#strathaneilich

The Oasis

 Until I was standing in front of one, I’d never heard of a bothy before. This one appears in what seems to be the middle of nowhere, although stone foundations and ruins scattered throughout the wide valley give evidence of a time when Strath an Eilich was not so deserted.

A bothy, our walking guide explains, is a shelter that is left unlocked and is available for anyone to use, free of charge. This one, called Dalnashallag, has a rusting corrugated metal roof covering a stone and plaster building comprised of one room on the left and a storage room on the right. The storage room is reminiscent of old houses with an attached byre for the family cow and goat.

I step inside and find two well-used couches facing each other and, at their ends, a fireplace with soot marks fanning up the wall. Scattered candle holders and an empty wine bottle decorate the blackened wood mantel.

Leaning against the wall next to the door is a small shovel. On the wall itself are written the words TOILET SPADE in black Sharpie with an arrow pointing down. I marvel that no one has taken the shovel or misplaced it.

With no running water, no electricity, questionable cleanliness, I can’t imagine sleeping here. But, then again, I am visiting on a warm spring afternoon. If I had trekked across that lovely moor during a rain shower or snowstorm, the building would be an oasis. It may even save a life.

I feel as though I’m doing something naughty, trespassing on another person’s property. At any moment, a shotgun-wielding mountain man might show up and chase me away. More likely, the bothy will next be used by a group of hikers or deer stalkers pulling cans of beer from their packs. Rather than chase me away, they might offer me a drink and a place by the fire.

I find the hut growing on me the longer I linger. I consider suggesting to my group that we stay here tonight where we can sit by firelight and tell stories and sing songs. But I quickly reject the idea because we all have warm showers, beds, and meals waiting at the end of our day.

As I walk away, the bothy pulls at me, demanding something more. I stop and look back and that’s when it comes to me – a better understanding. A bothy is a gift to strangers out wandering the moor and mountains. How lucky are they – are we – to know that free shelter is available should we need it. How lovely that most everyone who encounters the bothy respects it and the people coming after them enough to leave it in good condition. We could use more bothies around the world.

Bothies represent humans caring for other humans for no reason other than because they can. That, to me, makes the bothy one of the most beautiful buildings in existence.