Bothy nights

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

Trudi and I mountain biked into the bothy with heavy-laden bikes and my dog Jazz running alongside.

The Bothy was absolutely full that long weekend so fortunately we took a tent and pitched up alongside. Night one, we met Keith (the Teeth), his wife Patience and two of their friends. They were all retired and Keith hadn’t been there since 1974 and wandered from bothy space to bothy space (there are 3 separate doors and bothies joined together)  booming in a loud voice, “Hasn’t changed much since I was last here”.  The next night we joined the group from Dunfermline in another room when in came Keith announcing, “It hasn’t changed much since I was last here,” and one of the ladies, Jean, quipped – “What, since you were in here 15 minutes ago?”

That aside, Trudi was completing her last munro and we had a great night in the Dunfermline room where they shared their boxes of wine, dessert, lots of chocolate and a roaring fire. How they carried everything in was beyond me. Our head torches also served as ‘disco’ lights after a few too many wines and our imaginations were thinking back to our youthful Saturday nights! A couple of guys from Clydeside came through (escaping from the room they shared with Keith and Patience) and announced that Keith was trussing Patience up on the clothes pulley for her birthday – that was a joke.

Next day, we headed off to bag the last two munros and when we came back Jean had left a big bar of chocolate inside our tent to celebrate the last munro. For those two nights Culra had turned into a small community with three sets of people in the bothy and five or six tents scattered around outside. By the time we left, we knew who they were, where they were from, and were waving goodbye as we departed.

We had a far better night in a bothy that any numerous nights out in the big city.

By Anne Diack

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Martyn’s first bothy visit

Posted on November 15, 2011 by
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Martin Returns to Burly Whag

Posted on November 8, 2011 by

Going Back to Burly Whag

9.46pm Sitting at Argyle Street station. Just saw NTS and Company of Angels show Truant. There’s a scene at the end between a father and a son. Could have been and me and my da. Was. That’s why walking. Walking in the hills in particular is a privilege. Mobility of body and mind before both grind to a rusty jamming rasp and grimace. Looking forward to tomorrow. Hope I can fix the straps on my rucky. I can hear my train pulling in.

6.04am. Catching the train to Rutherglen. George the Literary Manager from NTS is picking me up then off we go. Not sure what we’ll find in the Burly Whag Bothy Box. I suppose that’s the best and worst part of this project.

On the train. Dawn is breaking. Looking east the flat clouds are uplit orange, candy floss pink and violet. good start.

George picked me up at Rutherglen station. The long corridors of the station’s covered bridges always remind me of Blake’s 7 for some reason.

We make good time and catch the sun coming up over the hills through thick white clouds wrapping themselves slowly around the trunks of slowly turning wind turbines. We could be driving in another country on on another planet. We talk politics.

Lost. We stop in at a lane covered in wet autumn brown and yellow leaves. Spotting a woman walking two old dogs we get out the car and show her our map. After looking at the map for a minute she informs up she hasn’t got her glasses. Politeness wins out and she vaguely points back north.

We have the pleasure of driving through the forest of Ae. The pleasure comes more from the name Ae than any remarkable beauty in the rows of man planted pine. Loch Ettrick looks as pretty as a picture in the mid morning light as we pass it.

Getting out the car at Mitchellslacks Farm we meet a lovely older woman from the farm. She’s cheery and lets us know there’s a whole family fixing fences up at the bothy and there’s a shooting party in the valley killing partridges.

At the beginning of the walk we watch the farmer on a quad work his collies as they round up sheep. It’s like watching a magic trick.

Not long into the walk we turn the corner to see a row of Land Rovers and maybe a dozen men and women wearing the full tweed plus fours and Barbour get up. Most of them wear big red or yellow anti-glare glasses. Valuable rifles slung over confident grumpy forearms. Very HG Wells.

The remaining walk in seems quick and pleasant. It always amazes me how much people talk when walking. It’s good.

I show George New Burly Whag (see my first blog) and he says it looks like something from a horror movie. He’s right!

We press onto Burly Whag passing the family putting up fences and their baw nipping pocket rocket Jack Russell. I feel like a day tripper.

