Bothy
In Search of Simple Shelter
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Bothy
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Narrated by:
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Catrin Walker-Booth
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By:
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Kat Hill
About this listen
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE
‘The bothy embrace is addictive’ ADAM NICOLSON
'Will have you reaching for your boots’ CAL FLYN
The door to the bothy is always unlocked, you just need to step inside.
A bothy is a remote hut in the wilderness that you can’t reserve, with no electricity, mod-cons or running water. And it’s here you’ll find Kat Hill – kettle on, feet up and pen out.
Leading us on a gorgeous and erudite journey around the UK, Kat reveals the history of these wild mountain shelters and the people who visit them. With a historian’s insight and a rambler’s imagination, she lends fresh consideration to the concepts of nature, wilderness and escape. All the while, Kat weaves together her story of heartbreak and new purpose with those of her fellow wanderers, past and present.
Writing with warmth, wit and infectious wanderlust, Kat moves from a hut in an active military training area in the far-north of Scotland to a fairy-tale cottage in Wales. Along her travels, she explores the conflict between our desire to preserve isolated beauty and the urge to share it with others – embodied by the humble bothy.
Bothy is a stirring, beautiful book for anyone who longs to run away to the wilds.
©2024 Kat Hill (P)2024 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'The result is a thoughtful and thought-provoking, a beguiling combination of travel writing, nature writing, social history and personal reflection'
Daily Mail
'Kat Hill thoughtfully couples history with memoir; these personal touches endear the reader to a life of bothy-dwelling. This is a warm, erudite work that neatly explores our relationship with wild landscapes and carefully considers our place within them'
New Stateman
‘A questing, atmospheric collection of meditations of the essential nature of bothy life. A book steeped in dubbin, wood smoke, lanolin, and love of wild places, Kat Hill's hymn to the humble highland hut will delight and inform armchair travellers, weekend walkers, and veteran rough-stuffers alike’
Dan Richards, co-author of Holloway
‘You can't imagine just how much I loved the book… the universality underneath the particularity is going to strike a chord with so many readers’
Sophie Howarth, author of Looking at Trees and co-founder of The School of Life
What listeners say about Bothy
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D J Mercer
- 06-06-24
Inspired
Brilliantly explained. I learnt so much and will listen again with enthusiasm. Food of the soul
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Laura
- 02-07-24
Deep, meaningful research and beautiful clear writing
I love the passion that has gone into creating this book and the care the author shows for the people who’s stories she is telling.
Even if you know nothing about Bothies, this book gives you an insight into their position as an agent of social good and a permanent fixture in the landscape. It is divided into 12 chapters with a prologue and epilogue and makes easy listening whilst walking, driving, cooking, travelling… the possibilities are endless. There isn’t a dull moment and each place she has visited is described in a broader historical context and includes the environmental and social changes that have occurred in the area. She has conducted thorough archival research to give meaning and purpose to each visitors reasons for escaping into the hills as well as her own story. She reflects on her childhood spent in nature and the important environmental issues of our time. I’d highly recommend the book to anyone who loves travel, walking, Scotland, history, birdwatching and nature. My favourite part was about the sheep who eat seaweed. This is just one of the unique stories you won’t find anywhere else.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- D. Bowring
- 05-11-24
A writer in need of an editor
I've never visited a bothy but am fascinated by the idea of these shelters in the craggy wilderness, offering warmth and respite from the wind, rain or snow. I had hoped this book might fire my imagination and describe the experience of using these charismatic habitations and discuss their history. Sadly, most of the book is filled with interminable, repetitious monologues about any subject other than bothies - the author seems to have used the book as an opportunity to let off steam about the state of the world and her love life - it's like listening to an expanded social media rant. Add to this the monotonous narrator and frequent mispronunciations, and you have a book that is definitely best avoided.
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