An Cladach to be closed due to Bothy Bible

[Lightfoot2017]

Saw this coming a mile away. Any high profile book, website, TV programme etc that seeks to extol the virtues of the great outdoors, and 'getting away from it all' inevitably runs the risk of ruining the very virtues it seeks to praise.

The North 500 is a classic example. I, like I'm sure many others, did the North 500 before it was 'a thing'. Now the whole world knows about it and it's bloomin' mobbed.

It's an uncomfortable paradox.

[Magoo82]

Wagwan mandem?

This thread is a pure MINTER

[magicdin]

Reminds of the days when the MBA Journal was all about internal warfare within the ranks 🙄

[rodderss]

Well that was an entertaining read.

Ronnie really doesn't like Geoff, was it because of his entrepreneurial nous, perhaps a childhood grudge , did Geoff refuse to sign Ronnies copy of the book.Seems pretty personal anyway.

The man wrote a well written book and made one small error in it. Get over it

Bothy commercialisation .

[Bourach]

The man wrote a well written book and made one small error in it. Get over it

Hi Rodderss,

Thing is, that small error has resulted in the loss of a bothy for six months, every year, indefinitely.

Countless hours of hard work and effort by unpaid volunteers gone to waste. Spare a thought for those like me that spend time maintaining these special places.

...and to clarify, the author had an opportunity earlier this month to make amends by working with both the estate and the MBA. He point blank declined to do so.

This is not about his book, not about Geoff Allan’s bank balance but rather the loss of these special places that do many volunteers have worked hard to preserve.

[rodderss]

Bourach

Why has the bothy been closed only over winter , surely the nuisance parking peaks in the summer.

Can you shed some light on the reason for winter rather than summer closure.

[Ronnie Hillbagger]

Rodderess,

So, if An Cladach was shut for the 6 summer months would that be bad? An Cladach will be closed for 6 months due to the Bothy Bible, period. Why does it matter which 50% of the year the bothy is closed in?

[mynthdd2]

....and another thing.......!!!

[Bourach]

Why has the bothy been closed only over winter , surely the nuisance parking peaks in the summer.

Can you shed some light on the reason for winter rather than summer closure

Hi Rodderss,

Sorry I don’t know the decision came from the Estate citing the BB as the reason. Stalking and the state of the track in winter may have a bearing?

[Marty_JG]

Rodderess,

So, if An Cladach was shut for the 6 summer months would that be bad? An Cladach will be closed for 6 months due to the Bothy Bible, period. Why does it matter which 50% of the year the bothy is closed in?

Because it strikes to the heart of the question of are the landowners being honest about them closing the bothy, or are they using it as an excuse to keep the plebs away during posh-boy wads-of-cash season?

[Sunset tripper]

Whether the estate has blamed the book for the autumn winter restriction to the bothy is pretty much irrelevant. They can say what they like and do what they like. I dont even know why they feel they had to give an excuse. I also dont understand why the didn't shut it completely. Is it because they want the MBA to maintain it? If not it makes little sense. If so the MBA should give it up.

Bourach

Why has the bothy been closed only over winter , surely the nuisance parking peaks in the summer.

Can you shed some light on the reason for winter rather than summer closure.

That seems a fair question. I wonder if anyone has an answer for it?

[Ronnie Hillbagger]

Rodderess,

So, if An Cladach was shut for the 6 summer months would that be bad? An Cladach will be closed for 6 months due to the Bothy Bible, period. Why does it matter which 50% of the year the bothy is closed in?

Because it strikes to the heart of the question of are the landowners being honest about them closing the bothy, or are they using it as an excuse to keep the plebs away during posh-boy wads-of-cash season?

Hi Marty,

Like you I'm not fond of the 'posh-boy-wads-of-cash season' as you so eloquently put it, but the only hard evidence available is that the owners have cited the BB as the reason for closure. Anything else is speculation. This issue at An Cladach has been rumbling on for a long time and it could be argued that the estate has been patient, until now. There are also other bothies where similar BB related issues exist and they have yet to play out. No doubt if another MBA bothy gets closed due to the BB then apologists - including some at the very top of the MBA - will come crawling out of the woodwork to deflect, obfuscate and throw up smokescreens rather than debating the cold, hard, facts. In endorsing the BB they know they've screwed up, big time, but are not man enough to come out and admit it and change course. The closure of An Cladach due to the BB cannot be spun as anything other than what it is: a disgraceful disaster. It breaks my heart.

[Marty_JG]

the only hard evidence available is that the owners have cited the BB as the reason for closure. Anything else is speculation.

We have two elements. The first is the BB has been claimed as the reason for the closure, claims can be true but claims themselves are not hard evidence. The hard evidence it's closing for the quieter half of the year. It does seem slightly strange. And it also seems strange that if a misprint on parking location is the cause of this why something like some guidance signage couldn't be experimented with (at the farm and in the bothy).

Anyone walking and camping in the area over the next few months might want to glance over at the bothy and see if it's genuinely closed or if stalky types are frequenting it.

[Essan]

Let's clear some things up:

The closure comes into effect from 1st September 2020 - the bothy is currently open as normal. There has been no indication as yet as to whether the bothy will be locked.

The reasons for the closure have been cited as increased use and disturbance to the owner, who stays at Lossit Farm for part of the year and is fed up with people knocking on her door and asking for directions to the bothy (which, IMO, rather implies they have not read the Bothy Bible!). People have also been driving up the private road to the farm to park there, citing the Bothy Bible which does say, briefly, "parking: Lossit farm". The MBA have been asked to contact the author and ask that this is amended in any future editions. Correct details on where to park have been on the MBA website since last year. The intention is also to put signs at the start of the private road and the Estate have also said that they are considering building a small parking space there.

The closure is for a trial period after which the Estate will review things.

[Bourach]

The fact that folk are parking causing grief and citing the Bothy Bible is proof enough.

Essan

As you stated, the MBA were asked to make contact with the author, what you fail to say is that this has already happened.

An MBA trustee did in fact speak with Geoff Allan to request that future editions of his book contained corrected information, his website also updated with the same, and suggested he opened a dialogue with the estate.

You already know the result was a complete refusal by the author to have anything to do with this mediated settlement.