In the bothy everything is damp and seems colder than outside. I imagine that has something to do with sitting down.

I leave the old frying pan I brought on a hook behind a cup above the fire. Hope it comes in handy for folk in the future.

We are joined briefly by two local runners. Nice people. We tell them about the Bothy Box project and offer them a cup of coffee. They won’t stop but say they’ll check out the website. I hope they do.

Me and George eat sandwiches, drink strong coffee and swap stories in the damp mouse crap covered room. A great way to wile away a Saturday and get to know someone.

The camera wasn’t in the Bothy Box. Bit of a shame. But we get enough stories from the bothy to make it a successful trip.

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Strangers thrown together

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

Spent the night in Ben Alder Cottage with three journalists, and a Christian physics teacher. Later, we were joined by someone who was there for the fishing but chose to sleep under a tarp – I myself had walked there from Aberdeen – such is the mix of folk you get in a bothy. People thrown together, and if you are lucky a good spirit of getting along.

I, for example, gave the walking stick I picked up along the way to act as tent posts for the fisherman. I was offered a brandy, which I tasted out of politeness. The night was finely spent in conversation ranging from the existence of God -and how this was/ was not contradictory to the study of physics – to walking in Spain where you can gather nuts from the trees as you go along, to collecting birds eggs as a hobby when young. What a lot has changed.

A lot more besides passed between us. White whiskey was offered around.

I learned a lot by being thrown together with strangers and I’m the better for it.

S.B.A.

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En route to Corrour Station

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

10th September 2011

Dry sojourn en route to Corrour Station. Mountain biking from Laggan turned out to be a wet adventure of heavy showers. From above and from pushing our bikes through bogs and lochs. We lost one of our party and two went to look for him while the rest of us warmed up in the bothy.

Alas, more pushing our bikes uphill to go . . .

Pauline Lanmour

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Is It Grief?

Posted on November 2, 2011 by

Culra, 1 June
This project is almost too painful to do. I looked at the box, read the bumpf, and put it off for a few hours.

The Facts

  1. I want to be up Ben Alder with my husband Tom.
  2. I’m not, because in the last 6 months I’ve developed a foot problem that probably means the end of nearly 50 years hill walking. My range on foot has been reduced to 1km (on a good day). This is progress because a few months ago it was 100m, but it still cuts out a lot of what I love.
  3. It’s probably not going to get a lot better, or even if it does, not better enough to spend a whole day (or month) walking in the hills with a pack.

So many memories . . .
My first ‘real’ hill walk trip, age 8. I remember following his long strides through the mist as we came back down a mountain in Wales. I was tired and it seemed to go on for ever. Later we did the Snowdon Horseshoe in brilliant weather.
The wonderful little snatched walking weekends – whereever my work took me – as often as possible that was the Alps.
I wouldn’t go very high on my own, but remember the resinous scent of the pine forests. The crickets chirping, the glacier far above.

I remember Scottish snow and ice climbing trips in February . . . even if the snow wasn’t always good, the whisky was totally reliable.

Once, playing in a frozen waterfall, quite unaided I hit my head with my own ice axe. It left bloody splashes on the snow and I felt like a pratt.

Annapuma sanctuary in 1981 – like a glistening cathedral of ice. We slept in a cave.

Dawn on the Lishan Traverse (Swiss/ Italian border) with the Italian basin covered in clouds below – later it cleared and we could see the Corsica.

Bivvying on the pap of Glencoe with Tom – followed by an exhilarating scramble along the ridge.
So many, many memories.
Is there a fix they ask me?

I’m suspended between hope and resignation – an ‘intermediate state’ – it could be much much worse. The bothy is great, the sun is shining, there are no midges (why not?) and there is a glorious view.

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Stories from Burly Whag

Posted on October 2, 2011 by

Writing from the Burly Whag Book

Walked in from Mitchelslacks this morning. Have brought in wood, coal and candles. Burnt a lot of old bills and bank stuff (shredders are no way near as much fun) and tidied up. The bothy is very tidy but mouse droppings everywhere. I also brought in a pair of brass candlesticks and a candelabra. £2 from charity shops! Hats off to Colin and anyone else who looks after this bothy. Heading back now via Queensferry.

