A Review Of The Bothy Bible- A Gift Or A Curse?

For a book that was published in 2017 and won guidebook of the year, The Bothy Bible has still managed to create very mixed opinions among those who love the great outdoors. Some believe it was a great idea and speak highly of it, however others claim that it should never have been published. In this article, I aim to give a balanced and very honest review of The Bothy Bible. Hopefully you will find it inciteful.

What Has Caused The Opposition?

Mountain Bothies are essentially stone tents found in wild and remote parts of the UK. Perhaps this description does undersell them slightly though. Yes they’re very basic, but they frequently have fascinating histories and provide a safe shelter in some truly stunning locations. If you’ve been fortunate enough to visit several bothies, then I’m sure you’ll also agree that each often has a character of its own.

**Tomsleibh Bothy on Mull. Not a bad spot to shelter for the night.** **Click here to read about what it is like to visit.**

**The remote Strathan Bothy In Sutherland. What a backdrop!**

**Strathchailleach Bothy in Sutherland. This is a very special place, as it was the home of the man pictured for over thirty years.**

You don’t pay to use them and for the same reason you can’t book them.

Until the explosion of modern day technology, this means that only the very adventurous and knowledgeable knew of their whereabouts. Word of mouth was the only real way of passing on the locations to others. Many I feel wanted this to remain the case. The Bothy Bible has changed that completely.

The Review of The Bothy Bible

To get straight to the point, there is a reason why this book was a bestseller soon after it was published. Whether you are new to ‘bothying’ or a seasoned expert, this book is still very informative and helpful. Let’s look at how it achieves this.

The Introduction

Before the book even looks at each bothy on an individual basis, it introduces mountain bothies in an engaging way. As a total newbie at the time of first exploring the book, the description of the whole bothy experience was very exciting indeed. The author Geoff Allan draws upon his love of visiting these basic shelters himself, which soon becomes infectious. Descriptions of the long walk in and of course the fire or ‘ bothy TV are mentioned. Many trips later and I can confidently state that his description is bang on.

I have since found out that Geoff is a member of The Mountain Bothies Association ( MBA ), a group of volunteers who help maintain these buildings. When you factor in how harsh the Scottish weather can be, then you appreciate them even more when you arrive because of their condition.

Geoff helps maintain Dibidil Bothy, located on the Isle of Rum. It is without doubt one of the best maintained open shelters in Scotland based on my experience. His love of the place is obvious, especially when you read the comments he and others have left in the bothy book.

review of The Bothy Bible — **Dibidil Bothy is remote but is afforded a stunning location.**

To save waffling on, here are some other details Geoff has included in the introduction:

A foreword by Jamie Andrew OBE. He is described at the bottom of his piece as being an international mountaineer, quadruple amputee and lover of the Scottish hills. An inspirational chap for sure. Feel free to watch the short clip below, where I read some of it.

A history into the beginning of bothying.
Information about The Mountain Bothy Association ( MBA).
What to expect, including details about suitable kit, food and fuel for the fire.
Details about bothy etiquette.

Bothies By Category

Geoff Allan finishes his introduction by sorting some of the buildings into categories. These are well selected, as they’ll cater for the wide variety of people looking to use them.

**I have met others who have visited this bothy on Lewis. It’s on the bucket list for sure.**

Ease of Navigation

In this review of The Bothy Bible, I had to take a look at how easy it is to find the information you’re after, because it’ll soon become a chore otherwise. I must say I found the book an absolute breeze in this area. Geoff Allan starts with a list of all MBA bothies divided into regions. The map opposite makes it even easier to see roughly where they’re located in Scotland, before you find a more detailed map and description later on.

Each region is clearly marked with a beautiful photo and the following page includes a more detailed map to refer to. Very helpful indeed.

**How can you not want to visit The Western Highlands after looking at this photo?**

**The map is really helpful in showing nearby infrastructure and also the proximity of one bothy to others. Perfect for planning a multi-day trip.**

Details About Each Bothy

The information Geoff Allan includes when describing each bothy helps contribute to both the book’s usefulness, but also its critics. The photos included below hopefully do a good job in showing the attention to detail in every description. This is the information you’ll find about every MBA bothy in Scotland:

Details about whether it has a stove or not and how available fuel is in the immediate environment.
Key attractions locally, including mountains you may wish to scale.
Public Transport details.
Special notes, which mention possible times of the year when access may be limited. The stalking season is just one example.
A thorough description of the building’s history, including previous residents. This alone is a great read and leaves you in awe at times due to what certain people experienced. Please watch the video clip below to hear about the description of The Schoolhouse at Duag Bridge. I have been lucky enough to visit this bothy myself and you can read more about what you might expect to experience if you visit. Click here to find out more.
One or two routes in. This highlights distance from a suitable parking place, approximate time of the journey by foot and exact details about the bothy location.

**You get a high quality photo of each bothy and then a detailed piece of writing about its history.**

**Key details placed in a separate section make it easy to navigate.**

How Could It Be Improved?

In this review of The Bothy Bible, I feel the details about the journey in could be improved further. Written details are great, but I can’t help but feel that maps would help even more. In defense of Geoff Allan though, this is something he addresses in his follow up book ‘ Scottish Bothy Walks. I will review this book soon, but have found it of great benefit in planning my Scottish adventures.

My Final Verdict

You won’t be surprised to read that I highly recommend adding this to your book collection. If you are new to ‘bothying’, then you’ll find that it provides you with pretty much all the information you could possibly need to enjoy a future trip.

If you are reading this and have already visited several bothies, then it will still be of benefit. I’m not sure how many folk out there have visited every single one, but most of us have still got a long way to go in achieving this.

I shall finish this review of The Bothy Bible by addressing the main issue some have with it. It is true that bothies are probably busier now than they ever have been and this book and the MBA website have a lot to do with it. Is it right for a traveller to speak of his/her tales including the locations of previously hidden gems? I for one wouldn’t have had many wonderful bothy nights if it wasn’t for The Bothy Bible and so thank Geoff Allan for the countless hours he must have given to complete this book.

To purchase a copy of this book at a competitive price, please click here.