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Bothy Tales: Footsteps in the Scottish hills
I can move only with the aid of barrels of anti-inflammatory gel, sticking plasters and real ale anaesthetic. Martin and I descend from hours of walking to the small town of Middleton-in-Teesdale. I walk, stiff legged, into the campsite office and a plump, middle-aged woman looks up from her desk and can see the old timer is in trouble. “Oh, what a shame you weren’t here last week,” she says, pity radiating from behind her horn-rimmed specs. “You’ve missed him.” I look at her, puzzled. “Elvis!” she explains. “You missed Elvis.” Oh God, now I’m hallucinating… In Bothy Tales , the follow-up to The Last Hillwalker from bestselling mountain writer John D. Burns , travel with the author to secret places hidden amongst the British hills and share his passion for the wonderful wilderness of our uplands. From remote glens deep in the Scottish Highlands, Burns brings a new volume of tales – some dramatic, some moving, some hilarious – from the isolated mountain shelters called bothies. Meet the vivid cast of characters who play their games there, from climbers with more confidence than sense to a young man who doesn’t have the slightest idea what he’s letting himself in for…
200 pages, Paperback
Published September 5, 2019
163 people are currently reading
736 people want to read
About the author
John D. Burns
9 books40 followersFree to down load; the first two chapters of The Last Hillwalker. Click here https://dl.bookfunnel.com/qpwf5mu3ik
Listen to an extract from the audio book
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jo...
The combination of John’s love of the outdoors with his passion for writing and performance makes him a uniquely powerful storyteller. In his writing, John tells tales of his travels in the mountains, in his performance he talks of the profound relationship between men and wild places.
John has taken his one man plays to the Edinburgh Fringe and toured them widely around theatres and mountain festivals in the UK. John ‘s first play, Aleister Crowley: A Passion for Evil attracted great audiences in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2010.
His second play, Mallory: Beyond Everest, is a re-telling of the life of the legendary Everest mountaineer. The play was first performed in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2014 and in John portrays a man torn between his love of his wife and his burning ambition to conquer the world’s highest mountain.
Despite the serious subjects he deals with, humour is always close to the surface in everything he does. In The Last Hillwalker John brings together over forty year’s experience in the mountains of the British Isles to stories from our hills with humour and compassion.
Originally from Merseyside, John moved to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, over thirty years ago, to follow his passion for the hills. For over 40 years he has walked and climbed the hills of Scotland whilst also making occasional trips to more exotic location like the Alps, the Pyrenes and the Canadian Rockies.
An expert ice climber, he was also a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, and has taken part in numerous rescues in the Highlands. More recently he has rediscovered his love for remote bothies (isolated mountain shelters) and regularly visits the wilder places of his Scottish home.
John is an award-winning mountain writer and has just released his book about the wild places of Scotland, Bothy Tales. He is currently working on an audio version of his best selling book, The Last Hillwalker.
Listen to an extract from the audio book
https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/jo...
The combination of John’s love of the outdoors with his passion for writing and performance makes him a uniquely powerful storyteller. In his writing, John tells tales of his travels in the mountains, in his performance he talks of the profound relationship between men and wild places.
John has taken his one man plays to the Edinburgh Fringe and toured them widely around theatres and mountain festivals in the UK. John ‘s first play, Aleister Crowley: A Passion for Evil attracted great audiences in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2010.
His second play, Mallory: Beyond Everest, is a re-telling of the life of the legendary Everest mountaineer. The play was first performed in the Edinburgh Fringe of 2014 and in John portrays a man torn between his love of his wife and his burning ambition to conquer the world’s highest mountain.
Despite the serious subjects he deals with, humour is always close to the surface in everything he does. In The Last Hillwalker John brings together over forty year’s experience in the mountains of the British Isles to stories from our hills with humour and compassion.
Originally from Merseyside, John moved to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness, over thirty years ago, to follow his passion for the hills. For over 40 years he has walked and climbed the hills of Scotland whilst also making occasional trips to more exotic location like the Alps, the Pyrenes and the Canadian Rockies.
An expert ice climber, he was also a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, and has taken part in numerous rescues in the Highlands. More recently he has rediscovered his love for remote bothies (isolated mountain shelters) and regularly visits the wilder places of his Scottish home.
John is an award-winning mountain writer and has just released his book about the wild places of Scotland, Bothy Tales. He is currently working on an audio version of his best selling book, The Last Hillwalker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
December 25, 2023
Bothies are more than just rough cottages made from cold stone walls. They have a sense of place in our landscape and, for those who visit them, they take root in our imaginations where visits are relived time and time again. They are dwellings where people find peace from the hurly-burly. Many bothies were not always the simple mountain shelters they are today. Once they were shepherds’ cottages where children were born, wee families lived out their daily lives and people grew old and died. …. many have been brought back from dereliction, raised from the dead by bodies like the Mountain Bothies Association, and reborn as the mountain shelters we know today.
