Squealing Pig Bothy

The views. The peace and quiet.

I rarely write reviews as I am brutally honest. I drove up and down the road, and ended up at the wrong bothy. After a long journey, a tad frustrating. Here are the coordinates: N 58 20.690 W 006 39.289. Naïvely, I thought I could park near the bothy. Instead, I found myself climbing a hill that, in dry weather, for me, was hard work (bad knee) and in rain, would become a slippery track. Inside the bothy, I was welcomed by the nostalgic aroma of firelighters – a sort of "Eau de Scout Camp with Underlying Panic." The fire had been set up, which was great because I’d never built one in my life. The first night, I got it lit but it didn’t warm up much, and the bedroom area was not heated. My power pack ran the fan heater, so that was soon sorted, On night two, emboldened by false confidence, I attempted to build it myself. It stubbornly went out. Not wanting to disturb anyone, I let it die quietly. Noticing it had extinguished itself, I opened the fire door like an amateur arsonist. A smouldering log leapt out and flung glowing embers across the highly flammable rug. Now, with the benefit of internet access, I’ve ordered a replacement rug via Amazon. It’s winging its way to the Squealing Pig Bothy as I write. Oh, I found the fire extinguisher in the bedroom. The interior design featured charming trip hazards in the form of raised red concrete floor bits. I went airborne twice – possibly a record. As a former health and safety professional, I mentally filled out an incident report mid-trip. And yes, at £78 a night, I expected rustic charm, not slapstick survival. A few suggestions from a concerned (and slightly bruised) guest: • Don’t place flammable rugs near the fire. Seems obvious, but here we are. • Provide clear fire-building instructions. “Make it up as you go” is not ideal with open flames. • Paint raised floor hazards yellow. Or orange. Or just anything visible to the human eye. • Install a non-slip gravel path. The current hill climb is better suited

Uniqueness and quietness

Nothing

The house is in a unique location and has a lot of character. The hosts John and Jackie are very friendly and helpful.

Delightful stay in a rural location. Not far from civilisation, but it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. The accommodation is rustic, as described (no electricity or running water, with an outdoor chemical toilet, but there is access to a plumbed shower and flushing toilet nearby), but we loved it! John met us at the arranged time to explain all the ins and outs. There was an option to light a peat fire, but we didn't feel we needed it as the bothy was warm enough (late April). No breakfast was included in the price, but we were given some eggs (which we boiled to eat with our dinner). We were treated to a tour of Jackie's loom the following morning - she's an official weaver of Harris tweed - fascinating!

n/a

Interesting spot, beautiful scenery, very helpful, friendly hosts.

It was difficult to wash hands in the bathroom. A foot pump to pump the water would allow more sanitary way to wash hands.

Unique place to stay and great experience.

Nothing really.

We had a great time. If you want the simple life for a few days without any distrachtion, this is the right place. Yet we had everything we really needed. We enjoyed the fascinating nature, the landscape and the view of the sea every morning. Our hosts John and Jackie are friendly and uncomplicated. We will probably come again.

Amazing view. Loved the fire and peats

Nothing. It is what is says it is. Off grid and amazing.

Absolutely beautiful setting most amazing hosts. Perfect to get away from technology back to basics

Nothing just wish we were there longer