New life for an old Bothy building in the Cabrach

Keeping the “Old Bothy” alive through creativity, rural skills & wellbeing

The ‘Old Bothy’ sits on the Northern edge of Inverharroch Farm at the head of The Cabrach Discovery Trails. Nestled on the banks of Charach Water, this 16^th Century stone building holds a special place in the affections of the Cabrach community, but over recent decades it has fallen into disrepair and risk of collapse. 

To restore this building required a new way of viewing this asset and the role it could play supporting our activities at The Cabrach Trust over the years to come. Here the idea of developing a rural skills and wellbeing hub began to grow. 

Securing Funding

This idea took a significant leap forward as a result of conversations with Inspiring Scotland. This resulted in the Trust securing funding via the Rural Communities Ideas into Action fund, supported by the Scottish Government, which will allow this historic building to be sympathetically restored over coming months, preparing the “Old Bothy” for a new life as the hub of our rural skills and wellbeing offer at Inverharroch and an important part of our approach to community-led local development.

Since January 10^th the Trust has played host to award-winning contractor Masonry & Lime Ltd who are leading restoration works. Masonry & Lime are an Elgin based specialist contractor focused on traditional building maintenance who work all over Scotland. This includes work on Balmoral Castle, Cawdor Castle, Provost Skene House, and now our “Old Bothy”. Masonry & Lime also maintain a huge commitment to learning, having delivered training courses for The Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre since 2011, alongside training for other organisations including Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust and Frew Conservation.

The Important Role of the Restored Bothy

The restoration of the bothy will play an important role nurturing traditional, rural skills, including safe handling and use of lime mortar, traditional masonry work, and joinery. As part of the agreed scope of work, Masonry & Lime will deliver taster and upskilling opportunities aimed at young people, local trades, and other interested parties, ensuring a strong level of community learning and involvement in bringing the restored bothy to life. 

Once the building is restored, a broader programme of rural skills opportunities will be delivered. This currently includes a drystone wall building course which forms part of the plan to further develop The Cabrach War Memorial, alongside a programme of riverbank restoration works aligned to The Cabrach Discovery Trails. In addition, the Trust will deliver a calendar of rural craft sessions, including spinning, willow weaving, foraging and family discovery walks.

Further, the bothy will play an important role as the Trust develops a programme of wellbeing, mindfulness, and volunteering activities over coming months, taking full advantage of the natural environment at Inverharroch. 

Across all activities the intention is to collaborate closely with local schools, colleges, businesses, and other stakeholders to nurture an innovative programme of opportunities. 

With restoration works scheduled to be completed in March, alongside plans to open The Cabrach Discovery Trails shortly thereafter, we look forward to seeing visitors from near and far at Inverharroch very soon. Keep a look out for the full programme of Spring / Summer events…