Doesn’t this sound romantic? Don’t be fooled! If you’ve never been in one, this book will leave you in no doubt that most are four walls, a cold floor, a sleeping platform if you’re lucky, and a fire for which you will need to have carried coal on the long walk in. Many have been modernised to a degree but home comforts are not to be expected. For walkers and climbers like the author, however, bothies can be lifesavers and this collection of short pieces leaves us in no doubt that the mountainous regions of Scotland should not be underestimated in terms of their wildness, remoteness, and potential danger to life.
Burns is a Liverpudlian with that city’s inborn quick witted humour. He has lived in Scotland for many years. His stories are entertaining and I can think of worse company on a freezing cold night stuck in a remote bothy, especially as he usually carries coal and whisky, one to light a fire in the hearth, the other to light one in you! I enjoyed reading about his adventures from the safety of my cosy living room. I’ve copied my favourite anecdote, unrelated to wilderness adventures, below.
We moved up to Sutherland from the Central Belt in 2022. I laughed aloud when Burns related a story from his early days living on Skye. He’d asked a joiner round to look at a broken door. He said he’d be over ‘next Tuesday’ to do the job. When he didn’t appear, Burns phoned him. He had to do so on several occasions. Eventually he learned what we have learned. I realised that I had made an elementary mistake. I had assumed that next Tuesday was a date, a point in time. It is not. It is a concept. ‘Next Tuesday’ means that the joiner may come at some undetermined date in the future….. In our experience, tradesmen usually appear out of the blue when you’re least expecting them and very rarely when you are. In fairness however, the outcome is usually worth the wait as the standard of workmanship up here, and the pride taken in providing a good job, far exceeds anything we experienced ‘down south’.
Doesn’t this sound romantic? Don’t be fooled! If you’ve never been in one, this book will leave you in no doubt that most are four walls, a cold floor, a sleeping platform if you’re lucky, and a fire for which you will need to have carried coal on the long walk in. Many have been modernised to a degree but home comforts are not to be expected. For walkers and climbers like the author, however, bothies can be lifesavers and this collection of short pieces leaves us in no doubt that the mountainous regions of Scotland should not be underestimated in terms of their wildness, remoteness, and potential danger to life.
Burns is a Liverpudlian with that city’s inborn quick witted humour. He has lived in Scotland for many years. His stories are entertaining and I can think of worse company on a freezing cold night stuck in a remote bothy, especially as he usually carries coal and whisky, one to light a fire in the hearth, the other to light one in you! I enjoyed reading about his adventures from the safety of my cosy living room. I’ve copied my favourite anecdote, unrelated to wilderness adventures, below.
We moved up to Sutherland from the Central Belt in 2022. I laughed aloud when Burns related a story from his early days living on Skye. He’d asked a joiner round to look at a broken door. He said he’d be over ‘next Tuesday’ to do the job. When he didn’t appear, Burns phoned him. He had to do so on several occasions. Eventually he learned what we have learned. I realised that I had made an elementary mistake. I had assumed that next Tuesday was a date, a point in time. It is not. It is a concept. ‘Next Tuesday’ means that the joiner may come at some undetermined date in the future….. In our experience, tradesmen usually appear out of the blue when you’re least expecting them and very rarely when you are. In fairness however, the outcome is usually worth the wait as the standard of workmanship up here, and the pride taken in providing a good job, far exceeds anything we experienced ‘down south’.
March 27, 2021
Nope.
I expected this book to be like a British version of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods: funny, but slightly less overdone (less comical) probably, lighthearted, with some more serious nature writing in between.
Well, nope.
When looking at it from a distance it reminded me of A Walk in the Woods, and I remember liking that one some years ago (although I’m not sure if I would these days?), but this was the version written by an author who likes to remind you of his privilege (and thereby his superiority) continuously. The mansplaining and mocking returns in almost all stories, the elderly white man telling us youngsters how we actually should enjoy nature. He mocks the use of technical devices to keep you safe. He tells us not to do dangerous things - but he CAN do them, of course. He mocks those who challenge themselves to tick of certain lists (like the Munros) and even gets so annoyed with them that he spends almost an entire page on how he thinks of wanting to kill one of them (Hector)? Seriously not funny. You can have your opinions and a bit of gentle joking can be enjoyable but I can’t ignore the condescending tone - not that I tried.
And to top it off: some unashamed racist comments on pages 24 and 48-49. He is making “joking” comparisons to the Ku Klux Klan. First of all that can be funny in no context but is just highly, highly insensitive. Additionally it is so so far from the context of this book about the Scottish highlands that it can’t be a honest mistake - and so I really can’t help wonder: WHY?! How?!
One star because oI learned something about bothies and enjoyed reading a bit about the Highlands (especially when there was some history involved), but no stars for the author and I won’t spend any money or time on his other books (that sounded promising before reading this).
I expected this book to be like a British version of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods: funny, but slightly less overdone (less comical) probably, lighthearted, with some more serious nature writing in between.
Well, nope.
