Open your mind to eco-travel

What do you picture when you hear the word eco? Especially when it comes to accommodation?

How would you feel if you were told your toilets in your accommodation don’t flush, and instead are composting?

Would you trust me if I told you you could stay in an eco wooden cabin, with pretty much its entire contents and site made out of recycled and upcycled materials, but leave you feeling like you are still experiencing luxury?

We met Ally and Mark from Back Track Bothies back in 2020 during one of our locals events. They shared a vision they had of turning a derelict and overgrown site, hidden away in the Scottish Highland hotspot of Glenfinnan, into an environmentally friendly site containing 3 eco “bothies”. I was intrigued at how they were going to make this work and a little unsure of what to expect to be honest. An area we, River to Sea Scotland, are continuously trying to master is how we have as little negative impact on the environment as possible, whilst still maintaining the highest of quality for our customers. How was this going to pan out in a sector we are unfamiliar in… building tourist accommodation?

Where do you even start when you open the gate to, in the words of the new owners, “13 years of crap!”

We loved following Ally and Mark’s 2 year build process on social media (Facebook / Instagram). They regularly treated you to little clues, showing off the unique combination of quality craftmanship mixed with creative upcycling. Impatient followers like myself always pushing and eager to see more and the finished product! But Ally and Mark were disciplined in keeping the build flowing at a steady pace, ensuring quality and longevity was in the DNA of these new Bothies, not rushing and cutting corners to get them finished early.

These are a few of our favourite sneaky peaks. Check out their social media (Facebook / Instagram) and see which ones take your eye…

Remember the first pictures of that overgrown mess of a site? Well several months on and it’s well on its way…

Once operational in 2022, we contacted Ally and asked if we could have a nosey in person. We cannot express how blown away we were from what had been produced. Quality, luxury, personality, quirkyness… just a few words that sprung to mind. I won’t reveal all of the interesting facts on their creative upcycling ideas, as that would ruin the fun. You’ll have to book and find out for yourself!

On the drive home, I knew this was somewhere I had to stay myself, even though it was only just down the road from me!

I managed to keep this place secret from my eco-conscious partner for over half a year, saving it as a treat I knew she would love. I booked out all 3 bothies and invited some of her friends to join us for a winter getaway in the Scottish Highlands. However, how would this go down with the 2 other couples, one used to staying in fancy hotels, with the other heavily pregnant. Especially when after sending them all the information after booking, I receive back a 4 worded response of “will the toilets smell?” – from a multi paragraph message I sent! Yep, they were referring to the composting toilets these cabins contain. I knew this would be very much an “experience for the group” as well as a relaxing weekend break away. We then had the other thing to consider – the unpredictable Scottish Highland winter weather, reaching minus 8 degrees celsius just a couple of weeks before our stay!

Oh… to fast forward and answer the question on will the toilets smell… they actually smelt less when using them than a traditional flushing toilet (when used properly), believe it or not!! When booking you will receive an interactive welcome guide that talks you through how to use these properly.  

Keep on reading to hear about our stay at Back Track Bothies for some inspiration on how to have an incredible winter getaway to the Scottish Highlands!

With us being just down the road, we were first to arrive. The weather was drizzly, but that’s no mean feat for us hardy locals 😉 My super dooper ultra running partner put on her trail shoes, whilst I opted for 2 wheels as we headed for the hills! Within 5 minutes we were stood under the mammoth Glenfinnan Viaduct (do you recognise this from a famous childhood film?) and within 10 minutes were were away from all forms of human activity, fully immersed in nature. Our route took us along the River Finnan towards a real life Scottish Bothy, Corryhully. I teased my partner that this is what a bothy looks like and giving her a heads up for what to expect later when we check in…

We had plenty of options of where to go on our run into Glen Finnan. We could go high and take the path up to Sgurr nan Coireachan (956m) and bag a Munroe. We could have continued further down the glen and over to Loch Arkaig, oooor we could spin around here and follow the river back to the warmth of a wood fired bath. As the mountains were atmospherically cloudy that day and we knew we wouldn’t get a view on top, we opted for the latter. Below is a screenshot of our route:

I raced off ahead to prepare the wood fired bath for my partners return. Be warned, this outside treat likes to play tricks on you as it reminds you of the laws of physics: “heat rises”. Once the bath is filled with the hose, you then get the fire going which heats the water. It takes a little while to heat up, tricking you each time on your return… On several occasions I placed my hand in to feel a great sensation of warmth and confidence the fire was doing its job, only to then sink my hand a little lower to swash the water around and realise the water below was still freezing cold! However, good things come to those that wait and it didn’t take too long before we had a steaming hot bath, perfect for relaxing in as the sun went down and we awaited for our friends arrival.

It may also be worth noting, each bothy has a power shower that will rival most modern hotel rooms!

That evening we welcomed our friends with dinner made with the kitchen facilities, washed down with cocktails / mocktails around the cosy wood burning stove for an evening of catching up and laughs. The Bothies also have electric heating for those that prefer, however we feel fireplaces generate a nicer type of heat.

We had plenty of options for our next day, from local walks, exploring the west coast beaches, taking the train into Mallaig along the scenic coastal track, to visiting historical sites. If you plan to visit Back Track Bothies and looking for that something extra special, why not hire some boats from us to explore Loch Sheil on your doorstep, or book a guided trip with us to discover the magic of the west coast (April – October).

Having a heavily pregnant member of the group and some serious Harry Potter fans, we opted to explore Glenfinnan viaduct, through the scenic loop you can do from your doorstep, followed by an afternoon of games back at Back Track Bothies.

The route takes you to the famous Harry Potter bridge and along a high path overlooking “The Black Lake”, or formally known as Loch Shiel. This route has cracking view points and during the summer months you can watch the famous Jacobite steam train race over the viaduct on its way to Hogwarts… or Mallaig if you don’t wish for your imagination to run wild! This 3.5km circular route also takes you past Glenfinnan station, where you will find Ally and Marks next project, the Glenfinnan Sleeper Car.

We finished our stay with a trip into Fort William for a restaurant dinner, of which you will find a wide variety of options.

What would your eco-travel break look like at Back Track Bothies? If you’ve been inspired by our blog and decide to give this hidden gems a visit, give us a tag on social media @rivertoseascotland as we would love to see how you spend your stay!

Please note – we have not been commissioned to produce this blog, instead we were so blown away with the site, we wanted to share it with our customers! And you all know the famous saying, “if the locals are using it, it must be good”!