Bothy

In the United Kingdom a bothy is a simple shelter, left unlocked and available for anyone to use without charge. Bothies are to be found in remote, mountainous areas of Scotland, Northern England and Wales: they are particularly common in the Scottish Highlands (bothy may be a corruption of the Gaelic botan meaning small hut or possibly the Welsh term bwthyn also meaning small cottage). Image File history File linksMetadata Lairig_Leacach_Bothy. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Lairig_Leacach_Bothy. ... Shelter can refer to several things: Look up shelter on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (English: No one provokes me with impunity) Scotlands location within the United Kingdom Languages English, Gaelic, Scots Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK 78,782 km² 1. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the British Isles Languages English (de facto) Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ... The Scottish Highlands are the mountainous regions of Scotland north and west of the Highland Boundary Fault. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

Generally speaking, most bothies are formerly ruined buildings that have been restored to a basic standard, providing a windproof and watertight shelter. They vary in size from little more than a large box up to two-storey cottages. They usually have designated sleeping areas. Commonly, these are either an upstairs room or a raised platform, thus allowing one to keep clear of cold air and draughts at floor height. No bedding, mattresses or blankets are provided. Public access to bothies is either on foot or by bicycle. A mattress is a piece of bedding typically consisting of multiple layers of foams and fibers, along with an innerspring unit used to provide support to ones back during sleep. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... This racing bicycle is built using lightweight, shaped aluminium tubing and carbon fiber stays and forks. ...

Most bothies have a fireplace, and are near a natural source of water. A spade is provided to bury excrement. A fireplace with a burning fire. ... A girl in a swimming pool full of water Water (from the Old English waeter; c. ... Rusty spade small spade for clay soil; the other one for sandy soil and loamy soil In gardening, a spade is a hand tool used to dig ground, or to break up clumps in the soil. ... Feces (also spelled faeces or fæces) are the waste products from the digestive tract expelled through the anus during defecation. ...

Although free, use of bothies is to some extent governed by an unwritten "bothy etiquette":

• Fuel for the fire should be brought, or if fuel stored in the bothy is used, more should be gathered to replace what is used. Many bothies are located far from any trees, though peat may provide an alternative fuel
• The fire is to be used for warmth, not cooking, and a stove should be brought.
• Candles are usually to be found, as with fuel these should be replaced if used.
• All rubbish (except excrement, which should be buried) should be carried out
• When visiting the toilet ensure that a location away from any watercourse is used.
• Large groups and long stays are to be discouraged – bothies are intended for small groups on the move in the mountains.

Bothies are usually owned by the landowner of the estate on which they stand, though the actual owner is rarely involved in any way, other than by permitting their continued existence. Most are maintained by an organisation known as the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA), who look after around 100 bothies. Peat in Lewis, Scotland Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetable matter. ... A lit candle. ...

The location of bothies is not publicised widely – prior knowledge and word of mouth are often the only way of finding a bothy.

Alps

Similar shelters can also be found in remote areas of the Alps (known in German as Biwakschachtel). In order to complete some tours, it is necessary to spend the night in such shelters. Even though Biwakschachteln are also tended to by the Alpine Clubs, they differ markedly from the more accessible mountain huts, which are actual houses suitable for permanent use. Other than mountain huts, they never have personnel tending to the building and selling food to mountaineers. The Alpine Club was: Today, Alpine clubs stage climbing competitions, operate Alpine huts and paths, and are active in protecting the Alpine environment. ... An Alpine hut is a building located in the mountains intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers and climbers. ...

External link

• Mountain Bothies Association