When looking at it from a distance it reminded me of A Walk in the Woods, and I remember liking that one some years ago (although I’m not sure if I would these days?), but this was the version written by an author who likes to remind you of his privilege (and thereby his superiority) continuously. The mansplaining and mocking returns in almost all stories, the elderly white man telling us youngsters how we actually should enjoy nature. He mocks the use of technical devices to keep you safe. He tells us not to do dangerous things - but he CAN do them, of course. He mocks those who challenge themselves to tick of certain lists (like the Munros) and even gets so annoyed with them that he spends almost an entire page on how he thinks of wanting to kill one of them (Hector)? Seriously not funny. You can have your opinions and a bit of gentle joking can be enjoyable but I can’t ignore the condescending tone - not that I tried.
And to top it off: some unashamed racist comments on pages 24 and 48-49. He is making “joking” comparisons to the Ku Klux Klan. First of all that can be funny in no context but is just highly, highly insensitive. Additionally it is so so far from the context of this book about the Scottish highlands that it can’t be a honest mistake - and so I really can’t help wonder: WHY?! How?!
One star because oI learned something about bothies and enjoyed reading a bit about the Highlands (especially when there was some history involved), but no stars for the author and I won’t spend any money or time on his other books (that sounded promising before reading this).
August 29, 2021
John has a lifetime of mountain adventures, and he remembers most of them vividly. I won’t going into length explaining what a bothy is, I’ll leave it for you to discover, and for John to paint the pictures, which he does with remarkable clarity and humour.
A wonderful collection of tales associated with our glorious mountain shelters.
A wonderful collection of tales associated with our glorious mountain shelters.
February 10, 2020
3.5 stars - a series of well written stories, vignettes, essays and (occasionally) fiction about the authors hillwalking life. Some of them were extremely funny, a few jarred or missed the mark for me - but the straightforward tales and anecdotes were very enjoyable. It did feel at times as much like a blog as a book (but a good blog mind...) Particular bonus goes to the author's (much repeated) mantra about not ticking off munros and just enjoying the walk, which provides proper laughs when played out for exaggerated effect.
He'd also be cracking fun to go out for a walk with.
He'd also be cracking fun to go out for a walk with.
August 18, 2025
Get me to a damn bothy now !! A great read with nice length of chapter and ignites a real desire for getting into the bloody outdoors. Some of the stories are fabricated/fanciful and that’s not really needed - stick to the facts bro
November 27, 2023
3.5 stars
January 7, 2023
An interesting read about the writers' travels and stays in bothies. I really enjoyed the humour and information about the areas around each bothy. The only chapters I found a little strange were the imaginative ideas about the future and how technology might affect people. However, it's not put me off and I'm going to purchase another of his books.
July 5, 2020
Amazingly realistic memoirs.
A thoroughly enjoyable set of stories, visiting and returning to bothies all over Scotland. Laugh out loud funny and thought provoking in equal measure. A thoroughly enjoyable introduction to John's writing and inspiration to read his other work.
A thoroughly enjoyable set of stories, visiting and returning to bothies all over Scotland. Laugh out loud funny and thought provoking in equal measure. A thoroughly enjoyable introduction to John's writing and inspiration to read his other work.
January 8, 2020
Inspiring
Age is a constraint of the mind, this book inspires you to explore and engage with nature, just got to get out there and enjoy the challenge! Recommended and surprisingly full of humour!
Age is a constraint of the mind, this book inspires you to explore and engage with nature, just got to get out there and enjoy the challenge! Recommended and surprisingly full of humour!
February 2, 2021
I love walking and camping, although haven’t had the delight(?) of sleeping in a bothy yet. I’m also familiar with the areas Burns writes about. I’ve driven many a time through Glen Coe. I’ve stayed in Loch Carron and eaten at Spean Bridge. In a world where these places have become forbidden to visit reading about them was equally painful and wonderful.
At times it does seems as though all of the walks take place in winter with a sense of panic as night falls and the intended bothy is not yet met. Anyone who has stood with an ordnance survey map and even a sniff of a setting sun will understand the adrenalin this can bring. The fun and games of setting up camp in the dark, the excitement at who you are going to meet, the cooking on gas are surely equal to those of of staying in a bothy. Can I get the fire going? What will the toilet situation be like? Have I packed enough alcohol?
Burns chapters include the weird and the wonderful – alternative realities, hilarious encounters and even…a murder! Yet there are also serious ruminations about what it means to truly be in the wilderness. And how dangerous this can be. There are also tears amongst the belly laughs -the chapters where Burns writes about his father and the grief he carries are beautiful.
It’s a little random in it’s narrative and there are numerous mentions of coal and whisky but when you are walking, that’s what it comes down to. The finish line when you are (hopefully) warm and dry and can indulge in a sausage sandwich and a hot toddy knowing you’ve earnt it. Walkers, climbers and campers alike will read Bothy Tales with a rye smile and perhaps a glance out of the window wishing they were there. Others may roll their eyes at yet more fire starting tales. Actually if you’re the latter maybe don’t bother reading. It’s not really going to be your cup of tea.
