The 100-year-old crumbling building hidden in Scotland forest being transformed into bothy

A crumbling 100-year-old building tucked away in a forest on the west coast of Scotland is having life breathed back into it as it transforms into a bothy.

The building, named Druimnashallag, is located to the south-east of Oban and north of Lochgilphead.

The stone structure, which was once hidden in a forest in the picturesque spot, was built in 1891 and was last occupied about 70 years ago.

Forestry Land Scotland (FLS), the landowner, said the building was slowly falling into ruin and faced the threat of demolition.

A remote bothy near Oban is coming to life with hard work from volunteers | Peter Rowell of the MBA

This was until its potential as a bothy was identified by the Mountain Bothy Association (MBA).

Over the past 18 months, MBA volunteers have endured working in challenging conditions - sub-zero temperatures in the winter and fighting off midges in the summer months - to build new foundations, walls, lintels and gables.

A before image of the building near Oban which is due to open as a bothy in 2026 | Peter Rowell of Mountain Bothies Association

Now, the project has reached the building stage and is “starting to resemble a bothy, minus the roof”.

The plan for the property is to have two internal rooms, each with an open fire and sleeping platform, a central porch and a separate byre for firewood, bicycles and other items, according to FLS.

The building’s byre roof will be designed and constructed to encourage bats and owls to live there.

Volunteers with the MBA working hard to restore the building | Peter Rowell of the MBA

Raymond Mundie, FLS’s area land agent, said: “It is inspiring to see the hard work from the MBA and volunteers is paying off. Faced with the prospect of demolition because it presented a potential risk to members of the public, the building is getting a new lease of life.

“Hopefully, when the roof goes on, this characterful old building will provide shelter and comfort for people exploring and enjoying the wilderness and wildlife in this area.

“The project and licence process is a great example of how FLS can support and enable groups of interest to utilise surplus assets and resources to achieve their goals on Scotland’s national forest and land in a safe and appropriate way.”

The bothy is expected to open in 2026 once the building work is complete.

Peter Rowell, of the MBA, said some 41 volunteers had taken part in the project to date.

“While the rest of the UK seemed to suffer from some heavy amounts of rain, we managed to get a spate of good weather and cracked on with the work,” he said.

“The latest work party aimed to complete the walls and as much of the gable end as possible. With the good weather and the determination of our volunteers, we were able to achieve this. It really is starting to resemble a bothy, minus the roof.

“Since we first started work, 41 different volunteers have taken part in restoration and rebuild. They have grafted in sub-zero temperatures and days where it was t-shirts and shorts only.

“It has and continues to be hard work, but listening to the bellow of rutting stags echoing in the glen, hearing the geese calling out to each other as they fly overhead and spotting pine martin scat on the path are all reminders why this place will be so special when it’s completed.”