© John Slater (CC BY-SA 2.0 via Geograph)

Informal Open bothy

Bob Scott's Bothy

Eastern Highlands · Cairngorms

3 published sources

Maintained by Bob Scott's Bothy Association (Scottish CIO), not MBA. Fireplace, sleeping platforms. Mar Lodge Estate, Glen Lui.

Sleeps
10
Grid ref
NO042930
Coordinates
57.0188, -3.5793
Reviewed and sourced The guide has named sources and no outstanding editorial checks.

Approach

Bob Scott's is one of the most accessible bothies in the Cairngorms. From the Linn of Dee car park near Braemar, follow the estate track up Glen Lui towards Derry Lodge; a path drops left to the bothy beside the Lui Burn a couple of hundred yards before the lodge is reached. The walk takes around 40 minutes on a good track with almost no navigation difficulty, making it a popular first bothy for beginners and a convenient base for longer trips into the Cairngorms. The track is also easily cycled. Because it is so easy to reach, the bothy sees heavy use, especially at weekends, and nearby side glens may have stalking restrictions in season, so check locally if heading further into the hills.

Official mountain conditions

Broad-area links only. Howff does not import a live avalanche rating. Check issue and valid times on the official page. Area coverage reviewed 2026-07-25.

Facilities

Indoor fireplace / stove
Raised sleeping platform
Toilet (compost)
Water nearby
Electricity
Shower
Boat / ferry access
Stalking notice

Nearest Munro

Beinn Bhreac · 931 m · 4.3 km away

Nearby mapped trails

Proximity does not prove that a trail reaches the bothy. Stored geometry is a mapped reference, not a calculated or verified route.

Download all available nearby trail GPX →

History

Bob Scott's takes its name from the long-serving Mar Lodge Estate gamekeeper who lived at Luibeg Cottage across the river from 1947 to 1973 and who welcomed generations of climbers to shelter nearby, among them figures such as Tom Patey and Adam Watson. The original wooden bothy burned down in 1986 and was rebuilt with planning permission that same year; that second building was also destroyed by fire, in 2003, and the present structure was completed in 2005. It is now looked after by the Bob Scott's Bothy Association, a Scottish charity set up in 2015 to maintain the bothy and its facilities.

Cairngorm Wanderer; OSCR Scottish Charity Register; Hillcraft Guided Walking · Updated 2026-07-25

Open in map Get directions