A book of this kind should fill you with wanderlust. I’ve just finished it and am so full I could burst. I want to be in the car, walking boots on, map in hand heading to the nearest Munro. So when we are out of lockdown be warned, if you happen to be walking up a mountain and you hear a strange woman singing ‘The hills are alive with the smoke from Bothies’ it will probably be me. I can’t wait!
At times it does seems as though all of the walks take place in winter with a sense of panic as night falls and the intended bothy is not yet met. Anyone who has stood with an ordnance survey map and even a sniff of a setting sun will understand the adrenalin this can bring. The fun and games of setting up camp in the dark, the excitement at who you are going to meet, the cooking on gas are surely equal to those of of staying in a bothy. Can I get the fire going? What will the toilet situation be like? Have I packed enough alcohol?
Burns chapters include the weird and the wonderful – alternative realities, hilarious encounters and even…a murder! Yet there are also serious ruminations about what it means to truly be in the wilderness. And how dangerous this can be. There are also tears amongst the belly laughs -the chapters where Burns writes about his father and the grief he carries are beautiful.
It’s a little random in it’s narrative and there are numerous mentions of coal and whisky but when you are walking, that’s what it comes down to. The finish line when you are (hopefully) warm and dry and can indulge in a sausage sandwich and a hot toddy knowing you’ve earnt it. Walkers, climbers and campers alike will read Bothy Tales with a rye smile and perhaps a glance out of the window wishing they were there. Others may roll their eyes at yet more fire starting tales. Actually if you’re the latter maybe don’t bother reading. It’s not really going to be your cup of tea.
A book of this kind should fill you with wanderlust. I’ve just finished it and am so full I could burst. I want to be in the car, walking boots on, map in hand heading to the nearest Munro. So when we are out of lockdown be warned, if you happen to be walking up a mountain and you hear a strange woman singing ‘The hills are alive with the smoke from Bothies’ it will probably be me. I can’t wait!
November 21, 2024
Bunch of crap dad jokes but even more condescending
January 30, 2024
Really enjoyed this book. I feel the last hillwalker was an more exciting read but this was still good.
July 8, 2021
A 3.5 for me - some really interesting, and funny, short stories whilst others were more serious and poignant. A few just didn't hit the mark for me but overall an enjoyable book and reminded me of my first stay in a Scottish bothy many years ago!
January 28, 2023
Amusing, interesting just drifts off randomly towards the end in a couple of chapters, like the writer got bored! Good quick read.
May 28, 2020
Bothy Tales by John D Burns was an impulse purchase, based on my love of Scotland and the excellent reviews I’d seen. I’m very glad to say that it didn’t disappoint.
I really enjoyed Bothy Tales. Burns has such a lovely style, easy flow and a rich talent for adjectives that the read was over before I knew it. I was completely drawn in.
Burns practices escapism in it’s simplest form – hill walking. Getting out on your own, armed with a map, a compass and a stout pair of boots. (And often, as required in Scotland, a small bag of coal, a large bottle of whisky, some food and a sleeping bag.) The book is filled with articles or essays and jumps around a little, but that doesn’t affect the cohesiveness. All the tales portray his sense of wonder at nature, and glee at his semi-retired state meaning he can go walking whenever he likes. Heartily jealous, John.
The stories mainly centre on the Cairngorms, though he does venture to the Cape of Wrath and down into Yorkshire/The Penines. His descriptions of his fellow humans, the human condition and his despair of the technological world touch a nerve – he’s bang on, is John.
It’s very easy to see why Burns has won so many awards and hearts with his writing. His writing is funny, saturated with his love of nature, charming, insightful, and portrays a sense of peacefulness missing from the world right now.
Mr Burns has won another heart with me. A great pleasure to read.
Thanks, John. Thanks for reminding me there’s more to the world than my little flat – more than COVID-19, political disheartenment or feeling the lack of friends and family.
I really enjoyed Bothy Tales. Burns has such a lovely style, easy flow and a rich talent for adjectives that the read was over before I knew it. I was completely drawn in.
Burns practices escapism in it’s simplest form – hill walking. Getting out on your own, armed with a map, a compass and a stout pair of boots. (And often, as required in Scotland, a small bag of coal, a large bottle of whisky, some food and a sleeping bag.) The book is filled with articles or essays and jumps around a little, but that doesn’t affect the cohesiveness. All the tales portray his sense of wonder at nature, and glee at his semi-retired state meaning he can go walking whenever he likes. Heartily jealous, John.
The stories mainly centre on the Cairngorms, though he does venture to the Cape of Wrath and down into Yorkshire/The Penines. His descriptions of his fellow humans, the human condition and his despair of the technological world touch a nerve – he’s bang on, is John.
It’s very easy to see why Burns has won so many awards and hearts with his writing. His writing is funny, saturated with his love of nature, charming, insightful, and portrays a sense of peacefulness missing from the world right now.
Mr Burns has won another heart with me. A great pleasure to read.
Thanks, John. Thanks for reminding me there’s more to the world than my little flat – more than COVID-19, political disheartenment or feeling the lack of friends and family.
