The Great British Outdoors Before it was known as a Tunskeen bothy it was an old abandoned shepherd’s croft that was beginning to fall apart. It was saved by hillwalkers in 1965 that restored it and since then it became a shelter for those seeking a refugee for the night. Unfortunately in recent years the loved bothy has been abused by vandals. Some reports of errant drinking parties taking place in the bothy, leaving exhausted hikers without a shelter for the night. It’s a great shame as this may lead to bothies in this area to be closed down for good. Fortunately, on our visit, the bothy was in good condition without signs of abuse.
The bothy is sat right next to a forest making looking for firewood easy. There is also a small stream that runs past bothy in the boggy field. Inside the bothy you will find one room with a stone floor and a stove. There is an L shaped sleeping platform good for up to 6 people.
Features
Tunskeen bothy has one room with a multi-fuel stove and a sleeping platform in it. The sleeping platform is designed to sleep up to 6 people, but there is also a large floor area. You will find also some comfy chairs and a table in the bothy.
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
While the location is great for having a bothy and offering a great base for local hikes, it also is easily accessible for the wrong type of people. There are good forestry roads leading pretty much right to the bothy making it perfect for cyclists. The area doesn’t have any dramatic mountain peaks but offers great views of forests and hills.
Size
There is only one room but it features a large floor area. There are reports of more than 12 people camping on this floor area and sleeping platform combined.
Comfort
Tunskeen bothy is very basic as many bothies are. It has a stone floor in a large stone-walled room that is a bit difficult to warm up. There is no separate porch to help to keep the warm air in the bothy, which means that every trip outside will let the cold in.
We found sleeping in this bothy difficult. There was an enormous mice activity in the night that came from all directions. Also, we were cold in our 4 season sleeping bags despite mid-low temperatures outside on a clear windless night.
Accessibility
Bothy is very easily accessible via forestry roads. It’s only about 4 miles away from Loch Riecawr.
