Culra BothyCulra Bothy is maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association
Aim: To maintain simple shelters in remote country for the use and benefit of all who love wild and lonely places.
Culra Bothy Maintenance Supervisors: Johnny Bell and Grant O'Brien These pages have been prepared by Grant O'Brien, member of the MBA
The photographs below give some idea of the approach to Culra Bothy and its exterior and interior as it was in 2006. |
Culra Bothy
General background information
Some important basic information:
The bothy is basic but clean, comfortable, water and wind tight and has a warm welcoming atmosphere about it. It is really three bothies in one with sleeping facilities and a place to cook in all three rooms. There are fireplaces in the two front rooms but only the stove in the Common Room throws out much heat. The open fire in the small dorm is almost useless, but the stove in the common room seems now to be working fairly well. Wood is miles away unless you're lucky enough to find some bog pine out on the moors (it IS there if you look for it) - we note that quite a lot of people bring in coal, charcoal or coke for the fire - we use a good petrol cooker instead. The stove in the common room in not designed for cooking on and cooking on it is virtually impossible.
Nothing is supplied.
Everything you need to eat and drink needs to be taken in as well as matches, candles, cooking fuel, etc. There are sleeping platforms but no mattresses nor bedding. There is no heating fuel supplied although a bow saw and an axe are provided for turning the bog pine into fireword. A spade is provided for digging a hole in the hill above the Bothy when you go to the toilet. NOTHING else is provided.
Please remember to leave the bothy clean and tidy.
Sweep out the area of the bothy you have been using and take any outside rubbish with you too. Leave the bothy the way you would like to find it yourself after a long day on the hills.
PLEASE take your rubbish out.
If you don't take your rubbish out, then we have to take it out ourselves. No fun! Burn any flammable rubbish, but take out everything else and especially bottles and tins.
There are sleeping platforms for thermorests to get you off the floor and away from draughts. There is room for a maximum of 22 people using all three parts of the building. Be prepared to camp or to sleep on the floors as the Bothy is sometimes very crowded. The midges and clegs can be fierce from late July onwards. There is no toilet but there's the standard spade for you to use to dig your own personal hole in the heather up above the bothy and then to cover it up again. But not for long as it is one of the busiest bothies in the Highlands and we will be asking the MBA to install a toilet next year. Basically one needs to bring everything - the bothy is for shelter only.
We hope that you enjoy your stay in Culra and that you have a great time there. Let us know if you have any questions and we'll try to answer them. If you do e-mail: johnny@claviantica.com
We love it!!
Go to the Mountain Bothies Association Website
Become a member of the Mountain Bothies Association
Our visit to Culra and climb of Beinn Bheoil, October 2007
Maintenance, Condition Reports and Work Parties