April 15, 2020
The title of this book is misleading, there are no folk tales or myths and legends in this book, it is simply the wanderings of a grumpy old man who immensely dislikes sharing the outdoors with others, and seems to be something of a technophobe.
The man's attitude towards the outdoors really grated on me when reading this book. It seems to be that everyone who hasn't worked for mountain rescue is a moron in the mountains. The section labelling all the types of people you find at a bothy falls spectacularly short of being funny, and comes across as vacuous - as though he thinks he is the only one with any right to the mountain bothy because he's not a Munro bagger or because he doesn't rely on technology at all to get him from A to B. Technology has saved countless lives in the wilderness, a fact that seems utterly lost on a man who sees only with the eyes of an older generation that regard such things as pure evil.
One thing I take issue with is his judgement of Munro baggers. I think anything that gets people out into the countryside and hiking, rather than sitting in front of a playstation or on a phone aimlessly scrolling through social media, is a good thing. Some people need the motivation of ticking things off to get out there and enjoy our beautiful hill and mountain areas. What does it matter WHY people walk? As long as they're sensible about it when they're out there, what's the problem?
The countryside belongs to all of us, not a select few mountaineering elites, it's there to be shared and enjoyed.
The man's attitude towards the outdoors really grated on me when reading this book. It seems to be that everyone who hasn't worked for mountain rescue is a moron in the mountains. The section labelling all the types of people you find at a bothy falls spectacularly short of being funny, and comes across as vacuous - as though he thinks he is the only one with any right to the mountain bothy because he's not a Munro bagger or because he doesn't rely on technology at all to get him from A to B. Technology has saved countless lives in the wilderness, a fact that seems utterly lost on a man who sees only with the eyes of an older generation that regard such things as pure evil.
One thing I take issue with is his judgement of Munro baggers. I think anything that gets people out into the countryside and hiking, rather than sitting in front of a playstation or on a phone aimlessly scrolling through social media, is a good thing. Some people need the motivation of ticking things off to get out there and enjoy our beautiful hill and mountain areas. What does it matter WHY people walk? As long as they're sensible about it when they're out there, what's the problem?
The countryside belongs to all of us, not a select few mountaineering elites, it's there to be shared and enjoyed.
August 21, 2020
An excellent account of this Author's experiences in the Scottish mountains in winter times. He seeks out solitude and peace of mind in these Scottish Bothies that provide some form of shelter from the harsh cold winter weather. To actually carry coal in his rucksack together with kindlers and and firelighters to get some warmth within each Bothy must have been a very real challenge....it would have been good to sit with him in front of one of his warm fires to share a wee dram of whisky....if only. An excellent book to read. Alastair Wilson (Author) "SANTIAGO ON TWO FEET".
May 31, 2019
A collection of short stories of one man's trips around the bothies of Scotland, some real, some imagined. An ok read but some of the stories set up for a great tale and then just finish. Light easy reading.
April 21, 2024
Bothy Tales by John D. Burns is a short collection of stories based on his adventures in the Scottish hills and made the TGO magazine shortlist for Outdoor Book of the Year. If you're looking for inspiration to get out and about then this book is definitely worth a read with its engaging, down-to-earth and humorous style.
“Martin watches in silence as I teeter precariously on the high wire. He's developed a strategy over the years he lets me go first and if I cross the river/bog/mountain ridge without getting killed, he follows.”
The book is a collection of adventures in bothies - very basic accommodation, usually located in the wild areas of Scotland. John tends to enjoy his adventures in winter, so the weather is invariably bleak. Sometimes there are glorious blue sky but often it’s lashing it down as he wades through bogs with a rucksack full of coal, whisky, and enough food to ensure an enjoyable evening when he finally reaches his destination. Although that’s never guaranteed.
“It’s early evening in Bearnais bothy, a remote west-coast shelter not too distant from the village of Lochcarron … I savour a mouthful of the hot tea, rubbing my aching legs and enjoying the steam rising from the dark liquid … my eyelids begin to droop … Jerking awake I almost overturn my mug, and when I look down at the beverage I notice something floating on its surface. It's a mouse turd.”
Over thirty years, John meets plenty of colourful characters – some he gets on with and some he doesn't. But all the bothies have one thing in common.
“The bothy is festooned with wet clothes … The air is filled with the reek of woodsmoke and the smell of sweat. In other words it smells like every bothy I've ever been in.”
Bothies certainly aren’t for those seeking five-star accommodation. This is basic at its best, situated in stunningly remote surroundings. Don’t expect Deliveroo here. But be wary, the weather can catch you out.
“It’s a beautiful December morning, cold, crisp and bright. As we walk up the long glen I feel sorry for the poor souls still lying in bed and missing this natural glory … I am leading when I encounter a white wide snowslope. From the valley floor it had looked crisp white and enticing, the kind of snow winter climbers dream of. This, however, is not that kind of snow … It is said Eskimos have fifty words for different kinds of snow. I have one word for this type: crap.”
