DURC - Dundee University Rucksack Club

Mountain Huts

DURC's full-weekend meets make use of mountain huts for accommodation. These are generally remote dwellings for mountain goers, close to the hills and equipped for basic living. For these meets you are additionally required to bring enough food to live on for the weekend, a karrimat and a sleeping bag (more info on the Kit List page).

Many people believe Scotland gets more beautiful the further north you go, and weekend meets are the best way to appreciate it!

Huts we are visiting in 2008-2009

More details on these huts will be sent out via the announcements forum in due course...

Mill Cottage

Lying at the mouth of the beautiful Glen Feshie at the western edge of the Cairngorm Mountains, Mill Cottage is a well equipped hut with comfortable alpine style bunks. There are lots of walking opportunities of all types in and above this beautiful Glen.

Strawberry Cottage

strawberry cottage

This hut has a fantastic location set deep in the beautiful Glen Affric, home to Scotland's last remaining natural Caledonian forest. The hut is well equipped and spacious. Most importantly, the large kitchen is perfect for the Saturday evening Bothy party!! Its not just the hut that is fantastic either, there is a wide variety of walks available, all direct from the hut, and there are plenty of Munros to be bagged!

Lagangarbh

Lagangarbh: Courtesy of SMC

Sat beneath the imposing slopes of Buachaille Etive Mor, at the head of the Glencoe pass, you couldn’t ask for a better location for a weekend in the hills. Glencoe is such an amazing place that we are offering two trips there this year!! The hut is well equipped and the ideal location for another great weekend away from Dundee.

Ling Hut

Ling Hut

Sat in the shadow of the awesome Liathach, no hut has a more striking setting. Ling is another well equipped hut owned by the SMC. Sleeping quarters are comfortable for all with beds for everyone. This along with a cosy seating area for the evening get together makes for another fantastic weekend away... and that’s before you step outside! Torridon’s sandstone hills offer more than enough choice for a weekends walking, with great views on a clear day. The hut has a short 10 minute walk-in along a well trodden path.

Glen Brittle Memorial Hut

Glen Brittle Memorial Hut. Photo: John Foster

This is a rather large 'hut' and probably 'bunkhouse' is a more accurate description. Beds are available for all, and the kitchen and louge area are extensive. The trip is traditionally very popular due to the likeness of Skye’s Cuillin Ridge to Alpine mountains, and the hut provides a very comfortable base within easy walking distance of the Southern peaks, and there is copious space for bothy games in the evening! The ridge itself provides almost endless options for walks, but the whole of the island offers fantastic accessible walks and stunning views. The ridge is awesome to look at, and even better to climb on!!

Naismith Hut

Located in ancient landscape of Assynt, the oldest part of the Mainland, there are few Munros near this, small SMC hut, but there are many excellent lower mountains nearby that prove that mountains do not have to be over 3000ft to be challenging. This is close to being as far from civilisation as is possible in Scotland.

Other Huts we have Visited

In previous years we have stayed in many other huts including:-

Steall Hut

Nestled deep in Glen Nevis, with the Southern Slopes of Ben Nevis and Aonach Beag at the front door, and the challenging Ring of Steall behind it, Steall hut has the perfect location. The hut is basic, but has all the ingredients of a great weekend. There are walks for everyone in the area... including more munros than you will know what to do with!!!! A short walk in from the road when we arrive, but who cares when you are deep in Glen Nevis, with all the excellent mountains nearby!

Inbhirfhaolain

Situated in Glen Etive behind Buachaille Etive Mor is the Inbhirfhaolain hut. This is a well equipped hut, with space for campers, so loads of space on this one. Many mountains almost at the door, and climbing a short way down the Glen. Also within reach of the fantastic Glen Coe.

Alex MacIntyre

The Alex MacIntyre Memorial Hut. Photo: D Gray

Situated in North Ballachulish we will be in easy reach of both the Mamores and the hills at Glencoe. For those of you who enjoy their home comforts this lovely looking hut has both hot showers and a microwave... so no excuses for this one!

Inver Croft

Inver Croft. Photo: G Crawford

Another amazing hut visited by the club, isolated from the road by marshland, its tranquil setting makes for a fantastic destination. Inver Croft is a basic hut, but as with all the huts, its has all the facilities required for cooking and the kitchen area plays host to a great table traverse!!! Of course, as with all of our trips, walking opportunities are plentiful with a range of Munros available to bag some of which are accessible directly from the hut. This hut has a 10 minute walk in.

Carn Dearg Hut

Our shortest trip for a hut takes us to Glen Clova, arguably the most spectacular of the Angus Glens. Several mountains lie at to the north, west and south of the Glen, and there is also a fair bit of climbing here too. The hut is well equipped.

Glen Lichd House

As close as we will come to proper bothying, this basic hut (we're on the floor here) is located in the heart of Gleann Lichd in the Kintail mountain range. There is quite a walk in here, but the payoff is a true wilderness experience and spectacular mountains such as the Five Sisters of Kintail right on the doorstep.

The Smiddy

For the final trip we head back north to the Dundonnell and Fisherfield mountains, right below another of the 'Big Ones': An Teallach. A well supplied hut, with bed spaces this time, we are closer to the village here (and therefore the pub in Dundonnell).

Even More Huts..

We have also made several visits to the ever popular CIC Hut located ON Ben Nevis; the Morvich Outdoor Centre, well located for the Five Sisters of Kintail and very close to Glen Shiel, plus several more huts.