MildredsSmurf
Extremely Talkative
- Messages
- 221
- Points
- 640
I've not been on much as I've been undergoing a "mid-life realignment", but I'm still managing to get away the odd weekend. Last weekend it was a trip to the Lairig Leacach Mountain Bothy in the Central Highlands. I went with a Bam, who's a seasoned bothy (and Lairich Leacach) veteran and our pal Dave, who hadn't a clue what was involved.
We reached the bothy with an hour or so of daylight left and we saw that the top sleeping platform had bedding already down, so we knew we wouldn't be alone this night. This is a busy bothy being surrounded by munro's so you expect hillwalkers to make the use of it most weekends. As we were starting our food, a couple of folks turned up and we asked them if that was their gear - It wasn't. Then another couple of folk turned up and that wasn't their gear either. Eventually, the owners of the gear turned up just as we'd finished making dinner. Luckily that was it, but 9 people slept in the small bothy that night.
We'd bought plenty of beer, wine and coal so after dinner, it was the usual fireside chat between 9 strangers with similar interests who sit around the fire and have a laugh. Eventually, it was time for bed and Bam elected to sleep on the floor whilst the rest of us crammed on the sleeping platform toe to toe and side by side. I was second last to hit the pillow, leaving Bam up to finish his wee cup (box) of kindness that he'd been nursing.
In the morning I awoke to 2 people missing from the sleeping platform, driven away by Bam and I's snoring. They decided that bivvying outside was more tolerable
After the usual breakfast scrum where the walkers get themself ready for another day on the hils, Bam made a nice breakfast wrap for me and Dave and we then sauntered down the Lairig Leacach back to the car.
Dave had never experienced a bothy and he is now hooked, he couldn't believe that a group of strangers all congregate in a remote place, have a fire, drink a bit and talk rubbish and then all leave with a cheery wave in the morning to do what they enjoy doing. I'm glad that he got that.
We reached the bothy with an hour or so of daylight left and we saw that the top sleeping platform had bedding already down, so we knew we wouldn't be alone this night. This is a busy bothy being surrounded by munro's so you expect hillwalkers to make the use of it most weekends. As we were starting our food, a couple of folks turned up and we asked them if that was their gear - It wasn't. Then another couple of folk turned up and that wasn't their gear either. Eventually, the owners of the gear turned up just as we'd finished making dinner. Luckily that was it, but 9 people slept in the small bothy that night.
We'd bought plenty of beer, wine and coal so after dinner, it was the usual fireside chat between 9 strangers with similar interests who sit around the fire and have a laugh. Eventually, it was time for bed and Bam elected to sleep on the floor whilst the rest of us crammed on the sleeping platform toe to toe and side by side. I was second last to hit the pillow, leaving Bam up to finish his wee cup (box) of kindness that he'd been nursing.
In the morning I awoke to 2 people missing from the sleeping platform, driven away by Bam and I's snoring. They decided that bivvying outside was more tolerable
Dave had never experienced a bothy and he is now hooked, he couldn't believe that a group of strangers all congregate in a remote place, have a fire, drink a bit and talk rubbish and then all leave with a cheery wave in the morning to do what they enjoy doing. I'm glad that he got that.
.