John’s exploits in the remote outposts of the British Isles made me smile. I’m fortunate to have explored the Scottish Highlands, including way up in the north west, one of the most remote places on the mainland and where it pays to watch your step.
“In stark contrast to signs elsewhere, the walk into Kearvaig boasts some of the best signs you’ll ever come across. They have signs like, ‘Don't step off the road, danger of explosion and death.’ That's the kind of sign I like: there's a piece of information I can use.”
I’d definitely recommend Bothy Tales, even if you don't actually want to get out into the wilderness. And isn’t that the beauty of being able to read entertaining non-fiction. You can sit in the comfort of your own home, while you enjoy the often hilarious antics of British hillwalkers such as John D. Burns.
“Martin watches in silence as I teeter precariously on the high wire. He's developed a strategy over the years he lets me go first and if I cross the river/bog/mountain ridge without getting killed, he follows.”
The book is a collection of adventures in bothies - very basic accommodation, usually located in the wild areas of Scotland. John tends to enjoy his adventures in winter, so the weather is invariably bleak. Sometimes there are glorious blue sky but often it’s lashing it down as he wades through bogs with a rucksack full of coal, whisky, and enough food to ensure an enjoyable evening when he finally reaches his destination. Although that’s never guaranteed.
“It’s early evening in Bearnais bothy, a remote west-coast shelter not too distant from the village of Lochcarron … I savour a mouthful of the hot tea, rubbing my aching legs and enjoying the steam rising from the dark liquid … my eyelids begin to droop … Jerking awake I almost overturn my mug, and when I look down at the beverage I notice something floating on its surface. It's a mouse turd.”
Over thirty years, John meets plenty of colourful characters – some he gets on with and some he doesn't. But all the bothies have one thing in common.
“The bothy is festooned with wet clothes … The air is filled with the reek of woodsmoke and the smell of sweat. In other words it smells like every bothy I've ever been in.”
Bothies certainly aren’t for those seeking five-star accommodation. This is basic at its best, situated in stunningly remote surroundings. Don’t expect Deliveroo here. But be wary, the weather can catch you out.
“It’s a beautiful December morning, cold, crisp and bright. As we walk up the long glen I feel sorry for the poor souls still lying in bed and missing this natural glory … I am leading when I encounter a white wide snowslope. From the valley floor it had looked crisp white and enticing, the kind of snow winter climbers dream of. This, however, is not that kind of snow … It is said Eskimos have fifty words for different kinds of snow. I have one word for this type: crap.”
John’s exploits in the remote outposts of the British Isles made me smile. I’m fortunate to have explored the Scottish Highlands, including way up in the north west, one of the most remote places on the mainland and where it pays to watch your step.
“In stark contrast to signs elsewhere, the walk into Kearvaig boasts some of the best signs you’ll ever come across. They have signs like, ‘Don't step off the road, danger of explosion and death.’ That's the kind of sign I like: there's a piece of information I can use.”
I’d definitely recommend Bothy Tales, even if you don't actually want to get out into the wilderness. And isn’t that the beauty of being able to read entertaining non-fiction. You can sit in the comfort of your own home, while you enjoy the often hilarious antics of British hillwalkers such as John D. Burns.
November 24, 2025
For some strange reason this is the first time I’ve read one of John D Burn’s books. Back in the good old days of internet forums, before the advent of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, I recall crossing paths with John, where I always found his contributions regarding hillwalking in Scotland to be knowledgeable and humorous. Sadly all those platforms, like Outdoors Magic, TGO and LFTO, became quieter and obsolete, and try as I might I’m unable to find record of those now long forgotten conversations. Technology has outpaced our ability to keep up, and that’s a topic that John touches on in his 2019 book Bothy Tales – Footsteps in the Scottish Hills, where he casts his mind back over a lifetime of hiking and bothying, which I recently picked up in a bookshop, and which has been my first read of 2022.
It’s a witty anthology of stories, mostly (apparently) based on John’s many hours tramping the hills, while others are perhaps the product of an over-active imagination combined with a post whisky-tinged nap at the bothy fire after a long day on the hills. Consisting of 23 short stories, it’s a light and easy read which I devoured quickly, but that’s not to say there’s no meat to the bones. There are recurring characters who we quickly come to know, and others who help set the stage and are immediately recognisable, for we’ve all encountered them somewhere along the way: the obsessive list ticker or the bothy blawhard who has been there and done it all. In fact a chapter is devoted to cataloguing such characters, and I think I’ve met them all.
It’s not all wit though, and it’s balanced with depth and affection, and indeed as I’m now of an age where my big hill days are all behind me, perhaps it is these sections which connect with me the most. John stirs memories of places I’ve been and situations I have encountered and while walking through John’s recollections I have also walked through my own.
I stand for a long time on the summit of this remote peak. Part of me is trying to gain some rational understanding of the distances I am perceiving, but I am half conscious of another process within me. It is as if just as I look at the landscape it too sees me. The young man in a cagoule, with a woollen hat and an ice axe, is also part of the landscape.
