Gimme shelter!

Restoration work on a crumbling disused building once hidden away in the middle of a forest on Scotland’s west coast has reached the stage of the building now “starting to resemble a bothy, minus the roof”.

Volunteers from the Mountain Bothy Association (MBA) have been putting in long hard days during six ‘work parties’ over the past 18 months. These efforts – often in challenging weather and fighting off midges – have resulted in new foundations, walls, lintels and gables.

Located southeast of Oban and north of Lochgilphead on land managed by Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), the building – Druimnashallag – was built in 1891 but was last occupied around 70 years ago. It was slowly falling into ruin and faced the threat of demolition until its potential as a bothy was identified and it was licensed to the MBA.

Raymond Mundie, FLS’ Area Land Agent, said:

“It is inspiring to see the hard work from the MBA and volunteers is paying off. Faced with the prospect of demolition because it presented a potential risk to members of the public, the building is getting a new lease of life.

“Hopefully, when the roof goes on, this characterful old building will provide shelter and comfort for people exploring and enjoying the wilderness and wildlife in this area.

“The project and licence process is a great example of how FLS can support and enable groups of interest to utilise surplus assets and resources to achieve their goals on Scotland’s national forest and land in a safe and appropriate way.”

Peter Rowell for the MBA, said:

“While the rest of the UK seemed to suffer from some heavy amounts of rain, we managed to get a spate of good weather and cracked on with the work.

“The latest work party aimed to complete the walls and as much of the gable end as possible. With the good weather and the determination of our volunteers, we were able to achieve this. It really is starting to resemble a bothy, minus the roof.

“Since we first started work, 41 different volunteers have taken part in restoration and rebuild. They have grafted in sub-zero temperatures and days where it was tee-shirts and shorts only.

“It has and continues to be hard work but listening to the bellow of rutting stags echoing in the glen, hearing the geese calling out to each other as they fly overhead and spotting pine martin scat on the path are all reminders why this place will be so special when it’s completed.”  

The bothy is expected to open in late 2026 and the plan is to have two internal rooms, each with an open fire and sleeping platform, a central porch and a separate byre for firewood, bicycles and other items. The byre roof will be designed and constructed to encourage bats and owls to take up residence.

Anyone who is keen to find out more and potentially sign-up to lend a hand should visit the MBA website where more details can be found.

Photo credits: Peter Rowell, Mountain Bothies Association