As a primary school teacher, I knew I had to visit The Schoolhouse Bothy after coming across it in ‘ The Bothy Bible.’ I visited it to break up the long drive south from Sutherland and it proved to be a brilliant decision. A great evening was had in what I consider to be one of the most comfortable mountain shelters I’ve come across. Well worth the visit!

Where Is it?

The Schoolhouse Bothy is located off of the A837 close to the small village of Oykel Bridge. Like much of Highland Scotland, it is a very sparsely populated area. You may well be following main roads on the map, but on the ground are likely to pass few cars. No risk of traffic jams in these parts. Even dreaded camper vans were nowhere to be seen despite it being mid August when I visited.

The mountains surrounding the bothy are fairly unspectacular as Scottish mountains go. The views aren’t as impressive as somewhere like Dibidil in Rum, but the landscape is still every bit as wild. There is a real sense of space in these parts for sure. Some truly stunning parts of the Highlands aren’t too far away either. Loch studded Assynt can be found to the north west, while Wester Ross and the port of Ullapool are to the south and west.

As a result, The Schoolhouse Bothy makes a great stop-over option if travelling between these two remote places. It is a fairly short detour off of the A835 and in my opinion is worth it, especially if you enjoy visiting new bothies.

Getting There

The Schoolhouse Bothy is very unique in that it is pretty much the only one you can drive to. I wasn’t sure what to make of this fact when I first read about it. Mountain bothies are meant to be wild and remote after all. If the bothy was closer to the central belt, then I’d be concerned that it might be swamped by visitors. Being located this far north ensures this isn’t likely any time soon thankfully.

After hiking up in Sutherland, I was still more than happy to rest my feet and see just how accessible the place was. I had read about taking forestry tracks for several kilometres and just hoped my tyres and suspension would be up to the job in my Sandero.

The route itself is just under seven kilometres long, but seems longer when driving at the speed I did. It isn’t worth taking any risks and lack of phone reception would prove very inconvenient indeed if you needed to phone for help. I don’t think I exceeded fifteen miles per hour at any point, but it still proved quicker than walking.

After following a short tarmac section past houses, you take a left turn over a bridge and the rougher surface commences. I can honestly say I was never worried about getting into difficulty. It was clear where previous pot holes had been filled in and things never got too bumpy. Sticking close to the river for much of the way, the gradients are never too severe either.

The only issue was the fact that there were very few places to pull in. A forestry vehicle did pass the bothy when I was there and I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if you met one on the forestry track. I’d say the chances of this happening are pretty slim though, especially if arriving later in the evening.

When you do finally arrive, it is a relief to find a gravel car park beside the bothy. There can’t be many remote mountain shelters that can offer this facility.

The Bothy

If you are lucky enough to have visited other bothies in the UK, then I’m sure you’ll agree from the photo alone that The Schoolhouse is somewhat different in appearance. Most appear as old farm cottages with a typical but and ben design. That is two main rooms and an area that links them at the entrance door. The Schoolhouse looks more like a porter cabin.

The functional grey corrugated sheets covering the shell of the building is what gives it the appearance it has. It looks like it could be a very new building indeed. A fairly recent reconstruction of parts of the bothy is what helps it achieve this look. As always the very generous volunteers of the Mountain Bothies Association ( MBA ) have done a sterling job in helping to provide a very comfortable place to stay and shelter from the elements. More about the interior in a moment or two.

Bothy History

Despite its modern appearance, The Schoolhouse Bothy does have an interesting history. It is fascinating reading about it in The Bothy Bible. According to the book, the building was the schoolhouse for the families who lived in the various glens nearby. I have included an extract from the book below to provide you with more information.

The book does go on to mention how the school had closed by the start of WWII. Without pupils to attend it, the building became little more than a hay store and was nearly demolished. Thankfully, folk at the MBA rescued it and restored this once abandoned place into what it is now. The photos of this restoration on one of the bothy walls is a nice touch and great to look at.

A Comfortable Interior

Let’s get the only negative about the inside of the bothy out of the way to start off with. There is no stove or open fire to enjoy. That is a shame as ‘ bothy TV’ is often one of the focal points of a remote mountain shelter. A long winter’s night sure is lonely and dark without one.

Despite this, The Schoolhouse Bothy still manages to provide a warm and comfortable space for multiple guests. The windows appear to be double glazed for starters. I am yet to visit any other bothies that can claim to offer that luxury. The fact that they are found on both sides of the building means that the inside space can warm up rather nicely and remain fairly well insulated through the night. There is also plenty of natural light in the rooms, especially the right hand one, which is a rarity in many open shelters.

The Left Hand Room

Other than the tiny middle room, the left hand room isn’t as comfortable as the one on the right. It lacks its character and charm, but is still more than able to provide a good night’s rest. All walls are decorated with wood and a large sleeping platform, table, shelf and chair is provided.

The Right Hand Room

If you’ve seen any previous photos of The Schoolhouse Bothy before reading this article, then it’s likely they were shot in this room. It is without doubt the highlight of the place and the room you will want to claim if at all possible.

It’s such a well thought out room with a great mix of comfort, history and novelty too. I’ve been a teacher for thirteen years and never once considered sleeping in my classroom, even after an exhausting day. That’s exactly what it feels like here!

A good size sleeping platform is located at one end, while classroom essentials are at the other. As the photos below show, there is a blackboard with chalk, old fashioned desks with the flip up lids and a well stocked library. It even contains the complete works of Shakespeare! Let’s hope nobody decides to pinch a copy any time soon.

My Experience

I was a relieved man to arrive at the bothy with a car that had survived. My biggest concern was puncturing, due to the gravel and smaller rocks strewn all over the track. All was good in the end thankfully.

I wasn’t to have the bothy all to myself for the evening. Two Scottish chaps had already spread their bits across the two bigger rooms and were ensconced in the right hand one as expected. After dumping my belongings in the one room remaining, I went and joined my fellow residents for some craic.

They ended up being great company and I soon learned that they were both solo travellers. Annoyingly, I can’t remember their names, so will just call them Brian and Ed here. Please forgive me for this. I must do better!

Ed was a younger chap in his late twenties, who came from Edinburgh and was walking the well known Cape Wrath Trail. He was taking his time on the trip after quitting his job a month earlier. It was great hearing his stories and swapping some of mine from my experience hiking across the Knoydart Peninsula. We both agreed it is a special part of Scotland. For details about that memorable trip, please click here.

Brian was an older chap in his mid fifties. If I’m honest, myself and Ed let him do most of the talking, as he was such an inspirational chap. We learned that he had been quite ill for some time. Brian had worked hard to recover and get fit, so that he could hike all the way up through Scotland before heading south again.

It was a wonderful experience sharing a drink with two chaps, who like me were getting a real buzz out of what they loved doing. I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of sharing bothy nights with like-minded people- people who feel at ease and alive in the great outdoors. If you’re reading this chaps, then maybe I’ll see you in another bothy sometime soon, where I will remember your names on a permanent basis.