The new Abyssinia bothy. Photo: MBA

The new Abyssinia bothy. Photo: MBA

A new mountain shelter with an African slant has opened for outdoor enthusiasts in a popular walking area in the Scottish Highlands.

The Bothy in Glen Kinglas is known as Abyssinia, and is now available for use after extensive renovation by charity volunteers.

The Mountain Bothies Association said 50 of its helpers worked over a three-week period to convert the building into a bothy for use by hillwalkers and other outdoors fans.

A spokesperson for the charity said: “We are extremely grateful to Strone estate for allowing us to renovate and maintain this building and for the assistance that they gave us both before and during the work party.

“While the bothy is now open for use, there are a few jobs left to do including unblocking the chimney. It is hoped that these will be tackled during the summer.”

The interior of the bothy. Photo: MBA

The interior of the bothy. Photo: MBA

Work undertaken by the volunteers included strengthening the gable wall, pointing the walls, repainting the roof, partitioning the existing single room into two rooms, replacing a window with a door into the new room, installing a wooden floor, installing a ceiling in the main bothy area, and digging a drainage channel.

The new bothy, a single storey building measuring 12.5m long by 6.5m wide, is within striking distance of the Arrochar Alps, with munros Beinn Ime, Ben Vorlich, Beinn Narnain and Ben Vane as well as corbetts such as the Cobbler, Beinn Luibhean and Binnein an Fhidhleir within walking range.

Abyssinia is the third new bothy to be opened by the MBA in 2017, following Flittingford in the Kielder Forest and Cae Amos in Snowdonia.

The new shelter can be found in Glen Kinglas, Argyll, within the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park, at grid reference NN 256 117. Users should follow the bothy code. The building is on a private track with no vehicular access.

The building was derelict before the charity's renovation. Photo: MBA

The building was derelict before the charity's renovation. Photo: MBA

The MBA is a charity established in 1965. With the consent and support of their owners, the association undertakes the restoration and maintenance of old cottages, huts and similar buildings throughout the wilder parts of Scotland, England and Wales for use as open shelters for walkers and other outdoor enthusiasts.

The association currently looks after 102 bothies – 82 in Scotland, 11 in England and 9 in Wales. All of the restoration and maintenance work is undertaken by volunteers and is financed by member subscriptions and by donations and legacies.

Abyssinia was an African empire occupying part of the modern state of Ethiopia.

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