It’s a witty anthology of stories, mostly (apparently) based on John’s many hours tramping the hills, while others are perhaps the product of an over-active imagination combined with a post whisky-tinged nap at the bothy fire after a long day on the hills. Consisting of 23 short stories, it’s a light and easy read which I devoured quickly, but that’s not to say there’s no meat to the bones. There are recurring characters who we quickly come to know, and others who help set the stage and are immediately recognisable, for we’ve all encountered them somewhere along the way: the obsessive list ticker or the bothy blawhard who has been there and done it all. In fact a chapter is devoted to cataloguing such characters, and I think I’ve met them all.
It’s not all wit though, and it’s balanced with depth and affection, and indeed as I’m now of an age where my big hill days are all behind me, perhaps it is these sections which connect with me the most. John stirs memories of places I’ve been and situations I have encountered and while walking through John’s recollections I have also walked through my own.
I stand for a long time on the summit of this remote peak. Part of me is trying to gain some rational understanding of the distances I am perceiving, but I am half conscious of another process within me. It is as if just as I look at the landscape it too sees me. The young man in a cagoule, with a woollen hat and an ice axe, is also part of the landscape.
June 19, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this book as it provided much-needed escapism during lockdown (although it did leave me pining to go to Scotland!).
There was quite a dip around the middle of the book where the stories were quite same-y but this picked back up again with full force towards the end where Burns shares stories from the perspective of 50 years into the future and from his dog. This welcome change of pace ended the book on a high note and injected some fun into Burns' criticisms of the 'always-on' aspect of technology.
Part of what made this book so interesting to me was the insight it gave me into how other people look at nature and of what walking means to them. While I've always appreciated walking for allowing me to switch off from the world, the solace Burns finds in it belongs to a different league entirely and I'm grateful he chose to share that with readers. There is one particular story that involves Burns' father that was incredibly heart-warming to read and will stick with me.
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys rambling about in Scotland but with the warning that some of Burns' criticisms, especially in the first part of the book, can be a little wearing. But this honesty and perspective from a man who's been there, done it, and then done it all over again thirty-something years later is well worth any reservations you might have about picking up this book.
There was quite a dip around the middle of the book where the stories were quite same-y but this picked back up again with full force towards the end where Burns shares stories from the perspective of 50 years into the future and from his dog. This welcome change of pace ended the book on a high note and injected some fun into Burns' criticisms of the 'always-on' aspect of technology.
Part of what made this book so interesting to me was the insight it gave me into how other people look at nature and of what walking means to them. While I've always appreciated walking for allowing me to switch off from the world, the solace Burns finds in it belongs to a different league entirely and I'm grateful he chose to share that with readers. There is one particular story that involves Burns' father that was incredibly heart-warming to read and will stick with me.
I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys rambling about in Scotland but with the warning that some of Burns' criticisms, especially in the first part of the book, can be a little wearing. But this honesty and perspective from a man who's been there, done it, and then done it all over again thirty-something years later is well worth any reservations you might have about picking up this book.
January 23, 2022
I’m giving this book two and a half out of five because the writing is well-crafted; the author is quite an eloquent wordsmith, who comes across as convivial and engaging and I tend to share his disdain for fussy bureaucracy, modern ways of thinking and new-fangled-gadgets in the hills – i.e. anything invented after about 1976! (Though personally, I could have done without the incongruous Ku Klux Klan quips.) What’s more, as a lover of bothy life and hills, the book offered a nostalgic journey to some old favourite haunts.
That said, I ended the book feeling slightly disappointed. Why? Well, Mr. Burns is not quite witty enough to emulate the Bill Bryson style but is still a little too frivolous for the ‘inner-journey,’ self-analysis approach of the likes of Joe Simpson or Jim Perrin and frankly, many of the ‘tales’ he has to tell are a wee bit lacklustre. I was hoping for more about the history or natural history of the landscape to break up the author’s personal reflections. What’s more there are no real characters portrayed the book (except the author’s own) as he walks through a setting full of larger-than-life personalities, past and present. Some content akin to Ian Mitchell’s absorbing ‘Mountain Footfalls’ would have made the writing come alive more for me.
That said, the book was an agreeable enough bed-time read for this bothy Gangrel. If you fancy a whimsical and somewhat idiosyncratic wander around the Highlands, ‘Bothy Tales’ provides just that.
That said, I ended the book feeling slightly disappointed. Why? Well, Mr. Burns is not quite witty enough to emulate the Bill Bryson style but is still a little too frivolous for the ‘inner-journey,’ self-analysis approach of the likes of Joe Simpson or Jim Perrin and frankly, many of the ‘tales’ he has to tell are a wee bit lacklustre. I was hoping for more about the history or natural history of the landscape to break up the author’s personal reflections. What’s more there are no real characters portrayed the book (except the author’s own) as he walks through a setting full of larger-than-life personalities, past and present. Some content akin to Ian Mitchell’s absorbing ‘Mountain Footfalls’ would have made the writing come alive more for me.
