Use of MBA Run Bothies by Commercial Groups Causing Issues!

[Uilleachan]

Why any commercially run activity would plan to use an open bothy as part of their activity for accommodation is beyond me. Anything other than part of an emergency plan or other contingency; such as rendezvous or tea stop in inclement conditions, is against the terms and conditions the MBA agree with the building Owners.

Then there's the volunteers who maintain these bothies FOC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-37099406

Highly irresponsible behaviour that threatens the status of Open Bothies and 100 years of tradition of open access in the great outdoors.

The "Non Commercial Activity Code" is respected by the professional outdoor industry, mountain guides and outward bound/outdoor activity companies mobilise their own resources, so whats changed?

 

[Dogoak]

Saw this article earlier, unfortunately I ran into one of these groups a couple of years back, it ruined it for me and a couple of other folks.

They arrived in dribs and drabs over the course of an hour with the 'leaders' arriving before some of their group, not how I would have things when having novice city folks in mountainous terrain.

Next I was happily getting some grub cooked in the kitchen area when one of the leaders started clearing out the fireplace! I didn't say anything I just took my gear outside to finish off.
Later the senior leader later stated that he always took groups to bothies and that he made no apologies for it?? I kept my own council and was courteous etc; I was brought up properly
To say they took over the bothy was an under statement, total disregard for anyone else, going to the toilet really close by, etc;
Stomping up the stairs in the early hours followed by mobile phones going off, the latest at around 2 a.m.
At this point I had had enough and shouted, exteremly loudly, what to do with the phone and what would happen to it if I heard it again, etc; I can't put up on here what I said but I was very direct and put some fear into them. No more noise or disturbance.

The next day they were all a bit subdued around me and the other legitimate guests. Just before I left one of the sub leaders did make some kind of half hearted apology.

Upon my return home emails were fired off to the senior leaders employers stating the MBA code and what had happened, yes, the wally even told me who he worked for, a council. The letter I received from his employers was serious and I think he landed in some extremely hot water to say the least, they were also reviewing how things were going to be run.

Sound like things are getting worse which is a real shame and if I turned up and a bothy and was barred access by a group all hell would break loose.

Sadly there was another article recently about the litter problems at bothies. I think what has changed is that more people are making money from the outdoors, that and the Internet. Bothies used to be the preserve of those in the know, MBA members, walkers, mountaineers, etc; nowadays folks can access all the information easily on the net and some of them, unfortunately don't care a monkey's.

 

[Toddy]

Well said.

M

 

[Uilleachan]

Saw this article earlier, unfortunately I ran into one of these groups a couple of years back, it ruined it for me and a couple of other folks.

They arrived in dribs and drabs over the course of an hour with the 'leaders' arriving before some of their group, not how I would have things when having novice city folks in mountainous terrain.

Next I was happily getting some grub cooked in the kitchen area when one of the leaders started clearing out the fireplace! I didn't say anything I just took my gear outside to finish off.
Later the senior leader later stated that he always took groups to bothies and that he made no apologies for it?? I kept my own council and was courteous etc; I was brought up properly
To say they took over the bothy was an under statement, total disregard for anyone else, going to the toilet really close by, etc;
Stomping up the stairs in the early hours followed by mobile phones going off, the latest at around 2 a.m.
At this point I had had enough and shouted, exteremly loudly, what to do with the phone and what would happen to it if I heard it again, etc; I can't put up on here what I said but I was very direct and put some fear into them. No more noise or disturbance.

The next day they were all a bit subdued around me and the other legitimate guests. Just before I left one of the sub leaders did make some kind of half hearted apology.

Upon my return home emails were fired off to the senior leaders employers stating the MBA code and what had happened, yes, the wally even told me who he worked for, a council. The letter I received from his employers was serious and I think he landed in some extremely hot water to say the least, they were also reviewing how things were going to be run.

Sound like things are getting worse which is a real shame and if I turned up and a bothy and was barred access by a group all hell would break loose.

Sadly there was another article recently about the litter problems at bothies. I think what has changed is that more people are making money from the outdoors, that and the Internet. Bothies used to be the preserve of those in the know, MBA members, walkers, mountaineers, etc; nowadays folks can access all the information easily on the net and some of them, unfortunately don't care a monkey's.

Same here.

Yeah, it's unfortunate that people can't just use the noggin when it comes to littler and more specifically, the toilet. Was reading a report of someone using the space right behind a bothy (the Tarff Hotel) as a toilet and leaving it there, not even buried

I well remember my horror clambering up to my pals snow hole on the Ben, with all my kit for the weekend. Only to discover that since the previous weekend some other person had left a present right in the middle of the floor. I double checked my map reference, optimistically searched for other snow holes in the vicinity to no avail. One of the bunch removed it, but even after that we couldn't bring ourselves to use it.

In the end we went off climbing and descended off down to Ft William that evening and dossed in the little underground car park.

 

[khain]

The Galloway Forest Park bothies were in a sad state the last time I visited, people leaving rolls, sweets, sachets of peanut butter ... much of it gnawed at by mice and droppings all over the tables.

 

[bigbear]

As said above, too many folk making a living out of "instruction" who need some themselves as to how to behave. Seen some awful practice at crags recently, commercial groups using poor anchors, leaving top ropes on lots of routes they are not using, loud etc etc.
Sadly having a degree in outdoor pursuits does not mean you have learned to respect the outdoors or the rights of others. Not aimed at all those with such a degree, just some of them you understand, there will be some good eggs too, but that aint the subject of this post !

 

[boatman]

Awful of course and so dreadful that the others are now enjoying the outdoors which used to be so exclusive. Bad behaviour is bad behaviour and that of some of the current greybeards and doyens of outdoor activities in their youth would not bear examination.

Why are people complaining of such commercial use when there is no litter etc? Are these the same people objecting to the NT attempting to charge for use of the hills by commercial groups? People on the mountains need shelter.

 

[Toddy]

Bothies are repaired, cared for, tidied up, cleaned and serviced by volunteers. The people who do this work are happy to see folks using them, but why should they work for someone to exploit their altruism ?

Not all of those commercial groups are clean or tidy, let alone courteous to other users.
The bothies are generally small cottages….and by small I mean small as in several centuries ago small. Not huge great multi-occupancy youth hostels….ah, but the youth hostels, hiker's hotels and the like, they cost money don't they ? Money that comes out of the profit margins of those aforementioned commercial groups

Aye, indeed.

M