberland, and is a personal celebration of the world of bothying.

Hidden away in the hills and mountains of England, Scotland and Wales - for years known only to a lucky few - is a network of huts, cottages and shelters. Completely free to use, these secretive refuges can be life-savers, quick stops and destinations in themselves. The network of British bothies is cared for by the Mountain Bothies Association, and day-to-day by the walkers, climbers and mountain lovers who rest there.

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Phoebe Smith Cicerone author PHSMITH

By Phoebe Smith

By day Phoebe Smith is an award-winning travel writer, broadcaster and presenter as well as Editor-at-Large of Wanderlust travel magazine. By night she’s an extreme-sleeping outdoors adventurer who thrives on heading to the wildest locations she can find in order to sleep in the strangest places she can seek out. She was the first person to sleep at all the extreme points of mainland Britain – including the centremost location – which she did solo, on consecutive nights in 2014.
Phoebe is the author of 10 books including the bestselling Extreme Sleeps: Adventures of a Wild Camper, Wilderness Weekends: Wild Adventures in Britain's Rugged Corners and the first guidebook to Britain’s free-to-stay mountain shelters, Book of the Bothy. She has been an Ordnance Survey #GetOutside Champion since 2016 in recognition of her work encouraging people to enjoy the great outdoors. She is ambassador for the annual Big Canopy Campout (which helps raise funds for the World Land Trust), as well as Wild Night Out, the UK’s national night of adventure. She is also President of the Long Distance Walkers Association..

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