Skip to main content

The Bothy Project Inspires a Hiking Hut Pre-Fab and Artists’ Retreat

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Traditionally found in remote, northern areas of Scotland, Ireland, England, and Wales, a “bothy” is often a primitive, stone and wood hut used for hikers and hill walkers to shelter in overnight or during particularly inclement weather. Free for public use, bothies have been an integral part of outdoor culture in these places for hundreds of years, particularly in the Scottish Highlands. In fact, they are still so popular that there’s an entire United Kingdom organization dedicated to maintaining and preserving these historic structures.

Recommended Videos

Today, The Bothy Project seeks to build a system of off-grid, tiny cabins used primarily as artist residency spaces. Distributed throughout the hinterlands of Scotland, the goal of The Bothy Project, according to its own words, is to “create platforms for artists and researchers to journey and explore the history, landscape, and people in the areas surrounding the bothies. These platforms are established through the creation of purpose-built structures made in collaboration with artists, designers, and makers to create a varied network of hand-crafted dwellings.”

Started by architect Iain MacLeod and artist Bobby Niven, The Bothy Project saw its first building completed in 2011 and was”fabricated during the RSA residency at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and then transported to Inshriach Estate near Aviemore where the build was completed in a traditional Scottish woodland area in the Cairngorm National Park.” If you’re particularly artsy yourself (or just looking for a few days away on a Scottish estate), you can rent out the very first building from The Bothy Project (sorry, no kids allowed).

Since 2011, multiple other bothies have been constructed and the project has become a full-blown charity. For 2018 and 2019, the project hopes to “develop an inaugural series of funded artist residency opportunities, establishing the project as a leading art residency organization.” Which is great for the arts and artists, but honestly, we’re more into the bothies than anything else.

As of July 2018, the Bothy Project was able to leverage its influence and money-raising capabilities to create the Artist Bothy, a pre-fab you can actually buy.

“The Artist Bothy is an evolution of the Bothy Project network of off-grid artist residency spaces,” the company states. “It was developed in response to demand for a multipurpose cabin that can be located anywhere. The Artist Bothy furthers Bothy Project’s mission to support artist mobility and access to the Scottish landscape. Every Bothy purchased helps fund opportunities for artists and researchers to access the Bothy Project’s core network of residency bothies.”

Each Artist Bothy is made from sustainable materials and streamlined construction techniques so that it remains as low-impact on the environment as possible. They tiny retreat also comes with the option of custom furniture, along with a variety of other features and add-ons. If you’re interested in getting an Artist Bothy for yourself, bad luck our friends in the States, as these babies can only be shipped in the United Kingdom. For more information on how to get your own, check out their ordering page here.

So, what say you, Americans? Is it time to bring the bothy stateside? We think The Bothy Project could learn a lot from these guys (even if they are Canadian). Though, we can understand if you’d prefer to travel to the Highlands instead.

Article originally published May 16, 2018. Last updated August 6, 2018, to include details about the pre-fab availability.

Chase McPeak
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Chase McPeak is the former Lifestyle Editor. Chase regularly appeared on Beards, Booze, and Bacon: The Manual Podcast where…
Topics
F1 fashion: limited edition movie merch and Cadillac F1 team partners with Tommy Hilfiger
F1 teamware lets fans show support for real and fictional teams
F1 Movie merch sampler.

There were two announcements related to F1 teamware this week, both related to F1 teams that aren't in the 2025 season. Teamware is a big deal with Formula 1 racing fans who show their support by wearing team colors at Grand Prix races worldwide, where grandstands are packed with spectators sporting hats, shirts, and all manner of apparel in Ferrari red, Red Bull blue, and McLaren orange. Mixing media and reality, building on the trend, F1 recently started selling limited edition apparel with the APXGP logo of the fictional F1 team in F1 The Movie,  due to launch later this month.

In a related note, fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger announced on X a new apparel partnership with the upcoming 2026 Cadillac F1 team. Hilfiger has a long history of partnering with F1 teams.
Limited edition merch from F1 The Movie

Read more
Dystopian TV at its best: 8 must-see shows like The Handmaid’s Tale
These shows will make you think about the world in a new way
Elisabeth Moss in The Handmaid's Tale

If you're like me, you might have been taken by surprise to find out that one of Hulu's biggest original hits of the last decade was finally coming to a close this spring. The Handmaid's Tale dominated dystopian television discourse in the mid-to-late 2010s. It proved Hulu's worth in the streaming space and adapted Margaret Atwood's novel for a new generation of fans. While the first season was award-winning and fawned over by audiences worldwide, further seasons saw a decline in pop culture relevance.

What started out as a brilliant take on the consequences of women being forced to manipulate their bodies for the United States government teetered on repetitive as the characters maneuvered the same plot lines, and the themes bordered on stale. The final season just came to a close, and most people were happy with the sixth season and its finale. If you're already missing it and want other contemplative, post-apocalyptic shows, these are the shows like The Handmaid's Tale to watch next.

Read more
The first teaser for Apple’s new Matthew McConaughey movie is here
The movie suggests a mix of drama and action
Matthew McConaughey in The Lost Bus.

In between stints where he flirts with running for governor of Texas, Matthew McConaughey apparently found enough time to make a new Apple movie with American Ferrera. Now, we've got our first teaser for that movie, which is titled The Lost Bus. The film is centered on California's 2018 Camp Fire.

The film is based on Lizzie Johnson's fact-based novel Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire, which chronicles the deadliest wildfire in the state's history. McConaughey plays a bus driver and Ferrera a teacher, and the two of them are focused on saving a bus full of children amidst the chaos of the fire.

Read more
OSZAR »