Home   Lifestyle   Article

Bright idea to enjoy winter’s night at Coulags bothy





The Munro of Sgorr Ruadh rises in the distance beyond the bothy. Pictures: John Davidson
The Munro of Sgorr Ruadh rises in the distance beyond the bothy. Pictures: John Davidson

We could have done with a big friendly giant to help us carry all the kit into the bothy for an overnight stay with the children.

The walk into Coire Fionnaraich is little over two miles, but it felt a lot further with big rucksacks on and a holdall full of sleeping bags and mats carried between us.

Given the forecast, we had hoped there would be enough snow on the ground that we could stick a lot of this gear on a sledge and just pull it along.

Unfortunately, it was soon clear that plan wasn’t going to work, so it was onto Plan B – hoof it along with us as best we could!

Staying overnight in a bothy with young children is a real adventure; add into the equation subzero temperatures, hours of darkness, snow and the possibility of other people already being shacked up inside, and it’s easy to question why you bother.

The children enjoy playing in the ice and snow.
The children enjoy playing in the ice and snow.

But the experience, as is so often the case, turned out to be a fantastic one that they – and we – will remember for a long time.

We’d arranged to meet a few friends who would also stay at the bothy that night, but something very unusual happened. When we arrived at the door, the place was in full darkness as we were the first ones there.

With no phone signal, we hoped the others would be not too far behind, as we’d only carried a minimum amount of fuel for the fire, knowing the others had a bigger haul.

The bothy at Coire Fionnaraich, better known as Coulags bothy, is relatively easily accessed. A track leads off from Coulags Bridge on the A890 (cars should be left at a parking area just west of the bridge, rather than close to the gate) which leads up towards the farm.

Related articles:

West coast bothy night is one to remember

Winter wonderland makes 2025 Strathpuffer one to remember

Coulags bothy in darkness.
Coulags bothy in darkness.

PICTURES: ‘Imagine if PE looked like this’ – New mountain bike trail opens at Inverness school

Sign up to the Active Outdoors newsletter

More from Active Outdoors

A rough path drops to the left of the buildings before regaining the track, before a stalker path is followed from immediately before a bridge over the Allt Creag a Chaise.

The path rises easily at first before a steeper section that leads up to a decrepit footbridge. There are a number of missing slats on the wooden bridge, and the ones still in place were wet and rotting, so we carefully made our way across.

I went first and dropped some bags on the far side before returning to help the youngest cross safely. Then I was to and fro, helping with bags and nerves until we were all safely on the far side of the Fionn-abhainn with all of our kit.

The footbridge over the Fionn-abhainn.
The footbridge over the Fionn-abhainn.

We’d packed tents as well, just in case others were using the bothy, which was only around 800 metres from the footbridge.

As we walked northwards, the crescent moon was rising and darkness began to fall. By the time we reached the bothy, we needed our head torches to see inside, and the first stars were starting to appear. It was a sign of things to come, as we later enjoyed sublime views of the night sky, including the Milky Way.

We got the fire going and set out our beds in the empty bothy before the others arrived in the darkness.

Coire Fionnaraich itself is named after the Irish legend Fionn mac Cumhaill - Finn MacCool – who is said to have created the Giant’s Causeway as a stepping stone from Ireland to Scotland. A prominent rock further up the glen is claimed to be where he tied up his hounds while he was hunting here.

Clach nan Con-fionn – Fionn’s stone in Coire Fionnaraich.
Clach nan Con-fionn – Fionn’s stone in Coire Fionnaraich.

The next morning, we walked up to the stone and onwards to a path junction that leads up to the bealach below Maol Chean-dearg, a Munro that was tempting to climb in the perfect conditions we enjoyed after a night’s sleep in the bothy – which is on the Ben Damph estate and cared for by them and the Mountain Bothies Association.

We awoke to clear skies and, as I watched the sun rise over the shoulder of Fuar Tholl, the glen was lit up in glorious colour, contrasting with the white of the snow. It seemed appropriate that the name of the glen is usually translated as bright, white or fair – it was all three things this morning.

As we had the children with us, and they were enjoying playing in the ice and snow in the glen, there would be no Munro bagging on the cards on this short winter’s day. Instead, we made our way back after a lovely night in the wilds, thanks to the shelter of this excellent and well-cared-for bothy.

• In last week’s Active Outdoors, I mentioned an 11-year-old who competed at the Strathpuffer as being the event’s youngest ever rider. This was incorrect - Harry Little was recognised for being the youngest at this year’s event. There have been a few riders under that age over the years, with the youngest being Tom Seipp, who entered as a solo rider aged just nine in 2015. He completed an incredible 10 laps! I take my hat off to all of them all and apologise for the error.

Subscribe to the Inverness Courier for just £10 for the first year by using my personal discount code - JOHNDAVIDSON - at checkout. Click here for this special deal!

The bothy seen from above with the Fionn-abhainn running alongside.
The bothy seen from above with the Fionn-abhainn running alongside.

Route details

Coulags bothy

Distance 2.25 miles / 3.5 km

Terrain Estate track and stalker paths

Start/finish Coulags Bridge, A890

Map OS Landranger 25; OS Explorer 429

A short walk from the roadside to the Coire Fionnaraich bothy at Coulags

Route to Coulags bothy. ©Crown copyright 2024 Ordnance Survey. Media 017/25.
Route to Coulags bothy. ©Crown copyright 2024 Ordnance Survey. Media 017/25.

Click here to see the route in OS Maps

Looking out of one of the upstairs windows from the bothy.
Looking out of one of the upstairs windows from the bothy.
The bothy – and a ruined outbuilding behind it – with Fuar Tholl behind.
The bothy – and a ruined outbuilding behind it – with Fuar Tholl behind.
Coire Fionnaraich bothy is kept in good order.
Coire Fionnaraich bothy is kept in good order.

Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More