The Great British Outdoors Staoineag Bothy is situated in a remote mountainous area in Central Highland west of Ben Nevis mountain range. This area has no public roads for access with a vehicle and is best traveled to with a train. Once at the Corrour station, there is a long but beautiful hike to the bothy with views over mountains and lochs. The usual bothy access is via stepping stones across the Abhainn Rath river but this can be difficult when the water level is high and stepping stones are submerged.
Features
The bothy features a front porch in the center that leads to a spacious loft room and two rooms on both sides with a table in one of them. In both rooms is a fireplace and chairs, but no sleeping platforms. However, the wooden floor is dry and perfectly fine for sleeping on.
There is no toilet at this bothy as not many bothies have this luxury. You should walk at least a couple of hundred metres from the bothy and 60 metres from the water supply before excavations and evacuations commence to comply with the MBA rules.
Location
The bothy is sitting on a rocky pinnacle right above the river and mountains in the background. It is a very peaceful, picturesque, and remote location.
Size
With two large rooms on the ground floor and a very big loft room, it’s a leader of a spacious accommodation.
Comfort
The bothy is large and it’s great for your peace of mind knowing that it’s unlikely you’ll find bothy full after a long hike. The big sized rooms sacrifice comfort a bit making them hard to warm up with limited firewood. Make sure you have warm sleeping gear with you on colder nights. Having three separate sleeping rooms is great for privacy and separating yourself from noisy snorers.
Accessibility
Pretty much the only way to get within a hiking distance to the bothy is the train. This is not necessarily a negative as it adds some charm to this hike and makes it unusual. There are also many travelers on bikes that visit this bothy who are able to cover longer distances between their camping spots.
Be aware that the stepping stones are likely to be submerged when the river water level is raised. There is an option to make your way to the bothy on the opposite side of the river before the bridge crossing, but there is no distinctive path and it can be boggy.