That said, the book was an agreeable enough bed-time read for this bothy Gangrel. If you fancy a whimsical and somewhat idiosyncratic wander around the Highlands, ‘Bothy Tales’ provides just that.
May 31, 2021
I wanted to read something about Scotland, and I picked this up on Audible. I was pretty disappointed. It's one of those "funny" travel writing books, which are great for some, but have never appealed to me very much. I would rather learn more about the culture and place and people and history rather than just hear jokes about how old the author is... That's my taste. The book also focuses a lot on descriptions of Burns walking around in various weather conditions, which I should have expected given the title, but again... I wanted to learn more.
Outside of just taste, the recording was poorly done. The author stumbled multiple times, rereading lines, I could hear background noises, and the quality of the recording sometimes shifted from story to story or had awkward cuts. The reading tenor of the author's voice felt unpracticed often, too, as if he wasn't quite hitting the right rhythm. It was hard for me to focus.
Outside of just taste, the recording was poorly done. The author stumbled multiple times, rereading lines, I could hear background noises, and the quality of the recording sometimes shifted from story to story or had awkward cuts. The reading tenor of the author's voice felt unpracticed often, too, as if he wasn't quite hitting the right rhythm. It was hard for me to focus.
June 23, 2022
A heart-warming book that brings you right into the world of Scottish hill-walking in the crisp deep snow. Waiting at the end of the trail are those life-saving bothies - no more than huts with a fireplace and somewhere to lay your weary head. Burns tells of the need to carry your own fuel for the fire and he always takes a bottle of malt with him as he watches the flames flicker in the hearth of an evening. He paints a vivid picture of the characters he meets - one woman rebuilt the bothy she burned down when she discovered her lover in flagrante delicto with another woman. They're all eccentrics, but I suppose you'd have to be if you were plodding through five feet of snow in the feezing cold. Burns's style is prosaic, understated, but shot through with wry humour. This book is informative, offers a warning to those ill-prepared for hill-walking in a Scottish winter, and a pleasure to read.
April 19, 2018
Another great book from John Burns. His first book 'The Last Hillwalker" gave us a flavour - this one is more great tales from the hills and the landscape - all of which the author captures perfectly and describes in a really engaging and poetic way. Its a must read for outdoors enthusiasts or those who dream of achieving such adventures but want to relax by the fire and read about them first. Hope to see a lot more from this author and would particularly like to read about his travels on the pennine way that he mentions briefly in both his books. A traditional and engaging outdoors focussed read.
March 3, 2022
I am a big fan of The Last Hillwalker with its laugh out loud humour and great narrative, so I was excited to finally get around to reading Bothy Tales. This too is a book full of humorous moments scattered through the tales of the author’s visits to an assortment of bothies. I think the book wandered off course a little in the second half, particularly the essay on how a technology driven future might look. Overall though, I enjoyed it and would thoroughly recommend it to anyone who loves walking in the wilds.
Note to self: don’t take a tick list of bothies with you on your next trip in case you bump into the author!
Note to self: don’t take a tick list of bothies with you on your next trip in case you bump into the author!
July 31, 2024
Just shy of 200 pages, i expected to read Bothy Tales over the course of days. But as the demands of life interfered with reading time, i only managed to indulge in a short chapter at a time: 23 tales of bothy experience. Perhaps, it occurred to me, this is the best way to read this great collection. Just as the author notes that getting to and staying at a bothy is a revitalising retreat, so too has been reading these tales. They stand as virtual retreats. I thoroughly enjoyed the drama, the humour, the sheer wonder of wandering through the mountains with John D Burns. Even if he does have a good-natured laugh at couscous, which I eat regularly. A fabulous read, highly recommended.
August 6, 2019
Well-written account of the author's ramblings over the hills and dales of Britain. Organized as a series of short stories, each recounting one of his hikes, they are at turns inspiring, humorous, and motivating. In fact, they gave me some ideas for hikes I might take one day myself.
Part of what I liked about them is that for many of them, he is describing present day in which he is about my age. It's good to see those of us in the latter stages of middle age getting out there and tramping the hills still!
Part of what I liked about them is that for many of them, he is describing present day in which he is about my age. It's good to see those of us in the latter stages of middle age getting out there and tramping the hills still!
September 14, 2022
I loved this book. I just think it’s brilliant. It’s exceedingly witty and clever and I just adored the writing style. It just makes me want to go on my next bothy adventure so bad. I will most definitely be checking out more books by this author. Amongst a whole host of interesting social encounters, characters (real or not real), haunting and beautiful descriptions of Scottish landscapes, the author also manages to explore the place and future of outdoor pursuits in the modern world - if you’re interested in hiking, bothies, the hills and glens of Scotland, READ THIS BOOK.
December 27, 2018
A biography type book, talking through some of Johns trips to bothys across Scotland. A lot of trips during winter, encouraging winter mountaineering with only a slight emphasis on the importance of safety and taking care whilst walking alone. Some nice ideas for hikes! I really liked his views on getting on into the country and being disconnected from the world - and agree that its likely in future years this wont be the case!
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