Found the reason why there’s a mice problem – the loft is being used as a bin.

Polite notices have no effect. Parts of the sheep pens still go missing. Some people have to use these pens to work in. So it’s no joke when parts of them go missing. Pissed off shepherd.

Enjoyed the wee dawner up from Mitchellslacks. Dry, misty but mild. Some pieces and cheese and some tea. Heading back out after I give the floor a quick sweep.

Scottishhills.com Gourmet Division
Mackerel pate, smoked salmon canopes, bhajis, pakora, tomato and pepper soup, venison casserole,, cheese, wine, beer, whisky, gin, port. Magic!

Passing through. Snow and wind.

Hi Jimmy! Got here first! Charles.

Stopped overnight. Got ripped off by 16 year old card shark! Walk this morning. Good trip!

Good to get out of the wind and no longer wading through knee deep bog.

To the person who used the other room as a toilet. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! Who is going to clean it up? It’s bad enough when it’s in the sheep pens but in the bothy is just disgusting. USE THE SPADE.

Carried up a holdall full of coal in a plastic basin, left for holding coal. Weather on walk up was awful, cloudy, heavy rain, later on there was a wee bit of lightning followed by thunder and then it went cold and snowy, soon cleared up and a clear cold night there was. Made a big cover for the door to the sleeping room out of newspaper sheets and gaffer tape to keep the draft out and got a braw fire goin’, enjoyed a fine meal or two and found Radio One eventually for the drum n’ bass show. A crackin’ night and guid sleep followed by a tin of all day breakfast, a tin of bacon and 2 huge burgers. Now to tidy up and sweep out. Left as found, in spiffing condition.

Arrived on a glorious Sunny day in mid May. Grand bothy in a grand setting. Observed numerous satellites whizzing over on a perfect starry night.

Please do not let decoy crows out of cages. These are vermin species who damage not only to birds’ nests but also lambs and ewes. People seem to take the countryside into their own hands. Leave things alone. Gamekeeper.

Rain swept in 1 minute after we got in. Great noodle stew. Shame about no evening stroll up Queensbury. Try again early tomorrow, if we wake up early.

Brought the stove door back, after repairs. Got here at 3.15pm. A lovely afternoon, but all the burns are still big, noisy and fast after all the rain in these parts this past couple of days. Put up some new coat hooks. Heading back out 4.30pm.

Came in from M.stacks, was going to do Queensbury but snow a bit deep. O/night temp -8C and blizzards overnight. Had the break ice in burn to get water. Nice to see mountain hares in their winter white coats.

If unable to bury human waste please cover it up at least. A disgruntled shepherd after having to scrub the same dog twice in as many days.

Walked up in the dark to the welcome sight of a light in the window. Good company. Lovely and warm.

An easy walk up yesterday. Why are there loads of dead birds on the path?

Trundled up from Mitchellslacks, nice wee wonder. Bothy nice and tidy. Some folk staying here obviously out for a walk, have left you some wee food treats. Hope you enjoyed your walk. Found dying sheep at New Ho – will report to farmer on way back.

Sat in front of a roaring fire and snowing outside. -15C on the second night. Just enjoyed the treats left by bothy visitors today – thank-you!! Nice surprise. Sorry to be leaving tomorrow.

Lone cottage + snow
Burn slowing with thickening ice
Indoors, stove glows

Took 5 ½ hours to get here from a lovely country down south of here. Got lost twice partly cos I’m thick and also because some idiot crashed their car into one of the road signs and left it pointing in the wrong direction. Then we met a mad white hare that wanted to play road warrior and die but we spared his life and allowed him to complete his marathon much to our impatience (it must have ran at least a mile down the road whilst we waited). Anyhow burned loads of coal and drank plenty of fire water. Bed by 3.30ish.

Hope the rain stays off for the walk out. A very cold night spent in here. Bit of a drizzle on. Leaving at first light.

 

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